Holiday Inn Springdale/Fayetteville Area by IHG — Hotel in Springdale

Holiday Inn Springdale: Great Room, Outdated Vibes, and the World’s Most Awkward Breakfast

I recently found myself in Springdale needing a last-minute hotel, and after nearly heading back to Rogers due to the lack of options, Holiday Inn Suites came through with an available room at a reasonable rate. My company follows a rule when booking hotels: Would the owner of the company stay here? If the answer’s no, we move up in quality. Thankfully, Holiday Inn passed that test.

Here are a few of my observations:

A Tense Reservation Experience

While making the reservation over the phone, I was asked to provide my credit card details immediately. Since I was navigating heavy traffic, I asked if I could complete the process in person in about five minutes. However, the hostess insisted I needed to give the number over the phone or risk losing the room. I understand the urgency, but I felt it was inconsiderate to put a guest in that position.

First Impressions: Stunning but Stuck in Time

On arrival, I realized I’d booked into a massive Holiday Inn designed for corporate conferences. The hotel itself was beautiful, though I admit I felt slightly out of place in my work attire, sensing a bit of side-eye from the staff and some of the other guests. But hey, I was paying with real money, so I shook it off.

The decor was classic and comfortable—perhaps a little too classic. This hotel felt like a time capsule from 2005, with carpets and furnishings that took me back to early 2000s Topeka. My room was spacious and well-kept but also noticeably dated.

The World’s Most Awkward Breakfast Situation

Breakfast was, to put it mildly, a shocker. I expected the typical continental setup, so I headed to the buffet without a second thought. However, one of the staff members kept eyeing me and finally asked how I planned to pay for my meal. Confused, I handed her a breakfast voucher, which apparently only covered part of the buffet. I was surprised to learn that if I wanted the full buffet, I’d have to pay an additional $5 plus gratuity.

Now, for a $200-a-night room, being asked to pay extra for yogurt and a handful of blueberries seemed unnecessary, especially when many other hotels include breakfast. The entire voucher process felt outdated and unnecessarily awkward.

About That Slogan…

“Stay. Sleep. Drink. Eat.” I couldn’t help but wonder: why not throw in “Pee. Jump. Poop” while you’re at it? I mean, the slogan sounds more like a pet’s to-do list than something meant for hotel guests. A little humor, but really—I think a brand refresh could be in order.

Final Thoughts

After three days of the uncomfortable breakfast voucher ritual, I decided to skip it on my last morning and ventured over to Bentonville’s municipal airport for breakfast. There, I enjoyed a fantastic meal with warm service—well worth the $36.

Am I against paying for breakfast? Not at all. But it’s the principle. The voucher situation felt unnecessarily awkward and, frankly, detracted from...

We arrived at 4:00 pm and had checked-in online. When we arrived the check-in clerk informed us that our room was not ready, even though check-in was at 3:00 pm, and that it could be another 10-30 minutes. After 30 minutes of waiting we asked about our room and the now very RUDE clerk told us that wasn't a guarantee and she had no idea how long it would be. We asked if she could find out and again very RUDELY told us there was no way she could do that, even though she was communicating with others on a walkie. She never apologized and after informing her we had an event to get ready for at 6:00, she "Offered" (her words) the public restroom in the lobby. I informed her that I was not about to get dressed in a public restroom. Again no apologies!!! I've NEVER been treated like this at a Holiday Inn. I finally asked if there was a manager on duty (she never offered to get one). Her response was "yes, would you like to talk to one?" Duh, yes I would. The big excuse for such poor service was that they were completely booked and were understaffed. Sorry, not my problem. The manager was very sweet and understanding and offered to find out by physically going up to the housekeepers and ask about our room. After maybe another 20 minutes, the RUDE clerk came back and informed us our room was ready. We were given free buffet breakfast coupons as a gesture. The breakfast was not good.

The next afternoon at about 2:00, we were out and I received a call asking why our stuff was still in our room. I said because we haven't checked out and had reservations for 2 nights. Tyler informed us that we were suppose to change rooms. We were never told that and he asked us if it was convenient to do so, which it wasn't but we did anyway because we were told our previous night would be credited back, which it hasn't been. Tyler gave us an upgraded room which was very nice and we were treated with respect, unlike the initial clerk. I wish I had gotten her name but did not.

Our first choice for hotels has always been Holiday Inns but no longer after this stay. If you're going to completely book a hotel, I suggest you make sure that its staff supported. If not, at least have the dignity to inform guests ahead of time and maybe even hire some temps to pick up the slack.

We'll be contacting the hotel about our credit for the 1 night. We will...

First time staying at this location. Upon arrival, the hotel was located off of the main street down a side road. It appears to have been an older build. The parking at the front door was very limited. The other sides of the parking lot were pretty much out of view and really felt unsecure about parking there. The "first room" during this stay, the sink and shower drains took forever to fully drain. I tried calling for maintenance multiple times. The front desk would never answer. I had to leave a message of what I was needing, and no one showed up. I ended up having to go to the front desk to speak with someone concerning the TV. I advised the front desk attendant that I tried calling multiple times and no one would answer. She stated that she had a huge line of people trying to check in. I know this was not true because from the center courtyard I could see towards the front desk and there was no one there. After the first night, I woke up with a very bad headache, and noticed there was BLACK MOLD all over the A/C vent! It appeared that vent had not been cleaned in 5-10 years. The "second room" during this stay, had the exact same problem with the drains in the bathroom. Both bathrooms were entirely "so small" you could not shut the door without having to move and adjust yourself in the room... There was no other place for them to put the towels and rags, so they were on a shelf in the shower!!!!! Needless to say I would not suggest staying at this location if you have...