Holiday Inn Express & Suites Charlotte Southeast - Matthews by IHG — Hotel in Matthews

Sorry for the length of this review, but it is a story worth reading. To begin when I checked in I had let the front desk know that I had lost my credit card in travel several days before and that Capitol One had issued me a virtual credit card. Now I had checked in to a Hilton and a Comfort Inn earlier in the week no problem, but this hotel would not allow me to do it. I had to use a different credit card and this being a business trip, trying to do the expense, as I anticipated, became an incredible hassle. I called the main number to ask about why IHG does not accept virtual cards when it seemed others had no problem with it. Apparently this went in as a complaint to the manager of the hotel. A couple days into my stay I went to swim in the indoor pool advertised as a "comfortable 81 degrees" on their website, but it was not heated and was closer to 50 degrees. I went to the front desk to tell them they should probably close the pool or at least put up a sign letting people know that it is frigid and could cause a problem for someone who has a pre-existing health condition. The front desk clerk smirked at me and said that no where does it say that it is a heated pool. When I said it was on the website she stated it was not. I then said, "ok, I'll make a bet, if it says it on the website you give me a three night stay and if not I'll pay you an extra three nights". At that point the manager on duty came out and he stated that there would be no free nights given. I replied stating that employees shouldn't state facts if they don't know what they are talking about. I called the main number again to this time make a complaint about the pool and the staff being rude about me trying to explain to them the problem. Later that night the "general manager" Cheryl, called me while I was out to dinner with my work group and stated that because I had complained twice she was going to make me check out of the hotel. I informed her that I would check out until the following day as I had already paid for the stay and in fact was not even at the hotel. She then kept arguing with me for over twenty minutes that if I continued to complain that she would kick me out. At no time did she offer to rectify or acknowledge my concerns, only threaten to kick me out. I have never had someone act so unprofessionally towards me in my personal or professional life. I will never stay at any IHG hotel again after this experience. I would rather use my Hilton rewards or even a Choice Hotel...

I always stay at Holiday Inn Express and don't expect an extravagant and luxurious stay, but this particular hotel was below my expectations.

There was a strange odor throughout the hotel. I noticed it in the lobby and especially in the little food pantry area. It was damp and, dare I say, reminded me of all those years using the Chicago L. It was faint and smelled like someone tried to cover it up with cleaning supplies, but it was definitely noticeable. I thought it may have been the recent rains in the front area, but my room and the second floor hallway near the elevator had it even worse. It smelled like urine, like in public bathrooms. I was only there for a night and was out at a concert most of my stay, so I just dealt with it.

The beds were comfortable and the room was tidy and in order. When I went to take a shower, I noticed that the inner shower curtain was cut or torn. It looked as though someone had ripped the bottom off. It was so short that when I started the water, the curtains blew right out of the enclosed tub area. Shower water would've splashed all over the place, so I got the curtains wet first to weigh it down. The tub/shower itself was OK, but that curtain should be replaced or lengthened.

The breakfast area was clean, and the food was as expected. Nothing to write home about, but the cinnamon rolls were warm and tasty.

The last thing I'll mention is that when my friends and I returned from the concert that night around 11:45pm, the woman at the counter was sick. When we approached the desk to ask about food options, so stepped back and said, "Sorry, I'm sick" like she didn't want to spread germs. She was very pleasant and helpful but was clearly not feeling well. I felt bad for her but I also wanted to know why she was working at all. She was sneezing and stuffed up - I wished I could send her home back to bed! Though understanding of her situation, it really wasn't a pleasant thing as a paying hotel patron.

If I ever attend a concert at the Bojangles Coliseum again, I will not stay at...

As stated, I rarely give negative reviews - I would rather only leave positive, but I feel this visit warranted a response. We traveled with another couple who had the same level of let down with the property, overall. First, out coffee makers in the room did not work - I even Googled to see if I was doing something wrong, which I was not. Next, there was no place to purchase coffee on the property. We asked at the Capitol Grille - they only provided coffee if you purchased breakfast. The second morning, we went to purchase breakfast and had to leave due to the lack of service. We gave our order and did not receive even a glass of water for 15 minutes. The coffee and food never came - and no word from our waitress. Others did receive their drinks and food around us. We told the hostess we had to go and left with only water on the table after nearly 30 minutes. In the banquet room, there were broken light fixtures - quite obviously broken - and stained chairs (and stained chairs in both hotel rooms). For what we thought would be a lovely hotel, it seemed very run down. Finally, as guests were arriving, the staff seemed overwhelmed to the point of being upset. They were yelling at guests trying to drop luggage at the door. It seemed there were too many guests for the staff to accommodate. We paid for parking, but our friends did not, even though they also parked in the garage. Most guests had to carry all of their luggage up the stairs in the parking garage because the one operating elevator was very slow.

The hotel itself is beautiful, and in a wonderful area - we really enjoyed walking to the various shopping and dining options outside of the hotel. The elevators in the hotel were quick, clean, and numerous, which was great! The evening staff at the Capitol Grille (late night) was terrific. Also, the room staff was very friendly and helpful. However, we would not...