Holiday Inn Seattle Downtown - Lake Union by IHG — Hotel in Seattle

Horrible experience at Holiday Inn Lake Union, Seattle

I am utterly disappointed with the hotel facilities and front desk staff - Mike who tried his way out to misrepresent without the intention to resolve the issue and to the last straw we had to move out in the middle of night as the stay was unbearable.

The air warmer was not working and we called for assistance. With any hesitation, front desk offered a room change. We were already settled down so we asked for a maintenance check. A technical guy came and confirmed that it was not working and needed maintenance that was only available the next day.

We asked if there was a spare warmer but were told none. This is really surprising that no spare warmer is available. Without choice, we changed room. Everything was good; the new room warmer was hot and almost INSTANT. But to the surprise, the toilet was not working (sink and seat both were out of service).

Then, Mike came onboard and proclaimed that he was not briefed on the matter. Giving him the benefit of doubt, we explained and he assured us that the next room would be checked before we go in. We went in and again the air warmer was not working and we asked for a joint check.

He insisted that it would take hours to warm up and insisted that it is not meeting my service standard and not a malfunction. I asked him to go to the earlier room with the working warmer and he refused. He was impatient and beat around the bush and asking what I want. A common sense would be a normal working and warm room.

Mike proclaiming to be a senior hospitality staff, had insisted that it would be working and it would take hours. I disagreed as cold air was coming out which was the same experience as the previous room. In the room where the toilet was not working, warm air came out almost instantly. His proclaimed experience came to my surprise that he didn't call a technician to confirm.

Being a frequent traveller and enjoying my stays at all Holiday Inn Express, this is very disappointing. I think it is important to pen down the experience. Not to mention, the excitement was totally gone with his lousy service standard that came with coarse language that...

Pros: Great location near the space needle. Looks like the area is getting upgraded and will be an eclectic neighborhood. They will eventually have a restaurant out front but it wasn't open yet. I would stay here again only for location.

Cons: The rooms are not all equal. We had 2 rooms for our party. When I asked which room was which at check in, I was told they were "about the same". I had forgotten the beds were different, so either way they were not the same. The king sized room looked updated, had plenty of floor space and was a good layout with the kitchen/bathroom. It had a nice view of the other buildings in the area and good natural light. The room with 2 queens was dingy, the walls were scuffed, and it had a horrible layout so you were tripping into the kitchen while trying to drag in your bags. The desk and chair were too big so there wasn't a lot of room to move bags between that and the bed. Normally I see the couch and TV on the side closer to the door so there is some space when you come in, but this was the opposite. The bathroom was small, the door basically touched the toilet so you had to slide in between the toilet and the counter to get the door closed. The worst part was the alley view of a red wall and a window to a hallway and another room. We had to keep the curtains closed the whole time. This should be specified on the website so you know what you're getting. Luckily we spent more time sight seeing than trying to enjoy the hotel. I did bring up my disappointment to the manager on duty and she offered to move us, but having been told the rooms were equal we had already unpacked before we saw how nice the rooms could be. If I stayed here again I would call to ask about room placement or just get a suite which I should have done in the first place.

Another short term con, no food on site. The restaurant wasn't open, they did not have any coffee out or breakfast options. We got drinks at a gas station and walked 10-15 minutes to get bagels and pizza. Obviously these days there are plenty of meal...

CONS: If you're planning to stay here with a sleeper sofa, be warned that they are not providing bedding for sleeper sofas. They say this is due to a city ordinance (that I cannot for the life of me find anywhere on google or the city of Seattle). The given ordinance id is about safety for hotel workers (emergency buttons, hours and wages), not bed linens. The first two staff we talked to blew us off, saying linens would be sent up in 20 minutes. Over an hour later, we had received nothing. The third staff told us about the ordinance. This information is NOT listed anywhere on the booking website-- I booked directly with the hotel on IHG and not through a third party. Given that we paid for space for three people but only had a sleeping place for two, this was pretty upsetting. The room was also quite small -- just walking space around the bed and only barely enough room to pull out the sleeper sofa. There was no door between the sofa space and the bedroom, which again, is not anywhere on the website and was something we had paid extra for (some privacy). The light in the bedroom didn't work. The fan in the bathroom was on its last legs. The front desk staff were extremely unhelpful.

PROS: The location is great in terms of proximity to the Space Needle. There's not actually a lot right around the hotel in terms of food or drink, but a quick car ride will get you to Belltown or Pikes Place. The hot water was quick and plentiful. The cleaning staff were all incredibly kind. The air conditioning worked well. There was no evidence of bed bugs. There wasn't a lot of noise from the hallway or other rooms.

SUMMARY: Would we stay here again? No. I would be happy to pay for the great location IF you were actually getting everything you paid for. Given that you're not, you're better off paying more for one of the other well-located hotels...