Holiday Inn Express & Suites Las Vegas - E Tropicana by IHG — Hotel in Paradise

Military & government colleagues, please be wary of this hotel’s deceptive billing practices!!

On Feb 16, 2024, I made a reservation online for May 1 - May 4 to meet with three other military families. The rate on my reservation for government/military rate was totally different from what was billed.

We received a confirmation number after I put my visa information. I have a picture of this transaction which shows the rate, taxes and fees and total bill.

When I checked out, my bill was way too high, which was completely different from the original reservation. I complained with the front desk attendant (she's only been there for 5 months) and was told that the hotel used the current rates for the dates. I then told her that I was military/government and showed my IDs.

She said that she cannot change the charges because the hotel used the military appreciation rates (higher rates) instead of the military/government rates at the time of booking on Feb 16.

I could not get my point across with the attendant. She was so defensive and rude so I decided to hold my complaint and to call the manager the next business day.

Of note, the first night charged to my Visa was correct , which was the daily rate stated on my reservation made on Feb 16. What she was saying and charging to my VISA didn't sync.

I was able to reach the hotel manager, named Damian. Damian kept on insisting that I didn’t provide the credentials (military and government cards ) to the receptionist on the first night and when I checked out.

This is completely false because I told the attendant that I have both cards and asked which she wanted to see. I pulled my Government ID along with my military ID; this is second nature to military personnel.

I offered Damian to send him copies of my IDs, but he did not accept my offer. He was adamant about not giving me the rates at the time of booking, and he refunded a fraction of the amount. With this refund, the total charge on my Visa is still not what my confirmed reservation stated; it's still too high.

Please note that Damian is NOT a pleasant person to speak with. Didn’t listen to my side, kept interrupting me while I was speaking, and was condescending!

I elevated my complaint to the IHG Guest Relations office. According to May, my reservation was changed to different rates, and yet I

I never received any notification or a courtesy call about the change. May could not explain why it was changed, and forwarded my complaint to the hotel.

A few days have passed and I have not heard from the hotel. With Damian's unpleasant attitude, I decided to call IHG. IHG told me that the hotel had provided a refund and no other refunds were made or to be made. Even if the total amount is not what my confirmed reservation stated.

So from here, I will take this issue as far as I can, not only to identify the deceptive practice of this hotel, but to make sure that it will not happen again to another military family.

While it's true that the issue is only a few hundreds, but it's really not about money. It's a matter of rightfully receiving what was advertised and reserved. Who knows how many have experienced the same problem.

My reservation confirmation with the rates are the glaring proof and Damian could have easily rectified the problem. But he decided to ignore the facts and favored profit over customer satisfaction and proper business practices. He has no word of honor, so to speak.

WHY DID THIS HOTEL NOT HONOR MY CONFIRMED RESERVATION??? BEWARE!!!

Too bad, we like this hotel but will never go back and will never book with Holiday Inn again.

Facts are so obvious and yet Damian turned a blind eye...perhaps it's habitual and he has been getting away with it.

I intend to reach out to Consumer Affairs in Nevada, Military Travel agencies and various travel websites to share my experience with this hotel. Military community needs to be vigilant!

Btw, this is not an isolated case; the rest of my military friends also did NOT receive the rates stated on the reservation confirmation and their complaints will be forthcoming.

Goodbye Holiday Inn, especially to the H/I in East Tropicana LV. I can not trust you with my...

Military & government colleagues, please be wary of this hotel’s deceptive billing practices!!

IN RESPONSE TO THE OWNER: YOUR WEBSITE DOESN'T MENTION WHAT YOU SAID. IT ONLY HAS "*REQUIRES AFFILIATION TO THE RESPECTIVE ORGANIZATION".

AND I MET THIS CRITERION! MOREOVER, ONE MEMBER OF OUR GROUP GOT THE RATE AND HE WASN'T ON ANY KIND OF OFFICIAL ORDERS. HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THAT?

On Feb 16, 2024, I made a reservation online for May 1 - May 4 to meet with three other military families. The rate on my reservation for government/military rate was $120.00 per night or $136.06 which includes all taxes and fees. The total bill online was $408.18. We received a confirmation number after I put my visa information. I have a picture of this transaction which shows the rate, taxes and fees and total bill.

