Holiday Inn Express & Suites Columbus - Worthington by IHG — Hotel in Columbus

I've stayed at Worthington hotels periodically over the past ten years, most often at the Doubletree on Hutchinson Avenue. It recently changed management (I believe) so I started looking for alternatives. Right next door to the Doubletree is the Holiday Inn Express. I stayed there this month and believe I will not return to the Doubletree. Nothing egregious about the Doubletree, but the amenities there - and its safety and sanitation issues - don't measure up to what I've experienced at the Holiday Inn Express. ||The Express costs roughly the same as the Doubletree, but the Doubletree charges its non-Gold members about $15 for a breakfast that I found to be hardly worth the price. The Express offers a complimentary self-serve breakfast (true, the Doubletree offers a chef-prepared omelet, which is not available at the Express); and for families what the Express offers really meets my expectations. There's even a pancake maker, in addition to hot egg options that make up for the lack of a $15 per person chef.||In all other respects, I found the Express as good if not superior to what I've experienced in the area. There's a decent indoor pool and fitness center, the elevators worked well, the hallways were clean as was my room. The room was significantly more spacious than any I've had at the Doubletree (which I am inclined to use because I generate a lot of Hilton points). I'm not sure IHG, the parent chain for the Express, has mid-level customers like me in mind, as their point system falls short, in my view, when compared with Hilton's loyalty program. ||Perhaps what triggered the change was the change in local management at the Doubletree, where I found dirty and slippery floors, trash in outdoor containers overflowing the barrels, and rooms that clearly have aged past their prime. It's true that there's a bar at the Doubletree (though it closes at 9 pm); but there are bars across the parking lot (a dive bar, Slapsy Maxie’s and a bar at a video/pinball game parlor), so walking a short block for a nightcap is as likely at the Express as it is at the...

I had the worst experience staying at this hotel. We booked through Expedia to begin with and upon booking the reservation I wasn't made aware that there was $100 deposit due at the time of check-in. Walking into the hotel you got blasted in the face with the absolute worst chemical smell ever. It smelled like five nail salons packed into one room. And of course they didn't say anything about it so I said why does it smell so bad in here? And they said oh we have a nail school training going on in our conference room. The entire hotel stunk for our entire stay. Everyone was complaining about it and I had the worst migraine. My toddler was coughing. Before booking I was trying to get in the contact with the hotel for 2 days and the worker who is answering the phone was extremely rude and kept hanging up on me or putting me on hold for 20 to 30 minutes at a time before the phone would disconnect. When we checked in after I complained we were moved to the fourth floor instead of staying on the 1st because of the smell. When checking out I was told I would have my deposit back within 3 to 5 business days and here we are May 30th and still no deposit back. There wasn't a single ounce of damage done to that room and the best answer I could be given from the same worker who sucks and answering the phone was that it's my bank's fault. Which is comical because I get my paycheck two days early I get all my deposits on time or early from anything. I never have problems with my bank it's the hotel. I wouldn't recommend this hotel to anyone ever. The best part about the hotel was The breakfast worker. He went above and beyond to make sure everyone had what they needed and was very clean. The rooms were mediocre however and the pool was gross. This was supposed to be a Mother's Day getaway and it was terrible. I drove over 2 hours to have a migraine for the weekend and lose out on $100 deposit. Don't waste your time going here they don't...

This was literally the worst hotel experience of my life. I had to wait 30 minutes to even see anyone at the front desk or in the lobby, and then the staff member that finally did come out was either incredibly drunk, high or both. He wasn't coherent, couldn't keep both his eyes open at any given time, barely said a word and took 20 minutes just to check me in. I attempted to call the desk twice, rang the bell 6 times, and a friend had to call the 24 hour line just to get someone to call the back office to get them to come help me. (That line stated they would be reaching out to me within 24 hours for reimbursement and that has not happened either).

I finally got into the room and had to use my flashlight just to get to the lights to turn them on on the other side of the room, which isn't the worst thing but as someone with poor night vision, this was a big deal.

In the morning, I was awoken at 9:30 by consistent non stop knocking by the cleaning crew which was incredibly inconvenient.

When I went to check out in the morning, I had checked my bank account prior to leaving my room and noticed my card was not only charged the cost of the room (I was told, by the inebriated staff member the night before it wouldn't charge until I checked out in the morning), but also an additional $100 that I later found out was an "incident deposit" that I was never notified or warned of. No notice in email confirmations, no notice on website when booking, staff never advised of additional charge, I was never made aware and charged an additional fee without my consent and I still do not have access to my funds from this.

This stay was truly horrendous and I will never stay here again and recommend others...