Holiday Inn Express & Suites Birmingham North - Fultondale by IHG — Hotel in Fultondale

I recently stayed at this property and did not have many complaints, other than there was NEVER anyone at the front desk. They were either outside smoking, or sitting in the back room. Even if you passed them outside, they would finish their smoke break, then finally bless us with their assistance. I waited 5-10 minutes for someone to even greet me and get me checked in, my co-worker waited 10-15 minutes by the time he got there for someone to greet/check him in. I walked passed the front desk 3 times to get to the gym, no one there. I walked down during the evening for a snack one night, again, no one there. It was NOT a busy place, so this is unacceptable. The bottom sides of my shower was also covered in mold. It had clearly not been cleaned for multiple rounds of people staying.

Those are all besides the main point:

I had to be up by 3:30 am to catch a flight the next morning. I have a terrible time sleeping, especially in hotels, and typically drink a glass, or two, of wine each night before bed. Well, the last night I stayed I didn't finish it and had a (yes, rather large) glass of wine on my night stand. I went to turn my phone alarm off the next morning and my phone charger was behind the glass of wine, so unfortunately, my red wine spilled on the (dark green, already covered in stains) carpet and on the bed. I immediately stripped the bed to make sure it didn't seep through the mattress, which it did not. I also soaked up the wine on the floor with as many paper towels as I had with me. I felt HORRIBLE and 100% knew I would/should be charged, as it was RED wine. However, I tried calling down to explain the situation and apologize, no one answered. When I walked down to check out and let them know of my mistake, again, NO ONE available. I did not have the time to wait around for someone to assist me as I had a flight to catch and it's not my job to wait on someone who is supposed to be doing THEIR job.

I got to the airport and called AGAIN to explain and apologize, surprise, no answer. I then FINALLY got a call saying my card on file was charged $250 for the incident. Unbelievable. It was not even NEAR $250 worth of stains. Like I stated earlier, I deserved to be charged. But not that much. They charged my corporate card the $250 which will look terrible on me. They did not ask if there were any other cards to charge, just charged that one without asking. They then had the audacity (I'm sure because of the mistake I already made) to try blaming me for one of the closet doors being off the hinges. I DID notice that upon arrival, but I never ever use my closet. I didn't even touch it. They claimed "well, it hadn't been reported" and I didn't know I had to "report" damage that was already there and that doesn't affect me in the slightest bit...I am a 120 pound WEAK woman who wouldn't even be able to pull the door off the hinges if I wanted to...I'm also a loyal IHG member, and have been for years. I have never once had any prior instances like this, so clearly I'm not someone who just comes in and trashes hotel rooms.

Anyways, I travel a ton to Birmingham (as well as 20+ other coworkers) and I will make sure my travel coordinator puts this hotel on the DO NOT USE list that we have compiled.

I would highly suggest finding employees that DO THEIR JOBS instead of hiding from...

I experienced racism during my stay this week from the hotel Manager Heather and front desk staff Melanie. This all occurred in front of other guest and it was very embarrassing. This all occured because I requested additional wash rags and towels for my family. I was told there were no extra towels or wash cloth in the whole hotel. I've never heard such a thing. I was told if I needed extra it needed to be documented. I watched the hotel manager walk to the computer and type that I requested extra towels. Did she assume I'd steal them? When I asked why she was doing that she began to say I yelled at her staff ( which I never did) and accused by Heather that I lied about the number of guest in my room and how I needed to be honest. Keep in mind my hotel was booked by IHG and they put me on hold to call this facility to speak with the staff to explain request a room with two beds for me and my family, yet I was being accused of not telling yhe truth? Those calls are recorded. Both Heather and Melanie then began saying I was " agressive" and how I yelled at Melanie and how its all documented. As a black woman, the words aggressive is often used to describe us only to justify the miss treatment that is often displayed towards us. If I was so aggressive, why not call the cops? There were other guest in the lobby that witnessed the whole ordeal. One guest stopped me as I walked to the elevator ( a Caucasian woman with her daughter) they both explained how they empathized with what just occurred and stated how wrong that was and pointed out the choice of words used by Heather and Melanie, when they were the aggressors. I had to continuously ask Heather over and over if she was going to give me the wash clothes in her hand ( she held on to them as if she wanted me to beg for them) and the extra towels thar she negated to grab (she had no intentions of giving me the requested towels needed .) When I pointed out the choice words they used Melanie screamed " Im not racist im married to a black man." I was speechless because according to her I yelled at her and there she was yelling at me in front of the whole lobby. I said to Heather that in her capacity as a manager she shouldn't have occused me of anything and that I had a right to wash cloth and towels. I aslo told her that I was going to report her, at which point she stated " Go ahead we're privately own, nothing is going to happen to me." Of course there were more words exchanged ( to long to type), but I will be contacting who needs to be because this is unacceptable. Most of this is recorded on my cell phone. I had to go get my son to prove I had a child who needed wash cloth and towels. My son recorded the second exchange for proof. Also this hotel has roaches. I also have pictures. Horrible experience. Do not recommend, especially if you're...

We booked through Priceline at the last minute because we had driven as long as we could stand and just wanted somewhere to lay our head for the night. Gardensdale was full up for that evening, but Fultondale was just a quick skip from the Interstate and there was a WhatABurger nearby…win, win. Upon arrival, everything went flawlessly with check-in despite an influx of other travelers, many of whom were obviously in the area for a softball tournament. We opened the door to our room and quickly closed it because I really thought we had walked into a room already occupied! The bed was a wad of covers, lights were on, and a gray bag full of stuff sat propped in front of the dresser. So, back down to the front desk we go, with story in tow. Front desk was horrified and went to check for herself after trying to determine if a clerical mistake had been made. Turns out the “bag of stuff” I saw was the small trashcan filled to overflowing with garbage. Front desk (I should’ve noted her name; her dad was a former softball head coach I later overheard when I was lounging in the front lobby) immediately began tracking down the problem and had housekeeping immediately on it. She offered us ice cream while we waited for the room cleaning and my spouse was gleefully sweetened up. We had our supper of WhatABurger in the lobby (why must it always be news on the tvs, so divisive and full of the most horrendous snapshots of humanity?) then dozed a little before the room was finished, but OH MY the skill of one housekeeping worker. I wish I had gotten his name also. I was not in the least concerned about sleeping in the same room I had just seen practically demolished by a beer-loving (hey, i love a good brew every now and then, but I bet someone can smell the previous guest just by the alcohol content being sweated out) and the grimy shower evidence of what could’ve only been a coal miner (God bless Appalachia, home sweet home). All’s well that end’s well. The hotel was quiet despite being full and the beds super comfortable. And I learned that 3rd party bookings are not always updated nor go through to the hotel as quickly as direct booking. I suppose with today’s tech, we expect instant results. We would absolutely recommend this hotel based on the way the staff handled the night’s difficulties. We witnessed a barrage of guests coming in during our experience and some of you should be WAY nicer to the staff. Let me just say, staff are not paid enough to do such an excellent job given the messes and attitudes of some. Be a kind traveler. And stay here if you’re...