Holiday Inn Express & Suites San Antonio NW Near Seaworld by IHG — Hotel in San Antonio

The first thing I encountered on my stay was a very dismissive front desk agent (Justin). I walk in and the greeting I get is "What do you need?" Not a hello, there was no welcome. Im an IHG Gold Elite Member and got NO recognition. He just gave me paper to sign and my keys. Nothing welcoming at all. I set my request to be on a high floor, and I was put on the 1st floor. Now I can understand if youre sold out, and you dont have the capacity, but when I asked, apparently there were quite a few rooms availabpe higher up. Later I called down to (Justin) and asked if they had any utensils. He replies "Yes they are in the breakfast area." I come down to look for them and dont see them anywhere. Mind you this is just after 4pm and brkfst is closed. I go back to the counter and ask (Justin) Im looking for the untensils, he again says they are in the breakfast area, and only when I asked him to tell me where specifically he says "They are behind those closed doors in the breakfast area." As if Im supposed to know that. Room 2: Everything is fine until I go to take a nice shower, I look up at the shower head and it is FILTHY! Covered in grime amd looked like it had not been cleaned in years! And in the tub is this wierd yellow sticky substance on the tub side. So I call down and ask to change rooms for a more cleaner bathtub. Room 3: Yet again, shower head filthy but at least no yellow stuff, whatever. My partner and I finally start settling down for the second night we get comfortable and I spot something crawling on the blankets, I thought my eyes were playing tricks but nope. It was a bed bug, (this is room 219 by the way which apparently in the review section is notorious for them) so I start checking the beds to see if there were more and sure enough it was an infestation, blood amd poop spots everywhere with a bunch of shedded skin under the pillows I mean it was disgusting. So we call pack our things up knowing that we CANNOT stay there and we call down again by this time it is 3am in the morning. I call the front desk, 3 times no amswer. We go down to the desk and no one is there. I tried ringing the little bell and no one answered, we waited ther for 11mins. I timed it, we continuously called and no answer. Then out comes (Barbara) from a room, amd she was SLEEPING! In the room on the first floor! She comes out of the room and says "Do you need something?" Like...WHAT??!! When I asked why it took so long to get help she claimed she was cleaning the room. Now you may ask how I know that she was NOT cleaning the room? I work in the hotel industry and know what to look for. 1) Literally not a sign of "cleaning" on her clothes. 2) No smell of chemicals. 3) There was not housekeepers cart near the room. We ask here for a new room due to the circumstances, and this time I stay with the luggage out of no faith, this is now room 4. My partner goes up to the room and there are silver fish in the linens in the bathroom, in the towels and wash cloths. I said this is unacceptable and I want tonight taken off my bill because Im not paying for it...matter fact I want a full refund. And (Barbara) kindly suggests "Well you can stay somewhere else." So we did.

I highly recommend that if you value your health, and clean rooms, also great customer service like you expect, DO NOT STAY AT THIS HOTEL!!! It is a disgrace. By the way I called 2 days later to discuss with who I didnt know was the GENERAL MANAGER (Justin) I tell him everything that happened and that I wanted a refund, and after everything I mentioned including the bedbugs, he says "Well you work for IHG I assumed you would know where to find the utensils, I mean all the breakfast areas are the same arent they?" For your info (Justin)...

Save your money and go somewhere else. This hotel is a disaster. The first thing you'll notice when you walk in is the overwhelming smell of sewage in the lobby. It is disgusting, especially when you're trying to eat breakfast in the breakfast area where the smell lingers.

The back door does not unlock and it seems like the management doesn't care to get it working. The door stays propped open with a rock, which is a huge security issue.

The amenities are very lacking. The business center is devoid of anything besides a printer that has been out of order for a year. The only way to print anything is to go to the front desk and have them print it out for you. So much for privacy.

The fitness center also leaves much to be desired. It is a tiny room with only a treadmill, elliptical, and a musty smell that will haunt you. Do yourself a favor and get a trial membership at the gym in the shopping center next door.

The soda machine on the third floor stays empty. Seriously, nobody comes to restock it. Why it is still there is beyond me. The only thing I can think of is that it is there to steal your money so this hotel can juice you for every last quarter you have.

If you want a soda, you'll have to make your way to the suite shop by the front desk. I hope you like Coca-Cola, because that is the only soda available. No Sprite, no Dr. Pepper, no root beer, nothing besides Coke and Diet Coke. The snack selection is both extremely limited and overpriced. A snack sized bag of chips is $2. Same with the Goldfish and animal crackers. And that is the extent of the snacks available. You can have chips, goldfish, or animal crackers. No other snacks are available.

If you want a nice dip in the hot tub, you'll have to go elsewhere. The hot tub stays a lukewarm temperature. It never will heat up past your body temperature. Not that you should get in it anyways, the water is an off-putting green color.

If you do make the mistake of getting in, and decide to take a shower to wash off the bacteria, be prepared for the worst shower of your life. The water in the shower doesn't get hot. And if you do manage to get hot water, it will be a trickle of water. Not enough to really wash the shampoo out of your hair.

If you are looking for a hotel for a relaxing stay, with great amenities and a lovely atmosphere, avoid this hotel at all costs. The only thing this hotel is good for is leaving you with a headache and a bad taste in your mouth, probably from the smell of sewage you endured while eating breakfast.

Edit: I guess the hot tub was too much trouble to take care of so they got rid of it instead of fixing it so guests can...

If you're coming to SA, choose any other hotel than this one!

realized I wasn't going to get there before 6 so called to make sure my room was confirmed for late arrival. No way to get through to this hotel. Either no one answered the phone at all or it said press one for the operator, then sent you back to the same message telling you to press one for the operator. No way to get a human. Called the 800# call center in India or wherever and the broken-English speaking call rep couldn't find my reservation and also couldn't get through to the hotel. After 20 minutes I just hung up. Upon arrival I tell the front desk person (who I think was the manager) about my phone experience. She replies that she's heard that from a couple of other guests. No apology, no indication that she gave a S. They did still have my room but I wish they hadn't. While checking in there is a policeman there interviewing a maid who a guest had accused of stealing something. The lobby was full of equipment and in disarray. Clearly a re-model was taking place. We'll call this red--flag number 4 and shame on me for not leaving already. Room on floor 3, get off elevator, turn left--there is my room and immediately past my room is a tarp blocking off the rest of the hallway. I look behind it and see scaffolding and equipment. Clearly no -wake-up call needed tomorrow! I wake up at 8:15 to the sound of jack-hammer in the parking lot outside my room. The hotel is being remodeled so even the parts that aren't under construction are all mucked up with drywall pieces and stuff the workers have tracked in. I go to ask for another room perhaps farther away from all the work being done. While I'm waiting the guy in front of me is complaining that his room is infested with ants and asking for another room. I go back to my room, figuring that noise is preferable to bugs. Even the toiletries they provide are just a hodge podge of stuff. No 2 items are the same packaging or even the same brand.

This hotel is an embarrassment to the HIE brand. I always stay there because the experience is consistent. I'm guessing this one is owned by a super cheapskate who cuts every corner and won't close the hotel during a remodel. Corporate needs to get involved in this one because this hotel is damaging their brand. If you're coming to SA, stay anywhere...