Holiday Inn Panama City by IHG — Hotel in Panama City

Check in is 3 p.m. We did not arrive until 4:45 p.m. We waited in line to be checked in for at least 20 minutes to be told that our room wasn't ready yet and it would probably be another hour. We went to eat dinner and did a little shopping nearby. We finally got a call that our room was ready. We went back to the hotel and they gave us our key cards. We went up to the room and it was dirty! Nothing had been done. The manager found us a clean room after a few minutes of hunting around. We were standing in the hallway with all of our luggage at this point and had driven a long way and was very tired. A few hours later we are laying in bed watching t.v. and the power goes out all over the area. Not the Hotels fault but you would think a big Hotel would have back up Generators. Nope! I started wondering what was going on so I took the stairs down to the Lobby. Mistake!!! No Emergency Lighting in the stairwell. That's against code! I had to feel my way down two flights of stairs in pitch blackness. Other than that we asked for our room to be cleaned and new towels twice in one day. They finally brought towels and emptied one trash can. Nothing else! The housekeeping woman that mopped the pool area and lobby area was fussing at people for coming through the door because she had just mopped, saying we were leaving footprints on her freshly mopped floor! Wow! It's a Hotel woman! Get over it! People are going to be going in and out a lot! Lol. She told my friend that he couldn't bring his coffee (paper cup) into the pool area. He was just looking in, not going in and the sign clearly said, " no glass related items to be brought in pool area". He pointed that out to her and she said, " oh! Well, no drinks whatsoever should be allowed"! Lol. Pool Nazi and Lobby Nazi. She was hateful! The pool area was very hot inside and we decided to not use it anyway. Couldn't stand the heat! We used the laundry guest facility and washed our clothes. The dryer ran for 60 minutes and our clothes were still wet. Not damp...wet! We also tried to get laundry sheets, paid the money and it gave us nothing! Ended up going to a nearby laundromat. They wasted a lot of our vacation time and we absolutely would not stay with them again! Awful Hotel experience! They need a manager that actually knows how to manage a Hotel. I have worked for many different prestigious Hotels and I know Customer Service! They lack in Guest Services so much here that if there was a rating of 0, I would give it to them. Their showers and tubs also have issues. Don't want to leave that out! Never Again! Awful experience! They couldn't pay me to stay here again! Looking forward...

We drove 10 hours for a wake and funeral. With the reservations well in advance, we hoped that they would allow us to check in early to rest and prepare for an emotionally filled day. This was not the case. “Shanice” (who claimed to be the location manager) at the front desk promptly told us that would not be a possibility and that a refund would not be processed. Shanice had no compassion or regards for our needs. Shanice could have offered us an alternate location room if available. She could not even ensure we’d have a room after the check inn date. When trying to communicate a resolution, Shanice told us “the funeral isn’t until tomorrow” as if she were in the know of all the arrangements. The wake was on the day of arrival. If they have no regard for your deceased family, just think of the no regard for you! Shanice is the sole problem in this review for her lack of tact and callousness.

Upon calling the corporate number and speaking with the agent “Rosen” and her supervisor “Hank” (most like alias). They informed me the final decision comes down to the hotel “manager” and there is no one above them like a general manager to for a long time customer to speak to and corporate isn’t really corporate, but just a line hotel clerks refer people to get them off their backs. The lack of compassion and understanding is appalling. Hank did however escalate to his superiors “Joy” and “Anna” for an inquiry and provide phone recordings within 30-45 days.

If you value your loved ones and the memory of them, I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO CHOOSE BEST WESTERN or LA QUINTA in Panama City, FL. They were WILLING to accommodate and allow me to check in early DESPITE having no reservation. I will be posting this review on other sites to spread awareness and continue to update on if the issue was resolved. But knowing how the company handles these things, they won’t care, as customer care is intended to. Perhaps I can contact the Panama City general manager Jordan Villhauer directly to discuss this experience with Shanice.

The photo attached is from one of the LOVELY OTHER...

Our room on the 5th floor stank intensely of mold and mildew. They tried to cover it with some kind of fruit fragrance spray that lasted about an hour. We put up with it for two nights running the A/C continuously, but if anything that made it worse. Now all our things smell like mildew, too, to the point where I have to replace parts of my CPAP that won’t come clean. It clearly wasn’t a new problem as there were mold spots on the ceiling light fixture and the walls, and the bedside lamp was covered with rust. I don’t think it was ever remediated for mold after Hurricane Michael.

We asked for a wheelchair accessible shower room and the shower did not have grab bars/safety rails or a seat, nor was it accessible in a chair. A bench was placed in the room itself that did not allow a wheelchair to get into the bed area from the hallway. Was able to remove the bench and put it elsewhere. I did like the the pull-out table arrangement, and the furniture itself was comfortable.

The room requires you to insert a key card into a reader to run the electricity, including the mini fridge. So don’t expect the fridge to be cold on arrival, and expect to have to leave a key card in your room 24/7 to keep the fridge cold during your stay.

The free breakfast is one voucher per night per room for one breakfast item on their “restaurant” menu (no buffet or continental), and each voucher is dated so you can’t save them up to go together on a multi night stay. That way they hope to charge the rest of your family $14 a plate for unseasoned eggs, plain unseasoned home fries, and greasy sausage. The wait staff was very nice though and the portions were large.

It’s a good in-town location close to shops and restaurants if you don’t want to be close to the beach (about a 20-30 min drive to beaches). Don’t come in the entrance on 231 at night, as there’s some big axel breaking holes on that driveway and not great lighting.

Would definitely not...