Holiday Inn Express & Suites Columbus Airport by IHG — Hotel in Mifflin Township

Holiday Inn Express & Suites – Gahanna (Columbus Airport) I knew from the moment I arrived this was going to be a terrible experience. No need to even get into the subpar food, appearance, or cleanliness of the room… but here we go anyway. What really sealed it was the racial profiling, money-hungry greed, and complete lack of compassion for loyal IHG members. I’ve been with this company for years, but clearly that means nothing here.

On my birthday, after traveling 10+ hours overnight with two toddlers, exhausted and hungry, I was told I couldn’t check in until 1 PM despite the hotel being nearly empty. The front desk clerk then said she’d “let” me check in at 10 AM but only after breakfast was over, clearly to make sure my family didn’t get any food. This was at 9:15 AM. She wanted me to wait 45 minutes for no reason except spite.

When I asked to simply check in early and waive the $25 fee something every decent hotel I’ve ever been to has gladly done, especially under my circumstances she walked over to the district manager, Anis Qarni, who was standing just 20 feet away. He looked right at me, knew my situation, and still refused. I have no doubt if I had been a white woman with toddlers or a white man on a business trip, he would have accommodated me without hesitation.

And let’s talk about that “breakfast” they were so determined to keep from us: no scrambled eggs, just rubbery steamed fake egg circles. No bacon, just soggy sausage. No pancakes, no waffles just a tray of cinnamon rolls. No hot oatmeal, only packets. A couple of bananas, a few bagels, and plain bread for toast. That’s it.

The condition of the place is no better. You can tell they don’t actually mop the floors. Maybe a quick sweep here and there, because the floors are grimy and nasty. The bathroom reeked of mold and mildew, with rust and mildew along the ceiling. One ceiling tile even had a large, mildewed, discolored wet spot staring back at me.

IHG should be embarrassed to have this property representing them. Even roadside motels treat guests better. I will NEVER stay here again.

And I’m sure the hotel will respond to this review with some generic, robotic, accusatory, excuse-filled reply…...

Overall, this is a very nice hotel that achieves the standard you would expect from the Holiday Inn Express chain. Good size rooms that are very clean, daily maid service, and far enough away from the airport so that you're not hearing the roar of jets every 15 minutes. And, the breakfast area was immaculate and the outstanding breakfast choices associated with the HI Express hotels were here, including those decadent soft cinnamon rolls that so many others other hotels can't seem to match. ||But, there were a few 'cons' with our recent visit. When we made the initial reservation we were specifically told there was an airport-to-hotel shuttle that ran 24/7. That was an important item when we chose this location. Well, they do have a shuttle but it only runs during the week, and not on the weekends. For those staying here for the week on business matters that works, but for those who are in Columbus for an extended weekend to visit family or friends this doesn't work. We didn't find out about this until we landed, and when we called the hotel we were told we'd have to take a taxi, Uber or Lyft to get there. So, we did get a taxi ($21) and that was fine, but they should tell people about this in advance rather than misleading them.||The Samsung television in our room was big and produced a great picture, but the confusing remote control took some getting used to. Of course, this is more of a Samsung issue than the hotel's issue. But, with a little practice I figured it out and all was fine.||But, overall we would stay here again though we might consider other hotels that provide better airport...

Don't bother checking availability because if another person comes along who wants your room for a longer period of time, they will just cancel your reservation. They have one handicap shower in the entire hotel. I booked that room every two weeks for years because I cannot get up to my shower on the second floor (in a wheelchair). The first time they called to cancel my reservation they said that there was a mistake and the person who booked the room overrode an existing reservation (for 8 days, instead of my 1 day). The second time they called to cancel my reservation they said the same thing, that the staff just overrode my reservation because they know me. I knew this was not true because it was the first time I had ever met this staff person, she was new. But magically I guess she too could override reservations to book me, yet say nothing to me about it. So the second time they called to cancel I called them out on this. The manager changed her story to it was an accident, this other person booked last month. I suppose the fact that it is Memorial Day Weekend and the other reservation was a longer reservation had nothing to do with it. They stood their ground and refused to give me the room. The manager also told me that they had the right to overbook the entire hotel if they want. So guess what? I am never coming back. I can't use just any room, that is why I book the one room with a handicap shower. But not anymore. Unbelievable! If you make a reservation here, beware they reserve the right to "overbook the entire hotel...