Holiday Inn Express & Suites Rocky Mount/Smith Mtn Lake by IHG — Hotel in Rocky Mount

I’ll start by saying that every staff member we interacted with was kind, helpful, and seemed genuinely interested in resolving problems quickly. That said, there were quite a few issues during our stay that added up to a disappointing experience.

When we arrived, there was no one at the front desk to check us in. After calling out, someone eventually came from the back room. They got us our keys, and we headed to the elevator—only for it to jolt suddenly and start loudly beeping. We got off the elevator and reported the issue. The staff said it “happens sometimes” and that they would reset it. We decided to take the stairs instead.

The third-floor hallway was hot and had a strong odor. Fans were set up, but it felt like the air conditioning in the common areas wasn’t working. When we reached our rooms, none of the keycards worked. Oddly enough, one door was already unlocked, but after testing, we confirmed the cards weren’t functioning. The room was just left unlocked. Back to the front desk we went, and we were issued working keys.

Inside the rooms, one was fine, but the other had a strong musty smell. We discovered the air conditioner was leaking, and a large section of the carpet was soaked. Unfortunately, the hotel was full, so we were unable to switch rooms. They did provide extra towels to help soak up the water. That's it for the night.

In fact the next day was off to a good start with breakfast. The food was really solid. I especially enjoyed the biscuits. We ventured out for the entire day and when we returned we found our room had not been made up. A little disappointing, but not a huge deal. That was it for day two.

The morning of day three we again went down for breakfast. Once again fantastic. Before leaving for the day we talked to the front desk clerk and let them know that are room was not made up the day before and we just wanted to make sure it would be made up today. She assured us that as long as we didnt have the do not disturb sign hanging on the door it would be made up. We explained that that wasn't the case yesterday, so if they could just make sure that it would be made up that day that would be great. She agreed. Once again we left for the entire day. When we came back the room had not been made up. This time we went to the front desk right away to get fresh towels. They got us towels.

Overall, while the staff were friendly and responsive, there were simply too many issues—broken elevator, smelly hallway, faulty keycards, unlocked room, leaking air conditioner, and multiple missed housekeeping visits. Each problem on its own not a big deal, but together they added up to a...

I originally grew up in Franklin County, Va and graduated from the HS there in 2001. My family and I were there for a family vacation due to a fundraiser that was being held in my honor with my battle against leukemia. Our travel dates were 6/6/14-6/10/14. When making the reservation, we were very upfront about my condition and how the room needs to be as clean and sterile as possible. We were promised many things. We walked into a damp, musty smelling suite with a terrible view. (There was a window, however it was in front of the outside wooden roof that obstructed any kind of view.) We actually had to walk out of the hotel to even see and feel what the weather was like. Their was dust everywhere, including crumbs in the phones. And the musty smell made all of us feel sick to our stomach every time we stepped into the room. We immediately asked to be changed into a different suite but was turned down instantly. Even though we were paying the same amount of money. We were told there were no other suites available, however the condition of this room was beyond acceptable.

The pool did not look like it had been cleaned in a long time so we weren't even able to enjoy that amenity at all, sick or not. One morning at breakfast time, the pancake machine was not working and the cafe lady was no where to be found. Finally we noticed she was on a smoke break. She came in and without washing her hands, started working on the machine. There are no words I can even say to follow that up with.

To say our experience was a disappointment would be a huge understatement. We will never be staying here again and would never recommend to any fellow travelers or friends. We did place a formal complaint the morning of our departure and the lady was nice enough to give us a small discount. However, the fact of us knowing that we were paying the same amount of money that the other patrons of suites were paying with just a small discount given, was not enough to make up for what we went through.

It's disappointing leaving such a review however I feel it would be unfair to not do such a thing and other people fall into similar situations. At least this way, perhaps the staff can recognize issues that can be worked out and make future patrons have a much better experience.

Thank you for your time, Unhappy...

My fiancé and I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Rocky Mount, VA this weekend for a wedding. I had booked this room seven months in advance. Between the time of booking the room and getting there we received only one notification that the hotel would be under construction and were told “Our hotel is under construction and currently remodeling guest bathrooms. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause during your stay with us. Thank you for understanding.” Okay, no biggie, right? However we get there and it’s not the bathrooms that are under construction, it’s the entire front entrance/dining area/ laundry services/ ice machine that are under construction. We go to check in and they tell us nothing aside from asking us our name and give us our room key. We only found out about the ice machine and the laundry after we walked in through the open back door (which was open about half our entire stay). If you have a fear of elevators, steer clear as the elevator may break if the buttons are pressed “too hard,” as denoted by the sign in the elevator. They were unpress-able half the time so I have to wonder if I should have taken the stairs. But you may be able to earn some cash from a lawsuit since they don’t put wet floor signs up after mopping! When we got up to our room, while it wasn’t dirty, the cleaning left a lot to be desired (think the mirror was dusty, the sink was a tad bit unclean, etc). If you don’t look too hard the room seems luxurious but clearly the lowest bidder received the contract. It’s also to be noted that on the bed there are two types of pillows, one down and one cotton, which I came to find out after picking one up. Good luck if you have an allergy to down. Check in and check out were basically the same experience. I got handed the receipts. No check in with license or signing of any paperwork. I will say, it’s a prime location as it’s within walking distance of a Walmart, Kroger, and a Sheetz. For over $400 for two nights in a basic room, there was MUCH to be desired...