Holiday Inn Express Washington DC SW - Springfield by IHG — Hotel in Springfield

Overall- I would absolutely stay here again. I'll start with the excellent parts: 1) They offer a free shuttle to the metro station (more about this later). It is easy and convenient to get TO the metro station (but not back). 2) The breakfast was one of the better breakfasts I've seen at this level of hotel. They had a great selection. 3) Their pool was nice. My family swam in the evenings from about 5-9 and it was in the shade and the water was plenty warm. 4) Our room was very CLEAN! 5)Their shampoo, condition, body wash, hand soap, and lotion were nice. Also- they have liquid hand soap at the sink, rather than a bar of soap- which I very much prefer. I just feel like liquid hand soap does a better job. So, I was glad for all those amenities. 6) It's in a convenient location near lots of places to eat. Target is a 5-minute drive also. We found a DELICIOUS pizza place called Malek's. It's not within walking distance- but it's worth the 5-minute drive. It is seriously some of the best pizza I've ever eaten and I highly recommend it. We also enjoyed Paris Baguette, which is within walking distance. Their mango coconut cake was chef's kiss. They also had good sandwiches, but it was a little pricey. 7) Free parking... need I say more?!

Okay- now for the things that weren't great. First of all- the sofa bed in our room was literally the worst sofa bed I've ever experienced. You could feel every coil of every spring. It was awful. We ended up putting the sofa cushions together for my son to sleep on, and my daughter slept the wrong direction on the sofa bed at the very bottom of it because there weren't springs down there. It was still a pretty uncomfortable night for both of them. The next day when I asked if we could have two more couch cushions from an empty room for my daughter, the front desk did offer to put us in a two queen room. We had A LOT of luggage and had already gotten settled, so the maintenance guy told us he could have two memory foam mattresses sent up to put on top of the sofa bed mattress. Well, what was actually sent was two quilts. So, we quadrupled them both up and put them on the mattress, under the sheet, for my daughter and my son continued to sleep on the couch cushions. It was better, but still a somewhat uncomfortable three nights for my kids. But, they lived! My husband and I were very comfortable on our bed though! Next time, I will just book the two queen beds room instead of the king. Problem solved there.

Next- the shuttle. It was SOOOO convenient that they offer a free shuttle to the metro station. When you need one, you just ask the front desk. Someone was able to take us within 10-15 minutes of when we requested one. All the shuttle drivers we had were very nice. Now- when it's time to be picked up from the metro station, I highly recommend calling them when you're 45 minutes away, but tell them you're 15 minutes away, because both times when I called to be picked up, we were told someone would be there in 15-20 minutes to get us, but it actually took them 45-55 minutes both evenings for someone to come. Next time, I'll probably just plan to uber back from the metro station, but still use their service to get TO the metro station. It worked and we were grateful for it. It just was tricky waiting in the sweltering heat with two kids after long, tiring days in the city.

Finally- we had a room that slept four, but housekeeping only left three clean towels in the room every time they cleaned it. So every evening, we had to go down to the front desk and get an extra towel so we could all shower. Not a huge deal- but a bit inconvenient (and confusing) since we had a room that sleeps 4. But this would absolutely not keep me from coming back and staying again. Minor inconvenience.

Overall, we were VERY impressed and satisfied with our stay. It was less expensive than other options, so I was a little worried about it- but it was actually quite wonderful! We plan to stay there again! I highly...

Use of reward points for my 4 night stay broke down into 3 separate reservations (10/18, 10/19, 20, 10/21); I contacted the hotel well in advance to have them consolidated, but was advised to simply notify the desk on my arrival. This generated confusion on the desk end, and required me to check in and out 3 times during my stay; my room did not change, but I found myself locked out of my room twice because my key card was deactivated by the check-out, and not reactivated by the check-in. My blinking red telephone message light was on nearly my entire stay; the messages could not be retrieved (or erased); maintenance changed out the phone, but the problem persisted, unresolved, requiring that I simply cover the phone so as to block the constant blinking light. I could no longer count on receiving messages.

I made the mistake of walking barefoot in the room prior to showering, turning the floor of the shower black; I realized carpets cannot be cleaned regularly, but one must suspect that regular vacuuming is likely not a priority either. I suspected that cleanliness may be an issue based on the outside of the hotel (trash mounding up in multiple large plant pots outside the entrance - no plants there, despite absolutely beautiful weather for flowering plants or shrubs), but gave some allowance for area construction and maintenance work.

TV channel selection was adequate, and the phone service does offer free local calls. The internet access, however, is sloooooooow; if you require streaming, or high speed internet, forget it (or use your phone).

Don't get me wrong; there were pleasant aspects of the hotel as well. The staff were genuinely congenial. The shuttle service to the Metro station was efficient, but NO service available before 7:00 AM (a cab ride to the station is @ $7 each way; all day parking at the station is @ $5 if you choose to drive), and the latest pick-up time seemed to change daily (as early as 5:00 PM, but no later than 10:30 PM). The breakfast was a good mix of hot and cold, fresh and processed; the juices and coffee were quite good, and the hot cinnamon rolls were great. The general area provides a multitude of simple eating establishments within walking distance. Despite its location near the confluence of I-95 and the Beltway, I detected no road noise. The bed was comfortable, and a variety of pillows helped to ensure restfulness; some room noise was evident with other doors closing, but only minimally so.

I may seem to come down too hard, but persistent, addressed but unresolved issues always have a more negative impact on me. I do not recommend this hotel, and will not stay...

I was trying to find a quiet place to sleep to avoid construction noise going on at my residence. However that was the exact opposite experience I received here ironically, cause this place is loud. I do NOT recommend this hotel if you’re a light sleeper and don’t do well with constant highway noise. I was supposed to stay here for multiple nights but was disappointed when after checking in, I noticed that the rooms were poorly noise insulated and this isnt great since the hotel is in between 2 major highways (I-395, I-95, and I-495, it’s at the cross section of all 3). But it wasn’t just the noise that was the biggest issue, it was the response from the manager I got when I told him I did not get a wink of sleep because of the highway noise, he said “that’s an unusual complaint.” It was dismissive and lacked understanding of what is actually in reality a very common issue, but even more prominent of an issue here, as a downside of staying at this hotel because of its nearby highway location - I heard 18 wheeler trucks whizzing by and it was so loud, it felt like I was sleeping next to a speedway (see video of sound in the room).

Also, as an IHG platinum elite member, the female front desk never greeted me saying thanks for being one or acknowledged it when I first checked in, which was a first at a holiday inn (they usually acknowledge at least). Even after changing rooms 3 times I still couldn’t sleep. Even though they refunded me a measly 7k points at first and then later I had to go through some work to get back my remaining points it wasn’t worth the all nighter I had to pull here, where I wasn’t even able to eat breakfast. Also on the 4th floor there were some strange women sitting outside guarding the hallways…I dont know what this is about. This isn’t a hotel that gives good or comfortable vibes, it’s located in an industrial OK-ish area of Springfield but is very noisy.

Really wish the manager chose a different approach rather than dismissing my feelings that not being able to sleep because of high way noise is somehow a “rare” and “abnormal” complaint. Reading other Google reviews here, it seems noise is actually a common issue. So beware if you prefer a quieter and classier experience, you won’t get that here. All in all, despite being a loyal IHG platinum elite member and card user the fact I had to really fight to get back my points for my reservation because I could literally not sleep here made for a very stressful time. It was not a great experience or worth all the stress and back and...