Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kansas City Sport Complex Area by IHG — Hotel in Kansas City

Dear Customer Service Manager,

I hope this letter finds you in good health. I am writing to express my deep disappointment and concern regarding my recent stay at the Holiday Inn Sports Complex Area in Kansas City, MO. My stay, which was meant to be enjoyable and memorable, turned into a traumatic experience due to severe pet allergies and several other unfortunate incidents.

Firstly, I traveled all the way from Kuwait to attend a concert and chose your hotel for my accommodation. My intention was to have a pleasant and comfortable stay during my visit to Kansas City. However, this was far from the reality I encountered.

The primary issue I encountered during my stay was a severe allergic reaction due to undisclosed pets in the room I was assigned. As a guest, I have a severe allergy to pets, and my well-being was greatly compromised because I was not informed in advance that someone with pets had occupied the room before me. Consequently, I suffered one of the worst allergy attacks I have ever experienced. My symptoms included vomiting, a closed throat, excessive salivation, watery eyes, and extreme discomfort. To alleviate my suffering, I had to take medication, specifically Claritin, which left me in a dazed and fatigued state throughout my stay.

Given the severity of my pet allergies, it is of utmost importance that accommodations are made to ensure the comfort and safety of guests like me. I kindly request that your establishment consider dedicating a specific floor or area for guests who do not wish to stay in pet-friendly rooms. Furthermore, I believe it is essential that guests are promptly informed if a pet has stayed in the room they are about to occupy. This would enable guests to make informed decisions regarding their stay and take necessary precautions.

In addition to the pet allergy incident, I also encountered issues with safety during my stay at your hotel. During my first stay at a different Holiday Inn in the area, I experienced two burglaries in one night, two trucks were broken into. This left me feeling unsafe and uncomfortable, especially considering that my vehicle, a red BMW, is a high-valued target in the parking lot.

Overall, my experiences during my stays at both Holiday Inn hotels in Kansas City have been nothing short of terrible, and I am left deeply upset and dissatisfied. I kindly request that you thoroughly investigate these matters and take appropriate action to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. It is essential that guests can feel safe, comfortable, and informed during their stay at your establishment.

I appreciate your attention to my concerns and sincerely hope that you will take the necessary steps to rectify these issues and improve the overall guest experience at both Holliday Inns I look forward to your prompt response and resolution to this matter.

Thank you for your understanding...

We have been staying in a lot of Holiday Inn hotels lately since we have a dog and they're usually pet friendly and reasonable with the pet fees. This was by far the worst Holiday Inn experience we've had yet. While they are dog friendly, there was a $50 fee versus the $20-25 per night fee most other Holiday Inns charge. We called ahead and were told there was a pet "deposit" (refundable if no damages occur), but when we arrived at the hotel at 2 in the morning, tired and with no other options anywhere in the area available, we found out it was actually a pet "fee" of $50/night and non-refundable. Unlike many of our other Holiday Inn experiences, this hotel was actually more like a motel - having obviously not been updated at all in the last couple decades and - as other reviewers have noted - with malfunctioning A/C, stuffy rooms, and poorly maintained interiors (the room was dark, dingy and the carpet felt dirty, the carpets in the halls were ratty, there were several places in the walls where the walls had been patched over and there were large swaths of water damaged dark stains on the ceiling). We even had a huge spider greet us when we first walked in the room. Gross! Finally, where most other Holiday Inns have had decent hot breakfasts and coffee, the breakfast here was completely sub-par. The eggs were rubbery, the milk and OJ were frozen, the filtered water dispenser was out of order, there was sausage gravy (without any biscuits to go with it), the coffee tasted like flavored brown water, there was no fresh fruit option and the fridge which normally would be stocked with OJ, milk, yogurt, etc. was pretty much empty. The one saving grace about our stay was the comfortable bed and seemingly clean sheets (I didn't see any signs of bed bugs, thankfully), but it was sad that I even had to check. Even still, none of this would have mattered quite as much if I had been paying Motel 6 prices, but as I had specifically picked a Holiday Inn that was more expensive than other cheap options in the area because of the great experiences we have had with the brand in the past, and ended up paying the MOST money on a 5-hours' night stay of any place on our 2-week road trip (totalling over $250 with taxes and dog fee included), I really felt disadvantaged by the situation we ended up in and my decision to stay in this Holiday Inn. This one is definitely going on my America Road Trip black list. Highly NOT...

Well, in general, I usually like a Holiday Inn Express. The actual hotel was pretty ok, nice bed, in-room coffee maker, microwave, refridgerator. The fitness center was really just a small room with 2 cardio machines, but at least it was something. I chose to do yoga in my room, though. The indoor pool seemed ok, and warm, though I did not use it. The included hot & cold breakfast was a fairly decent offering (the expected), & the front desk personnel were nice. However, my room, 130, not a great location. It is at the corner of the wing that leads to the pool & fitness center, which appeared convenient at first. I soon learned that it meant I would hear all foot traffic to those areas AND through the glass doors JUST OUTSIDE MY WINDOW. I literally could not open my curtains unless I wanted to watch everyone coming in and going out, and let them watch me. I could have watched while certain guests who smoke stood just outside the doors, propping them open despite the sign saying not to, and allowing smoke into the building (I'm allergic). Weirdly, the fact that this hotel is just off a highway is not what made it noisy. Those noises were only a few-- but there was a ton of door slamming and kids running and adults pounding thru the hallway next to me & above me. I did ask one of the front desk personnel to help in that situation, & they were nice, but I am not sure what actually followed. So, it was a rough 2 nights of not enough sleep. Maybe a different room would have worked out better? Also, I was surprised that no one from housekeeping came while I was gone to a conference during the day, but I only stayed 2 nights. I know some hotels only do housekeeping every few days unless requested. Perhaps this is one of them. If not, then that would need to be addressed as well. I don't regret staying here completely, but had I known it would be this way, I would have requested another room quickly. The front desk worker offered a different room to me at nine pm on the second night, but at that point I wasn't going to pack up and move just to go to bed before getting up early to pack again and leave. Having said that, that particular room is quirky enough that those issues (location and how it affects noise & privacy) should probably be revealed before a person agrees...