Holiday Inn Express & Suites Milan – Sandusky Area by IHG — Hotel in Milan Township

fulfilling a promise I made two years ago, I just want to express my undying gratitude to this particular Holiday Inn Express. besides being a completely brand-new hotel when I visited--with the latest high-tech amenities, like wireless iPhone charging--I have a very personal connection to this hotel and its staff.

I was making my way to Pittsburgh in May of 2021 when I suffered a mental breakdown--without going into too much detail, suffice it to say that it resulted in a hospitalization at Firelands and a bipolar diagnosis--but I had just enough sense left in my deepening psychosis to pull off the road and check in to this hotel. there, I attempted to ride out my demons for a day and a half (eventually, I called an ambulance), but the staff could not have been nicer or more accommodating to an individual who was clearly in crisis and acting very bizarrely. in particular, I would like to thank Jocelyn at the front desk for putting up with me, and also the manager, whose name unfortunately escapes me but I think was something like Holly, who very helpfully at one point in my agitation sat me down in front of the computers at the business center and put on some ASMR YouTube videos, which were incredibly useful in calming me down until more professional help was on its way.

in addition, the staff cleaned out my room--where I'd thrown stuff all over the place--while I was in the hospital and kept it in a storage locker for three days while I was hospitalized, including my bike, at no charge. and when I was finally released, they let me use the pool for free even though I was no longer a paying customer! I don't know how they found and picked up all my luggage, but I wasn't missing anything. just a superb job all around.

this is the first and probably last Google review of anything I'll ever write. but it's that important to me. this hotel quite literally an instrumental part of a series of events that nearly killed me and then saved my life. I cannot express enough of my thanks and appreciation for the magnificent and professional staff who work there. not a day goes by that I don't think about my experience, and my experience is immeasurably better for my stay at this Holiday Inn. I could not give this location enough stars. and, while I hope none of you reading this find yourselves in the situation I was in, just know that there are people out there who are caring, who are attentive, and who will do anything to help you get through your suffering. they did for me, and I've no doubt that in a different way, they will go the extra mile to ensure your stay here is a pleasurable one. thank you, Holiday Inn Express & Suites of...

BEWARE OF BEDBUGS & JENNIFER

Unfortunately, our recent stay was overshadowed by a serious issue. Upon arriving on July 14th 2025 we found a bedbug in our first room (325). I understand that, unfortunately, this can happen in hotels from time to time—it’s an industry-wide risk, and I don’t expect perfection. What I do expect, however, is professionalism and care in the way it’s handled especially from a manager. The only reason I’m leaving two stars instead of one is because of the night-time representative at the desk (unfortunately I didn’t catch her name). She was very kind and professional. She apologized, thanked us for being so discreet, and appreciated that we waited to discuss the issue privately rather than alarming other guests. She assured us she would leave a note for the morning manager and kindly offered us our choice of a new room. We moved to room 416.

However, the next morning when I followed up with the morning manager, Jennifer, the situation took a turn. She was dismissive and unhelpful. She told me she had sent three different people to inspect the room and that they found nothing. I explained that we had a photo clearly showing the bedbug. That’s when she insinuated the photo was fake and suggested it wasn’t even taken at the property.

During our conversation, she also took a phone call from an employee, put them on hold to speak with us, and after some back and fort, during which I pointed out that the photo had both a date and location stamp proving it was taken there—she asked, “Well, what do you want me to do?”

I explained that if I were in her position, I would apologize profusely, thank the guests for being so cooperative, refund the stay, and perhaps even offer a free one night stay in the future as a way to earn a second chance. Eventually, she did refund the night.

However, her unprofessional didn’t end there. After we walked away, we overheard her go back to the call from another employee that she had placed on hold, during which she referred to us as “scammers” and claimed she was being scammed over the situation.

This response was disappointing and frankly unacceptable and downright insulting. Hospitality is about trust, and when a guest brings forward a legitimate concern—especially something as serious as a bedbug—it deserves to be handled with empathy, not accusation.

I’m leaving two stars because, eventually, we were moved to another room and had we not encountered the bedbug or Jennifer we probably would have had a lovely stay. But the way the situation was handled left us with a very poor impression of the hotel’s management and customer service. We won’t...

Our recent stay at Holiday Inn Express - Milan location was marred by a series of disappointments that underscored a significant lack of attention to detail and managerial accountability.

Here is what happened: We checked in late evening and after unpacking our family of five we found our first room had a plumbing issue that emitted a constant high pitched sound. Also while making up the sofa I found the mattress wrapped in a blanket that was covered in debris.The night attendant, Brenda, was very apologetic and helpful. She was very busy and managed her multitude of tasks effectively and efficiently. She said maintenance would not be able to look at the issue until morning so we asked to move rooms.

After settling into the second room, we opened the sofa bed to make it up for our youngest child and the mattress was covered in large dark stains. We went to the front desk with photos of the mattress and again, Brenda was very apologetic and empathetic, especially because it was late and we were trying to get our three children to sleep.

We were given a third room and settled in for the night.

While Brenda went above and beyond to assist us in finding alternative rooms, the lack of maintenance oversight resulting in stained mattress, housekeeping and plumbing issues is unacceptable. Despite our late-hour inconvenience and frustration, Brenda's empathy and sincere apologies were appreciated.

However, the true disappointment came upon interaction with the manager during checkout. At checkout, my husband asked if the manager was on duty and she identified herself. He updated her on our issues and offered to show her the photos. She refused to make eye contact and said “she already went and looked.” She offered no apology or empathy for our experience whatsoever. Nothing.

Despite our attempt to address our concerns directly, the manager's dismissive attitude and refusal to acknowledge or apologize for the subpar conditions we endured were deeply disappointing. Her lack of empathy and accountability for the experience we encountered reflects poorly on the hotel's commitment to customer satisfaction and quality standards.

In conclusion, while Brenda's exemplary customer service (Seriously, other hotel managers in the area should try to poach her. She is excellent.) partially mitigated our negative experience, the lack of managerial response and accountability leaves us hesitant to recommend or return to a IHG. Customers deserve a hotel that upholds higher standards and values the well-being and satisfaction...