Holiday Inn Express & Suites Englewood Denver South, an IHG Hotel — Hotel in Centennial

I've been an IHG Diamond Elite member for several years. While I never expect an upgrade, I also don't expect a downgrade, which is what my wife and I got for 4 days at this truly miserable property.

The manager essentially told me we were downgraded due to the fact we used points for our stay rather than cash.

We were in the south Denver metro area for our daughter's wedding. Our room had no closet...our dress clothes for the festivities hung on a small knob that extended from the wall. EVERYTHING needed ironing. Not how my wife and I had hoped to spend our time.

The bathroom was extremely small and the door opening IN to the bathroom didn't open all the way (see photo). Two people trying to get ready in that miniscule bathroom is impossible but the fact the door doesn't open all the way is ridiculous. The holder for the soap was also broken and it had to sit on the limited counter space.

There is ONE ice machine in the entire property for FOUR FLOORS of rooms - and guess what? It worked for one day. 3 days of no ice. Not that the front desk people could do anything about it, but they didn't care either.

ALL FOUR mornings we had to wait for coffee because it had run out and there was NO sense of urgency from the attendant who again, didn't care at all.

One morning there was bacon - if you like it raw.

Three of the 4 mornings the biscuits for the biscuits and gravy were so hard, they couldn't be cut with the plastic knife and fork.

VERY limited healthy options - no egg white omelettes, no turkey sausage, no healthy options like you see at most IHG hotels.

We were pleased that only one of the 4 nights had local police combing the halls. 4 police cruisers outside the hotel don't exactly make us feel comfortable.

The owner of this property is doing absolutely everything possible to pinch pennies - it's obvious. We generally love our stays at IHG properties - this one was...

The front desk staff was nice both morning and evening. They gave us a welcome bag with a bottled water and a granola bar when we checked into the hotel.

We stayed in a king room which included a mini fridge, desk w/ chair, and chair. The bed and chair were comfortable and everything was clean.

The bathroom was tiny. The door opened inward and hit the vanity; you also couldn't wash your hands comfortably at the sink with the door open. Otherwise, the bathroom was clean and served its purpose.

We were in the middle of the hallway with rooms on both sides and across the hall. The hallway noise and room noise was minimal. The upstairs noise was loud on the floor. My husband who could sleep at a rock concert thought it was loud.

The main areas in the hotel did not have water access to fill a water bottle. They had two drinking fountains, neither of which worked. The water dispenser in the breakfast area was not hooked up either. The front desk graciously gave me a bottled water. The breakfast staff brought me a water too but wasn't nice about it. (I think several people had asked for water.)

The breakfast was terrible. We arrived in the middle of service and should have had a large selection available and they did; however, everything was either undercooked or overcooked. They had cinnamon rolls that were hard as a rock (we tried one), oatmeal that was dry (not just lumpy, actually dry), eggs with cheese (those were dry too and chewy), two slices of bacon (literally only 2 slices), a pancake machine, and bagels.

The breakfast staff was also short with myself and other guests.

They had a pool that looked well maintained. We did look into the pool area on our search for a working water fountain, however, we did not actually...

My son and I booked a 2-night stay to drop my son off for college in Denver. We chose to find a location based on value and location. We chose a hotel 25 minutes from downtown. The hotel was situated near the freeway in a beautiful business complex for easy access, but not too close that you heard the noise. The area in general is very quiet. Dining and shopping were only 10 minutes away without having to get on the freeway--we went to Costco one night and ate out at Tino's another night.

The room we were given was on the 3rd floor and was super clean...immaculate even. It appeared to have been remodeled recently. The beds were comfy, clean, and wonderful to sleep in (2 queens). No issues with connecting to internet, TV, or Netflix. Staff cleaned the room when we were gone the 2nd day. No funny smells inside the room or in the hallways. The room was chilled and AC definitely worked. Our floor was pretty quiet.

Breakfast was good and plentiful. We ate around 7am and 8am each day. Did not use the pool or exercise room. Parking was always available out front.

The only small issue I noticed was that on Day 2of our stay, the trash was overflowing onto the ground outside the entrance. I brought it to the front desk's attention. Also, tables at breakfast weren't cleaned between guests in an efficient manner (if that was supposed to happen?). However, staff in general were either pleasant or business-like in my observations or interactions.

I would definitely...