Holiday Inn Express & Suites Baltimore West - Catonsville by IHG — Hotel in Catonsville

The hotel is in a great location with shopping and restaurants within walking distance and even though it is located in a busy traffic area it was relatively quiet. The hotel has a very trendy look when entering the lobby. Check-in was easy and fast and I was recognized as a Spire Elite member, upgraded to an actual suite, and offered incentives of bonus points or a bag of goodies. The hotel has two elevators but one was not functioning resulting in having to wait on the working elevator and the one that was working always displayed it was on the first floor. My room had a separate sitting area away from the sleeping area and both rooms contained a HD flat screen TV. The sitting area contained a microwave, mini-fridge, and small sink. The king size bed in the sleeping area was comfortable with a choice of soft and firm pillows; however, the heater in this part of the suite only produced cold air. Luckily the heater in the sitting room was just enough to keep the entire suite just cool but not uncomfortable. The bathroom was clean, well lit, and had plenty of counter space for toiletries. The shower pressure and temperature fluctuated occasionally as I took my morning showers. The Wi-Fi service had an average download speed of 36.77 Mbps but was slow to connect to web sites. The desk in the sitting room was located next to the TV which was not adjustable and therefore the TV could not be viewed from the desk. Coffee was available in the breakfast area 24 x 7 but you had to step over ropes to get to the coffee containers and the flavored creamers and sugar free sweeteners which were available during breakfast times were removed afterwards. I would have given this hotel a “good” rating but I felt the cons were substantial enough to lower the rating.

Pros: Good location with shopping and restaurants close by Check-in easy and fast Recognized as Spire Elite member with upgraded room and incentives Room was clean, large, and contained microwave and mini-fridge and HD TV Comfortable bed with choice of pillows Bathroom clean, well lit, and generous counter space Shower pressure and temperature fluctuated during shower

Cons: Only one of two elevators working and according to past review it has been broken for over 3 weeks Working elevator always displayed floor 1 no matter what floor it was on Wi-Fi service fast but would be slow in connecting to web sites TV in sitting area could not be adjusted for viewing from desk Heater not working in...

Ok - the hotel is adorable. The carpet is fun and funky, the rooms are completely up to date, the A/C works great, the reading lights are adorable and modern (I want them for my house!), there are a ton of electrical outlets for all your devices, the bathrooms are really nice and modern, the long desk is fabulous and convenient, the new gorgeous funky modern feature lamp is such a nice additive (so rare in hotels)... the physical hotel is really nice and based on that I would stay again. If swanky and modern is what you want you are set.

...However...

I got to my room and one of the tables hadn't been cleaned, it was rather sticky. My office manager found socks in her room, not her socks. I kept using kleenexes and they were damp. I thought the humidity was high but that seemed extreme. I pulled out the box and it was soaked. I had been using wet kleenexes. I went to the front desk and asked to have it replaced. 3 days later I left and still no replacement. The second day I went and mentioned I had left my do not disturb sign on my room but was leaving then. That was around noon. The front desk clerk mentioned they would take care of it and have my room serviced. I came back to the hotel at the end of the night and my room had never been serviced. My key card of course had to stop working. 2 lights were out in my room and I asked them to be replaced. Didn't happen. I mentioned, very nicely, some of the small challenges which had been occurring and the front desk staff just looked blankly and handed me a card of a manager and said to call.

So the hotel is top notch... the front desk staff is kind but not very helpful or efficient.

The breakfast area has pancakes. I love the pancake machine. It wasn't well designed when the hotel was built (too little) but the food was decent and the Peruvian lady who manages the food is so sweet and totally on her job. Coffee was good and I love coffee.

So give it a shot, but keep in mind there might be a few challenges...

The hotel is BRAND NEW! The building must have been built in the last year. I initially thought that the parking lot was small, until I realized that there was a front and back parking lot and both are accesible to the lobby. When I walked in, I was truly amazed. Between the modern decor and the fromt desk agent immediately greeting me, I was pleasantly surprised. Ash (the front desk agent) was very efficient at his job, getting me checked in within 3 minutes (record time), acknowledging me by name, and explaining the amenities of the hotel.

Before I went to my room, I decided to do some exploring of the hotel. There is a fitness center (small - four cardio machines) and an outdoor pool on the second floor. Immediately to the right of the front desk is a media area with a huge tv, computers with internet access, and a printer. As you went furthur along n the first floor, there is a breakfast area with good seating and another tv.

My room was located on the 4th floor near the elevator (I requested that particular area). I opened my door and was initially disappointed. I thought I had requested a suite and got a standard room? But I spoke too soon. As I walked further in, I saw a very spacious suite. The living area had a couch, chair, coffee table, and media unit. There was also a desk next to the media unit. And a wet bar area with a mini fridge, sink, and microwave! As I went further back into the suite, I was introduced to the bedroom area, which had a tv (there is a tv in the living area), another desk, two nightstands, and behind the headboard lighting. The pillows were marked "firm" and "soft" and they really were! The bathroom was also a beauty. Shower stall of good size, plenty of counter top area, dryer, Bath and Body Works products, I could go on and on about the room.

This hotel gets five stars in my book (and that is VERY hard to...