Holiday Inn Knoxville N - Merchant Drive by IHG — Hotel in Knoxville

The rooms were clean, but I couldn't sleep for the outside lights. I've edited my original post in response to their reply, but I still don't want to come back. Here is why.

You pay extra for breakfast to have access to what looks like every normal hotel hot breakfast I’ve ever seen, except you get to watch someone police everyone on whether they have a breakfast voucher, which is stupid stress to have first thing in the morning after which you have to sign a ticket with a tip encouraged. You have to coordinate with the kids to eat at the same time because you get one voucher for two adults for the room. I left a tip because it wasn’t her fault management has created such a ridiculous process, but then was told the cc machine wouldn’t let her run a tip only. I didn’t have cash so I told her to charge a penny.

Looking at their reply, it looks like they really believe they have something special in this "restaurant" area. It is a 15' wide bar with a very normal hotel hot breakfast room behind it that is locked during the day.

Everyone else in the room was visibly not awake enough to be dealing with being forced into human interaction to sign off with their room number for a very normal hot breakfast.

I am not sure what the reply means about having more than normal breakfasts. If a hotel offers bacon, eggs, and sausage they have everything else this place has minus the hostess who basically gets OJ and takes your plates. Having staff there to bring the OJ rather than just getting it from a machine is not a benefit if that is what you are talking about. I don't even mind eating off a paper plate and grabbing my own fork from a bucket, just leave me the hell alone at 6:30 am.

I'm not alone because EVERY single person there was just as put off and complaining to each other.

Just let me come down and eat when I want and send the kids down when they are ready. Charge somewhere between your breakfast/non-breakfast prices and just offer the breakfast to everyone without the drama. You lock the room up anyway after breakfast is over, and it is separate from the "restaurant" area.

There were maybe 15-20 other patrons in the room with me and we were all equally pissed over this ridiculous situation. One guy refused to sign his ticket and was scolded that he had to give his room # and signature. It feels really invasive. none of your business what room I'm in. No thanks, I'll just book elsewhere. You'd most likely make more money with all the people who'd pay $5-10 extra and never eat if you would just get rid of the ridiculous breakfast/non-breakfast bookings.

Edit: Originally I also complained about the lights blaring through the windows, but if they are being honest in the reply to my review, then look for a third set of blackout curtains behind your sheer curtains, because me and my kids both missed them. If you stay in a room and can't find the blackouts, then back me up here that staying in a hotel room in daylight is miserable. I've stayed awake two different stays in this place and barely slept because the blackout curtains didn't close and the lights are pointed right into the rooms. My son was being deployed and I was just trying to stay in his same hotel the USAF booked. I just wanted to sleep and eat to be ready for the day he'd leave, and for me, both sleeping and eating were miserable...

This "Hotel" ranks in all my stays with IHG marquees as the absolute worst Holiday Inn hotels! First, check in, sends me to a aready occupied room, then questions me "ARE YOU SURE"?!, Next sends me to another room, on the third floor, keys not operable!!, Finally I get into the room, the room had a body odor smell to it and two towels, I went to the desk and asked why, they said (desk clerk "Georgia") that is policy, but she did give me two more towels, now the shower in the room is in place of no tub, no sink with the commode room, sink is in the hall and the shower sliding door appears to be backwards when you shower, the water runs behind the door on the floor, keep in mind, this happens normally with 2 towels issued as policy, I took photos of the standing water on the floor and the shower door, breakfast is a joke, you pay extra for it, get a coupon when paying for "FREE" breakfast, and the tables are far and few, but what is worst is that they wash down the table with a "wet wash cloth" and leave the table standing wet, not sanitized at all, the servers were polite, I assume it is not their fault, but the managers fault for failing to train them properly, finally upon checking out, the "clerk" "Sabrina" asked me "How was your stay", when I told her everything, she stated "Oh well", I then asked her, "Are you the manager, she replied "I am on duty". She then stated to me "If you don't like it, then take it up with IHG, I am not going to help you". I paid $11.00 for a shot of Sambuca, not a glass w/beans in it, a free pour shotfor$11.00, but, the server was a gentleman and cordial. This is precisely why after being a Elite member for many years, I am now gold, because Holiday Inn has drastically reduced their customer care. Right behind this place is a MOTEL 6, and they were very friendly and accommodating, at half the price of this hotel! The room was small, no sink in the commode, it is outside, the wagon to take your luggage on barely fits in the room/opening. This is NOT a place to stay for any length of time, anything more than a "port in any storm" approach..no HBO no premium channels..you are wasting your money, don't consider...

I am an IHG Platinum Elite member. Not that it matters. The staff at this property (Holiday Inn Merchant's Center Drive, Knoxville) range from indifferent to outright rude. Our "status" was not so much as acknowledged, by anyone at any time. I think I was given 500 points ... that's worth about three dollars and fifty cents so thanks ever so much for that. When you have to stop by the desk to ask FOR THE SECOND TIME for clean towels, and as you approach, the only person there is eating food and has to cover her mouth with her hand as she looks up (and I don't want to be unkind so I will not describe her physical appearance, but this was between 5-7 pm on Saturday, 8/24/24), that is not acceptable. And then when you say, we asked when we left this morning for fresh towels to be supplied, but our used towels are still in the floor, and she swallows her food and responds "I wasn't here so I don't know anything about that," it is not only unacceptable; it is appalling. When we did get towels because my husband stood there at the desk until they handed some to him, the towels were nothing but strings on the sides. And we got no hand towels and no washcloths. When I pointed that out later, the same woman said, "Your husband got what he asked for." Disgraceful. I know that when staying at a Holiday inn you cannot expect anyone to clean your room or bathroom each day or make your bed or empty the trash, or do basically anything, but wow, to ASK pointedly for fresh towels and to return hours later to find the wet towels still in the floor? And then to get lip about it? That is unacceptable. The sink (room 206) did not drain properly; I told them and at least they fixed that, but why was it that way to begin with, so that for fully half our stay, it was backing up? The microwave needs to be replaced. Old furniture has been shored up with bare unpainted wood. They began buzz-sawing/sanding construction work in the next room before 8 a.m. on a Saturday. This property needs to be AVOIDED...