Holiday Inn Express & Suites San Jose – Silicon Valley by IHG — Hotel in San Jose

I've stayed at this location a total of two times. My first stay here was during the grand opening. New location however my room has a strong odor of cigarettes. I didnt complain, I mentioned it upon check out and receptionist kindly informed me they would have changed my room had I spoken up. Thats great to know!

My second stay here was recent, 01/31/25. And immediately I had friction with the receptionist. As an elite diamond IHG member we are given the option of early check-in upon availability.

I called for early check-in at 1:17, the receptionist told me I can arrive at 2:00. On my way to the hotel @ 1:28, I get a phone call from the same receptionist informing me that check in would be moved to 2:30. I arrive at 2:10 to inform them I am ready to check-in. and the receptionist AGAIN changes the time of early check-in to 2:40. I tell her, why dont we just check in at 3:00, thats the original, non-early check-in time. And she begins to back track and talk nonsense. I go to the parking lot to eat my early dinner in my truck; I wish I could have eaten in my room as I had originally planned. Not even 3 bites into my meal the same receptionist calls me to inform me my room is ready @ 2:16.

This is incredibly unprofessional.

After all this back and forth I decide to contact IHG to inform them of how unprofessional my check-in procedure was at Holiday Inn Express & Suites : San Jose – Silicon Valley; 2660 Monterey Road , San Jose , California 95111.

Days after my complaint I get a half-baked apology from the manager offering me 5,000 points. I never accepted the points, rather I requested an in person meeting with the manager so we can go over my interaction with their receptionist. I have not received a response from the manager, Mihir Desai.

For the record all of the individuals I interacted with are of indian decent. This must be a location that hires their family and as such they appear to refuse any proper corrective action and refuse to respond to my complaint properly.

Mihir Desai, respond to my emails. I have left you two emails requesting a response from you. Both the general manager, Mihir Desai and receptionist are unprofessional. I would not recommend this location.

To add salt to injury, they booked my room across very noisy and disrespectful guests, which were screaming, and slamming their doors closed between the hours of 3AM and 4AM. This location is absolutely awful if you want an easy check in process and a night of...

We had a one-king bed suite sofa bed. I loved the suite! It was so clean, modern, and comfortable! The couch is one of the nicest ones we've had in a hotel as it's new, clean, and firm to sit on. The suite was large and the modern, modular furniture and overall room layout is excellent and well thought-out! There is a shelf to place two suitcases where they are easily accessible yet out of the way. There is a large armoire and a lot of countertop space to place your items. There is a large, high-quality flatscreen TV and it's easy to plug in your FireTV stick to stream your own ad-free shows. There are lots of well-lit mirrors and plugs for your electronics. There's a clock radio so you can quickly see the time. There's a microwave and fridge. The bed is super comfortable. ||The location is convenient as it was close to a hospital and family home/neighborhood that we were visiting. I liked it that you could park in the garage underneath and simply take the elevator right up to your floor. However, I agree with other reviewers who have noted that this lacks any kind of security. This hotel is in a rougher looking, industrial area and anyone could easily come into that open garage and ride up the elevator to the rooms. A suggestion for the owners is to put a gate to limit garage access as well as set up a key card scanner to limit elevator access to hotel guests. Despite loving the room and its amenities, we were slightly concerned about our vehicle as well as our personal safety. Like many cities, as you round the corner from the hotel, it does look like a cleaner and nicer area with a Target, etc. There's also quite a bit of street noise since it's on a busy street and a slight odor from the A/C unit. ||Despite all of the positives about the room and property itself, we likely would not stay here again unless there were enhancements made to the security of the garage...

I feel compelled to share how frustrating and disappointing my recent stay at your Holiday Inn Express was. I had expected a basic level of comfort and customer service, but instead encountered a series of issues that left me regretting my choice.

From the moment I arrived, the front desk staff made little effort to be welcoming or helpful. When I raised concerns later in my stay, I was met not with empathy or problem-solving, but with defensiveness and a dismissive attitude — essentially saying, “That’s just how it is here, so what do you want me to do?” This kind of response is unacceptable in any hospitality setting.

The room itself was equally problematic. The blanket was poorly maintained — the inside filling had clumped entirely to one side, a clear sign of improper laundering. The air conditioning barely functioned, and the walls were so thin I could hear everything in the hallway and the adjacent rooms. Rest was nearly impossible.

To make matters worse, a group of disruptive guests — possibly part of a motorcycle group — were revving engines, triggering car alarms, and stomping through the hallways late at night. These individuals were staying at the hotel and creating an environment that was loud, chaotic, and deeply unsettling.

I brought up these concerns directly to staff during my stay, hoping for resolution, but the experience was dismissed. That’s what prompted me to write this. If this is considered acceptable at Holiday Inn Express, then it says a lot about the brand’s standards — or lack thereof.

I’m asking for acknowledgment of this experience and a clear explanation of how this situation will be addressed moving forward. Until then, I cannot recommend Holiday Inn Express and will be cautious about staying at any IHG property...