Holiday Inn Express & Suites Russellville by IHG — Hotel in Russellville

I normally love Holiday Inn Express and typically search for them when traveling for my daughter's softball team, NFL games, and/or other vacations. However, when checking in, i stood at the front desk for over 30 minutes. We planned on letting the kids swim before their first softball game but after waiting we had no time. We were told that they would get sheets and bedding for the pull out couch but we did not have time to wait. they told us they would have it in our room when we returned. there was nothing. again, i had to wait 10-15 minutes at the front desk for part of the bedding. the remainder was brought to our room. we got a fitted sheet and a comforter and 2 pillows. no pillow cases. there was a questionable stain and hair on one of the pillows. there were no towels at the pool that evening. The next morning, we woke to have breakfast before playing ball. i got the kids ready and went downstairs to find a dark room. there was no breakfast. i was told they 'ran out' because they didnt know there was a tournament that weekend. it was 830 AM. I made coffee and asked for milk. apparently Hiland wasn't making deliveries so there was no milk for coffee. we ended up spending $45 at IHop when i had budgeted for a free breakfast. that's why i didn't mind paying more for our stay because the breakfasts are normally great! we ran errands and were gone for about 4 hours. when returning to the room, i was hoping to see that it had been straightened up by housekeeping. However, it was obvious that it was not touched. I asked the front desk and they said that "they didn't have the staff to clean the room for people that stay more than one night". They were hoping to have breakfast sunday morning. but again, there was nothing. a $20 trip to Sonic was required since we had to get to the ballfields. there were no towels at the pool any of the times we used it. i had to take bath towels from a housekeeping cart in the hallway since i was never offered any more for our second night stay. I used the washer and dryer for the girls' softball uniforms and had to use a plastic bag to pull pebbles, rocks, and wads of hair before feeling comfortable using it. the guys at the front desk were very young and appeared to be the only staff. i do not feel it was there fault, but i feel like they were understaffed. this was an absolutely horrible experience and we will...

We choose IHG because there are no surprises. IHG is not our low cost option. We like the IHG consistency:

clean rooms and common areas,

well maintained fresh and unstained surfaces,

structure that appears solid without rot or other deterioration,

friendly and courteous staff,

well lighted parking lots with level surface (no tripping or stumbling hazards),

common areas that are attractive, well lighted, inviting.

This Russellville, Arkansas Holiday Inn fell well short of our IHG experience and expectations.

1 – There was a ceiling repair in one corner of the bathroom. The plaster work was crude; not professional. A thin coat of primer on the repaired area did not hid the deteriorating ceiling or the shoddy repair. We can find this level of repair at hotels costing half the price.

2 – In the center of the bathroom ceiling, 3-4 feet from the repair mentioned above there were water stains in the light fixture and in the drywall adjacent to the light fixture. It appeared there had been a leak from above. This condition is not the hygiene expected of a Holiday Inn Express priced room. Was that toilet water? Were we exposed to a hygiene risk?

3 – The wall thermostat did not work. A paper sign had been taped to the wall above the thermostat instructing the user to adjust temperature at the wall unit. Because the wall unit was controlled by its local thermal control, room heat was uneven. Why pay IHG prices for a room with non-professional notes taped to room surfaces and with window/wall unit temperature control?

4 – The desk in the room had a center drawer that would not stay shut. Each time it was pushed closed, it rolled out about half the distance of its full travel. Why had this not been reported by someone on the housekeeping staff? If housekeeping had reported it, why was it not repaired? This may not seem to be a very significant problem and we may have ignored it if the above three problems had not been present. However, this drawer speaks to attitude of the management and staff of this Holiday Inn Express; an unacceptable attitude. It caused us to wonder what more significant conditions exist in other areas of this hotel that could have been issues for our health and safety?

The conditions had adverse consequences for our emotional comfort. i.e. adverse effects on relaxation...

In our travels though out the U.S. most of our overnights stays are at Holiday Inn Express hotels. It is always interesting to be able to see the differences in each hotel. As with all my posts reference Holiday Inn Express I start with "curb appeal". The Russellville Holiday Inn had great curb appeal. The entry way was kept clean and bright. The staff at the check in desk were very polite and very helpful. As we entered the dining area for our evening cup of coffee, the area was also clean and bright - but - one thing that proved to be a nuisance were flies. It's not like there was uncovered food or food items out and about for the flies to land on but they were in this area as well as the area where the computer/printer were located. It was annoying to have these things constantly flying around your head. The tiled areas in the entry way, dining area and area around the elevators were very clean - no sticky foot walking. The elevator was also clean and with two elevators, the waiting time was practically nil. While the carpeted elevators and hallways were kept clean some attention should be given to the areas against the baseboards. I noticed that debris seemed to be piled up along the wall/floor crevices where an upright vacuum can't clean effectively. Upon entry into the room, the area was also clean with an efficient use of the room space. The bathroom was also CLEAN. This is much appreciated since this is one area of a room that requires the most attention so that a new guest checking in doesn't have to share ANYTHING with the guest that checked out. Breakfast in the morning was very good with the staff keeping everything clean and the food well supplied. Recognition for the staff is warranted since "some" travelers seem to think that being on vacation means you can be a slob and not take any care in how they dispose of their trash. This hotel staff is commended for keeping up with "those" inconsiderate people. With the amount of guests coming and going, it is quite a task to keep everything looking good. All in all, this was a pleasant experience and we would stay here again...