When I checked out, my bill was $655.11, which was completely different from the original reservation. I complained with the front desk attendant (she's only been there for 5 months) and was told that the hotel used the current rates for the dates. I then told her that I was military/government and showed my IDs. She said that she cannot change the charges because the hotel used the military appreciation rates (higher rates) instead of the military/government rates at the time of booking on Feb 16.

I could not get my point across with the attendant. She was so defensive and rude so I decided to hold my complaint and to call the manager the next business day.

Of note, the first night charged to my Visa was correct - $136.06, which was the daily rate stated on my reservation made on Feb 16. What she was saying and charging to my VISA didn't sync.

I was able to reach the hotel manager, named Damian. Damian kept on insisting that I didn’t provide the credentials (military and government cards ) to the receptionist on the first night and when I checked out. This is completely false because I told the attendant that I have both cards and asked which she wanted to see. I pulled my Government ID along with my military ID; this is second nature to military personnel.

I offered Damian to send him copies of my IDs, but he did not accept my offer. He was adamant about not giving me the rates at the time of booking, and he refunded $113.38. With this refund, the total charge on my Visa is $541.73.

Please note that Damian is NOT a pleasant person to speak with. Didn’t listen to my side, kept interrupting me while I was speaking, and was condescending!

I elevated my complaint to the IHG Guest Relations office. According to May, my reservation was changed to different rates, and yet, I never received any notification or a courtesy call about the change. May could not explain why it was changed, and forwarded my complaint to the hotel.

A few days have passed and I have not heard from the hotel. With Damian's unpleasant attitude, I decided to call IHG. IHG told me that the hotel refunded $113.38 and no other refunds were made or to be made.

So from here, I will take this issue as far as I can, not only to identify the deceptive practice of this hotel, but to make sure that it will not happen again to another military family.

While it's true that the issue is only $133.73, it's really not about money. It's a matter of rightfully receiving what was advertised and reserved. Who knows how many have experienced the same problem.

My reservation confirmation with the rates are the glaring proof and Damian could have easily rectified the problem. But he decided to ignore the facts and favored profit over customer satisfaction. He has no word of honor, so to speak.

WHY DID THIS HOTEL NOT HONOR MY CONFIRMED RESERVATION??? BEWARE!!!

I intend to reach out to Consumer Affairs in Nevada, Military Travel agencies and various travel websites to share my experience with this hotel. Military community needs to be vigilant!

Btw, this is not an isolated case; the rest of my military friends also did NOT receive the rates stated on the reservation confirmation and their complaints will be...

I stayed at the hotel in room 314 in April 2025. Honestly, I don’t know why this hotel is rated as a 2-star — in my opinion, it feels much closer to a 4-star experience. It’s a really nice and relatively modern place. Overall, I enjoyed my stay, especially the breakfast.

Breakfast is served on the ground floor, where the tables are conveniently equipped with USB ports and power outlets so you can charge your phone while you eat. You can choose to sit indoors or in a pleasant outdoor area. The walk to the Strip takes about 10 minutes, and the nearest supermarket (Vons) is also around a 10-minute walk away and stays open until 10 PM.

Now a few things that could be improved:

The AC in the room made an unpleasant noise, so I preferred to keep it turned off.

In the breakfast area, there are three large TVs, each tuned to a different channel. While having news on during breakfast is nice, turning on the sound for all three at once was distracting. I had to ask staff to keep the sound on only one of them — a simple adjustment that made a big difference.

One small downside was the use of plastic cutlery and paper cups at breakfast. I definitely understand that using disposal tableware is economically preferrable and I personally don’t mind using simple tableware, it doesn't leave the best impression considering the environmental impact, including paper cups which are lined with plastic inside. Until this tableware are not made of more sustainable or efficiently recyclable materials.

I appreciated the option to request a breakfast box for early departures. Since I had an excursion and had to leave at 4:30 AM, I arranged this tonight before and mentioned that I’m vegetarian. However, when I came to pick it up next day, I was told they weren’t sure what to include because of my dietary preference. While I truly appreciate the service, I think the staff could take more initiative — if someone says they’re vegetarian, just pack anything without meat or fish. It’s better than waiting for extra clarification while the guest need to leave early and short in time. Still, I’m very grateful for the effort, as not every hotel offers such an option for guests and taking in account that the hotel is not obligated to do that.

In summary: A great hotel for the price. I’d happily stay here again on my next trip to Las Vegas — unless I win the lottery, in which case I’ll book a suite at the...