Holiday Inn Express & Suites Dickinson by IHG — Hotel in Dickinson

I travel for business and have come to dread visiting Dickinson due to the poor hotel selection and service you receive if you are “lucky” enough to get a reservation. I was pleased to see some new properties available and ultimately selected the HIExpress because I was able to book a room with a fridge and microwave which are two amenities that I like when I travel. I checked into the hotel and went to my room; it was immediately obvious that it was an accessible room (which I am careful to avoid when booking); I was also unable to locate any fridge. Since I stay in several hotels a week, I can’t always get the room type I prefer, so I decided to review my reservation confirmation. I had an e-mail confirmation for a queen suite booked three weeks before. When I contacted the front desk, I was told that I had booked a standard room. Even though I was able to read my confirmation to the desk clerk, he argued with me that I had not booked a suite and that he was sorry about the accessible room but that their room types are not guaranteed (HUH??). He also said that I had agreed to that room by initialing the rate (I guess technically that’s true, but I don’t have all of the rates for every room I stay in memorized; however, I wonder what he would have done if I had caught the error then as opposed to 10 minutes later??) Eventually, he agreed to see if he could move me to a different room. He called me back to let me know that since the hotel was fully booked (of course, it was, all hotels in Dickinson are fully booked) there was no suite available but he could move me to a single non-accessible room. At this point, I saw no advantage in that particular move, but asked if there was at least a way to get a fridge. He called back and said that he had located one and transported it to my room. I was grateful for this effort until I opened the door to put my things inside. The fridge had obviously not been cleaned since its previous use as there were black drips running down the inside of the door and the bottom was full of water. I wiped it out and gingerly placed my items on the center of the wire shelves. I will give him points for effort, but still think that my reservation should not have been screwed up and that it wasn’t the best customer service to argue with me when I had a confirmation in my possession. I also give this location low marks for the breakfast as only 15 minutes into the service there was a single dried up biscuit and cold (fatty) sausages in the warmer with no sign of new ones being placed. To date, I have received neither my “welcome” points nor the points it was indicated that I would receive for my “trouble”. Next trip I will try yet another property or possibly just stay in Bismarck and get up early to drive...

I chose this hotel over other hotels in the area due to the full size waterslide. It was more expensive than other hotels, but as my kids are getting older the larger waterslide was the whole reason I chose this hotel over my usual brand of hotels.

At check-in the front desk agent was rude. We had to ring the bell for service because there was no one out front, and when he came out, he glared at me, saying nothing until I finally offered that I was there to check in. He did get us checked in, but did not offer any conversation or any information about the hotel.

After checking in (around 6pm) we grabbed a bite to eat with the intention of using the pool once we got back. However, when we went down the pool at 7:30, the waterslide was shut off and closed. I went to the front desk to inquire and was told by the same attendant that checked us in, that the slide is shut down at 8pm due to being too noisy. When I pointed out it wasn't yet 8pm, and asked if it could be turned back on until 8, I was told that if there wasn't anyone in the pool by 7pm, they shut it down even earlier. I explained that the waterslide was my only reason for choosing this hotel. I also asked him why there are no signs that post the waterslide portion closing early and nothing was mentioned about it at check-in that it closes earlier than the hours posted on the pool, especially since he was there while I was telling my kids at checkout that we would eat, then come back to use the waterslide later. He had no explanation other that that's the way they've always done it and didn't know why they didn't have any signs. He had nothing to say about why he didn't mention it at check-in.

I asked to speak to the manager, as he said that since they already shut it off, it couldn't be turned back on. The manager answered his call on speaker phone with a greeting of "WHAT." When I introduced myself and described the situation, she said that they've always closed the waterslide early. I explained to her that it wasn't yet the time that it was supposed to "close" nor was anything posted in the hotel, on the website, or even given as check-in information regarding the early closure of the waterslide. She said that it needs to be shut off early so it wouldn't be too loud for guests, but could turn it on at 8am in the morning. There was never an apology for turning it off even earlier that the unposted/unadvertised "scheduled" shutoff time, and she was quite rude the entire time on the phone.

Bottom line, never going back to this place, and feel like I was fleeced on my room price as the advertised amenities were not actually available for use. I will stick with my much friendlier, customer-oriented usual hotel brand...

3 stars—reflecting the quality of the property and most of its team, but not the leadership under Magnolia, who serves as both Manager and GM

Despite sharing my imminent Platinum Elite status, Magnolia dismissed every valid request—citing vague “losses,” refusing an available pool-view room or any suite upgrade (I had two rooms booked, yet she didn’t even offer an upgrade for one)—then directed me to call IHG. After IHG intervened, she returned my call claiming I had asked to speak with a GM. I agreed, not realizing she held both the Manager and GM titles; had she identified herself, I would have declined. When I attempted to cancel, she curtly replied I could do so but would forfeit any refund.

Next came her initial “adjustment,” which proved deceptive. Only after more than three hours of relentless follow-up did she reduce July 9 from $215 to $190. The July 10 rate change—from $175 to $190—was fixed later, adding further frustration. Throughout, she insisted “anyone would ask for that,” erasing recognition of my 60+ room loyalty just within June/July.

By contrast, at another IHG property just a week ago, the manager matched my booked rate to the lowest rate available upon check in without debate. And yesterday, at a separate IHG hotel, the manager not only matched the lowest available rate but refreshed corporate rates to secure an even lower price than I had requested. Additionally, despite opting out of housekeeping for two rooms under the hotel’s “green” incentive, no bonus points were awarded.

While the facilities and many staff members are commendable, Magnolia’s approach falls far short of the professionalism and respect that elite loyalty demands. Until leadership consistently honors status distinctions—identifying themselves clearly, offering straightforward rate matches, genuine upgrades, refunds where warranted, and promised incentives—I cannot recommend a...