Holiday Inn Express Hunt Valley by IHG — Hotel in Cockeysville

What could have been a 5/5 rating was ruined by my experiences with your front desk staff at BOTH check in and while checking out.||I booked in the IHG app and put my credit card on file. It's not a big deal that I wasn't charged when I made the reservation, but they randomly charged me an hour later for a cost $50 higher than what the cost was. This is despite when making the reservation it specifically said NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED. ||When I arrived, I was told they needed to swipe my card a 2nd time despite having already paid and also provided the unnecessary incidental deposit, so shouldn't be any reason to do this at the hotel. Her explanation of the reasoning made zero sense, seemingly to both of us. I showed my banking app which showed the charge had already been taken from my account. I was told it was my banks problem (not true). Then, she said that the charge was reversed and now they had to swipe my card. I confirmed this and then paid. Seems like a stupid process. ||When I needed to add a day, the front desk told me I had to provide the deposit (which again, when I added the day in the app, said I didn't need to provide a deposit) only after showing him my reservation confirmation did he relent. ||Then, when loading my vehicle getting ready to leave, the key I needed to get back in from the garage didn't work. I went up to the front desk and he had to reprogram a key. Then when I made a 2nd trip, it did the same thing a 2nd time. ||But other than horrible customer service, hats off to those that work in housekeeping, as my room was super clean, and the ladies were friendly when passing them in the hallway. I'm at a loss for words at how bad the service is here and I NEVER go out of my way to leave a bad review, but this was ridiculous. ||If previous history is an indicator, I'll probably have a beat down of a time trying to get my deposit back - I can't imagine they care about the customer after they've left since they clearly don't care when the...

I chose this hotel because it's only a block or two from my work site. My commute is an hour each way, snow was about to hit, and I didn't want to get stuck.

First the pros:

-Easy check-in. Granted no one was there but the front desk staff was courteous and professional and made sure to give me the exact room I wanted, since I hadn't made a reservation beforehand.

-Room: Small, unsurprising since it was a single bed. Had a microwave and fridge, a big must when I travel since I'm limited in what I can eat and have to bring my own food. Fridge was hidden behind a cabinet door, which gave the room a slightly nicer look. There were plenty of outlets so I could charge my stuff without issue. Small bathroom but there were toiletries and a hairdrier. I didn't require much else. I lost my toothbrush and was able to acquire one free from the front desk. Also had a Keurig.

Hotel: Modern, good internet connection. Has a breakfast room and even though I left too early to get breakfast, I still had access to hot water, plates, and cutlery for my own meals. Workout room but no pool. Free parking, and I strongly recommend that if you have to be there in the winter during inclement weather, park out front. They didn't treat or plow the back lot by the time I left, which was around 5:30AM.

-Easy check-out.

Cons:

-Even though there was a controllable heater/AC in my room, it kept turning itself off for too long before turning back on again.

-For some reason, the solid curtain only covered a small portion of the window. It did not have enough track to fully cover everything. There was a translucent curtain that went across but it let in outside light and I had to sleep through that.

-They have dish cable. The one night I decided to stay in a hotel, it was inclement weather and the signal cut out just before it started snowing. Luckily I had a book so I wasn't too bored. Thanks to my work schedule I rarely get to watch evening TV so this was a bit of a...

This property, and especially the staff here, should be considered a true gem amongst the many more expensive alternatives in this area.

The infrastructure is clean, well maintained, and nice looking. Everything works as it should, so there are 2 elevators, multiple ice machines, a guest laundry area, and the in-room amenities, all of which are in full working order and great shape overall.

As with any commercial location, regardless of infrastructure, all companies are a group of people, and not an entity to themselves as we've been conditioned to think.

And it is this group of people that serves as this property's source of distinction. I've been here for 6 weeks, with another week left before I check out, and so in that relatively large amount of time I've had the pleasure of meeting and interacting with most of the staff. From the GM on down to the house keepers and maintenance guy, and breakfast staff, front desk staff - everyone, literally, has bent over backwards to make everything as close to perfect as they possibly could for all of my team and I.

As a project manager for a retail construction company, I essentially travel for a living. As an example, I spent 350, of 365 nights last year, in a hotel room and am on pace to do about the same in 2024.

I've stayed in locations of most all the brands all over the country more times than I could possibly recall, which I'm saying to demonstrate what I think are valid reasons why hotel reviews I post should be considered well informed and accurate.

This location is among the very best I've ever experienced, anywhere, for any price. Yes, of course you can spend a lot more especially in this area, but I'm telling you that should not be necessary as you will not find any better service, for any...