Holiday Inn Fargo by IHG — Hotel in Fargo

No, I won't be staying here again, even if they do have a really cool pool.

I booked this room because I needed a place for my family to stay on the way to a trip in Minnesota. I was contacted multiple times about the pool not being in service. Weird, I thought. I told them that I didn't care about the pool, but I still got an email and a phone call.

I can see why they cared so much about the pool...it's a really cool pool with a tiki bar and everything. Still, not the reason for my stay.

Stick with me, because this review gets a bit long, but it's worth it.

Generally speaking, the hotel looks like it's been trashed repeatedly by wedding and conference guests over the years and then repaired. This is not to say that it's all broken down, but there are signs.

It looks like they have done their best to keep up with repairs, but little things all over are broken, run down, don't work well, etc. For example, the toilet in our room didn't flush properly, like it was having a hard time taking the water down, with the threat of overflowing at any moment. The door latch was loose. The wallpaper looks like there was a leak in the ceiling (pictured). The sink faucet was only a trickle of water...little things, but one thing that did stand out was the fact that our door looked like it had been kicked in at some point--the wood around the deadbolt was completely broken, then painted over. It wasn't fully repaired. The door itself didn't seem all that sturdy. Again, it looks like people from weddings and events just trash the place. As I walked down the halls, there were signs of touch up paint on every door. Apparently, this is a problem.

Overall, the hotel just feels run down, but with an effort to maintain it. I know that sounds weird, but it's been patched up and painted over, not remodeled. It's time to re-brand this as a Quality Inn and take the Holiday Inn name off of it, because it doesn't match my expectations for the price.

Regarding the staff: There was a piano in the lobby, and it had all the appearances of being available for guests to play. I told my young son about it, and he wanted to check it out. We have a piano at home, and he's able to play. As soon as he reached to touch the keys, a voice barked out, "DON'T TOUCH THAT!" I couldn't see where it was coming from, and it took a bit to find a motley staff member behind the counter. I walked over to inform him that he should take a more professional approach, and that scolding guests was unprofessional. I suggested, "please don't touch that" as an acceptable compromise, but better yet, a sign or other warning. Better yet, if it's not available for guests, how about moving it to a private room? Why is it in the lobby, prominently displayed?

This is where things got interesting...

Instead of apologizing for his lack of decorum, the clerk doubled down and tried to intimidate me with sarcasm and smart alec retorts. At this point, a female joined in, backing up my scolding. What was weird was that every time I tried to finish the conversation and walk away, he'd snark something else. He just had to have the last word, the "mic drop". He escalated to the point of threatening police intervention in some misguided attempt to flaunt his authority. Needless to say, this is not only highly inappropriate, it's the kind of surly attitude that leads to bad reviews. If he can't handle the stress of a little boy playing a piano, perhaps he should develop some marketable skills and find another career option. Having said all this, the next morning, a more mature staff member seemed to take my story seriously, and I feel that she was going to address the matter in line with hotel policy. So, two bad evening staffers with a more professional morning staff.

Bottom line: I expect more from a Holiday Inn branded hotel, and this property shouldn't bear that name. They should re-brand to match customer expectations. It's a shame, because it seems like the owners are making some effort to maintain the place, but the property is just too old and the kinds of weddings and events that this venue draws are raucous. The problems in regard to the clientele might be on account of the location, and there's nothing a fresh coat of paint can do to fix that, I suppose. Still, I don't want some drunken wedding guest kicking my door in at 3am, but it appears as though that's a real possibility at this property, and the flimsy doors don't make me feel all warm and...

So they have pool view rooms which seem nice but they smell like chlorine and you have to hear the people at the pool till 10pm. I was able to get moved cuz I work early. Since moving I haven’t had any service done to my room I have been reusing and out of towels and when I asked the front desk I was told they don’t know when they clean the rooms but I can come to the desk to get my own towels. This along the smoke alarm chirping all night. I asked about it and they said they would fix and then that night again starting at 1am the smoke alarm chirped all night I had to hang clothing on it to try to muffle the sound. They also do not offer any on site laundry so be prepared to have to go to a laundry mat and spend more money. They have out of order vending machines and some doors are locked in the stair cases so you have to know which are ok to use or not and the bathrooms are soooooooooooo small. I stayed at a holiday inn express last week in WY and it was leaps and bounds nicer. I would suggest shopping around rather than booking here.|Update. I stayed out of my room all day driving around and trying to give them time to turnover my room. When I finally returned at 3pm my room was still untouched. I went to the desk and asked for towels and she said my request for service was still in the system I told her I had been gone all day and that’s still 2 days they haven’t been there so stuff is building up. I said I wanted to relax the rest of the day so I’m just going to put all my trash and dirty towels outside the door she said that was fine. When I came upstairs and started sitting stuff outside the room service people must have thought that because I’m white I didn’t speak Spanish and one of the ladies called me a fat b**ch I just let it go.|I would also like to point out there is a lot of smells in this hotel. Not pleasant smells, a lot of dirty carpet and the hotel does not offer breakfast even with their very high cost for a night. Lucky I am provided a voucher for breakfast but others have told me that it is really not good so I personally haven’t tried it but without vouchers they actually charge you for breakfast on top of your hotel...

I am a return guest of this hotel. With that being said, during my recent stay I was excited about the overall ambiance and amenities, but several aspects of my room and the property in general left much to be desired.

Upon entering the room, I was pleased with the decor and spacious layout. The bed was comfortable, and the bathroom was clean-ish and well-stocked with toiletries. However, my initial impression quickly changed when I noticed the mini-split air conditioning unit and overwhelming smell of pool and must. Beneath the beds definitely hadn't been cleaned recently either.

It was clear that the unit had not been cleaned in quite some time; the filters were dusty, and there was a noticeable buildup of grime around the vents. Also, a moldy piece of something jammed into the vents. This not only detracted from the room’s overall appearance but also raised concerns about air quality and comfort. I found myself hesitating to use the AC, which was unfortunate, especially during warmer days. I can only assume the heavy humidity in the room was due to the unit not being able to function properly due to the filth.

Under one bed was quite dusty, while the other had an Easter Eggs and some clothing tags.

When I inquired before checking in about storing my breastmilk the kind front desk staff member ensured me I would have access to a freezer and fridge during my stay. I was disappointed to find that the hotel did not have any proper facilities for this upon checking in. Despite my request for a refrigerator or freezer, the staff informed me that they couldn’t accommodate it. This was frustrating, as I had specifically chosen this hotel in part because of its family-friendly reputation.

Overall, the place has great potential, but the lack of thorough cleaning and poor communication from staff really detracted from my stay. For the price point, I expected a higher standard of cleanliness. I hope the management addresses these concerns, as they could significantly enhance the guest experience. I am sad to have used my reward points to have such a...