Radisson Hotel St. Louis Downtown—Convention Center — Hotel in St. Louis

I'm going to make this a very brief review as there is too much to go into. Starting off: it is not the hotel's fault that there is construction downtown nor that there is construction going on in their main parking lot. With that being said, there was zero directional signs on how to get to the front of the building to do check-in. I drove around a five block radius for almost 15 minutes Just trying to figure out how to even get to the front of the hotel to do check in. Once I did check in I immediately asked where parking was because there is not an attached parking lot nor is there an attached parking garage. I was given some very basic and brief directional instructions on how to get to a random parking lot and was told that there was a kiosk there and I should put that I was a hotel guest. After leaving there I drove around for another 10 minutes unable to find this parking lot and had to call the hotel again and ask directions after I was flustered and unable to find this. I was directed to a parking lot that is over a block away from the hotel that has ruts the size of craters on the moon and a single working street light. I was going to be at an event that night and walking by myself from that parking lot to the front of the hotel at 2AM. It is a huge safety concern. There was multiple unhoused people around the parking lot, which normally does not bother me I am from Kansas City and work with the unhoused population out here, but when I can see the state of the parking lot and how far it is from the front of the building I did not feel safe. I called my boyfriend bawling my eyes out that I did not feel safe and I was just going to eat the cost of the hotel and find a different hotel. At that point in time I was late for my event and was unable to find another hotel in time. I left my event early so I could be back at the parking lot at an acceptable time so I felt a little more safe walking from the parking lot around the backside of the building to the front doors. Once I arrived at the parking lot I went to the kiosk and did not see an option to say that I was a hotel guest. At this point in time I have all of my luggage with me because I had not even gone to my room yet and I'm standing in the middle of a dimly lit parking lot at 1:00 in the morning trying to figure out a QR code app. After throwing my things back in my car sitting in my car and locking my doors I called the front desk and was told that I was misinformed that I do have to pay for parking to park in that lot. Paid for parking while I stayed on the phone with my boyfriend and walked to the front of the building to make sure I made it in okay. After making it up to my room I went to the restroom and noticed the backing from the mirror had been peeled away and peeled off. There was dust bunnies and a dead bug underneath the sink. The microwave started making a weird humming noise so I went to slide it on the counter over and there was crumbs all underneath the microwave. I opened the mini fridge to put my beverages that I had brought with me in there and the mini fridge was not only not working (picture attached), there was leftover ranch cups from the previous person or possibly the person before them left in the refrigerator that was essentially a little oven cooking these old cups of condiments. I went to try and close the curtains and the curtains did not close all of the way. Keep in mind my room overlooked the pool and there were hundreds of other rooms that could see directly into mine. I was able to rig the heavy curtain to shut all the way so I felt comfortable enough to change and sleep in my room without someone being able to see inside. (Pic after I fixed the curtains) I left as soon as I woke up in the morning. Left my review on their website and tried to call them this morning and have been unable to get a hold of anyone. I have told all of my friends and everyone that will listen that I will never be staying there again. I stayed at a 2 star hotel north of here earlier this year and will give them my business...

Where do I even begin?The Holiday Inn downtown is expertly hidden behind the convention center, because nothing screams "great location" like a hotel you need Google Earth to find. If you're attending the convention center, congratulations—you've chosen the ideal spot for a life of monotony. If you're trying to enjoy anything else in the city, well… best of luck. The rooms are what I imagine 2006 thought the future would look like. The TV is about the size of an iPad (think The Office when Michael got a flat screen), featuring a thrilling lineup of channels no one watches and absolutely no streaming options. The bathroom? Oh, it's cozy. I'm 6''4", and I had to channel my inner Cirque du Soleil performer just to take a shower in what I assume was designed for hobbits. The shampoo and conditioner come in sample size 3oz bottles—because nothing says "hospitality" like rationed hygiene. Meanwhile, other hotel chains have moved on to full-sized, refillable bottles like it’s the modern day or something. The building is a dumb and confusing square with only one stairway that they’ve gone to great lengths to hide. The signage is so bad, I wouldn’t be surprised if the designer also moonlights as a treasure map artist. Oh, and the elevators. There are three, but only one was working. Even the front doors were struggling—half of them were out of order, because apparently, this place operates under a strict “two out of three things must be broken at all times” policy. Amenities? Negative. Seriously, if it were possible for a hotel to have less than zero, this place cracked the code. The pool is on the second floor in what I can only describe as a design crime. Just get rid of it and put in something useful—like a café, or literally anything else. The gym is has the same equipment your Mom has in her house. I'm pretty sure there was a "Sweating to the Oldies VHS" in there. Two treadmills don’t work, the bike is just for decoration, and the dumbbells are an eclectic mix of randomness. Honestly, just navigating this hotel is a workout in itself. The restaurant exists in theory, but don't count on getting coffee there. I tried to have breakfast and was met with a cheerful "Oh, we’re out of coffee!" I don't think they know what a restaurant does. And now, for the grand finale: parking. This was, without a doubt, the highlight of my stay. Imagine an empty lot littered with needles (yes, actual needles!), broken bottles, and the lingering scent of sewage and regret. For the privilege of risking your car’s safety, you’ll pay $42 per day. "Chef's kiss". This hotel is the epitome of cutting corners while charging premium prices. After they nickel-and-dime you for every little thing, you’ll end up paying more than the actual nice Marriott just down the street. Solutions (since they clearly need help) Free breakfast or parking. Pick one. Or both. Just something. Renovate.The entire thing. Top to bottom. Clean the place. Inside, outside—just, anywhere. Upgrade the tech. At least to 2015 standards. Fix the keycards.Ours barely worked, and the "maintenance guy"* (who looked like a retired extra from a Nelly music video) confidently blamed our cell phones for deactivating them. Groundbreaking detective work. Fun fact: We also learned (by accident, because no one told us) that you have to physically request a room cleaning—by filling out paperwork. It’s as if they sat down and thought, “How can we make this as inconvenient as possible?” In our four-day stay, I saw a grand total of two employees: the friendly front desk ladies and Nelly Music Video Guy. No one cleaning, no one restocking, no one fixing anything. The Marriott, just two blocks away, had employees everywhere—holding doors, helping guests, cleaning like it’s a hospitality business or something. Avoid. Avoid. Avoid. Unless, of course, you love paying extra for an experience that makes a bus station look like the...

Our stay at the Holiday Inn Downtown St Louis was a fairly poor one. If you are reading this for the summary of yay or nay, then I will say stay somewhere else. The location in relation to the convention center is not worth the stay.

The hotel does not make any effort to control their own policies. Every floor smells of marijuana though there are signs everywhere saying no smoking. The hotel says quiet hours begin at 10pm. That doesn't matter either as guests are partying in the lobby and pool area all night, until at least 1am. How do I know? Half the rooms in the hotel face the pool and lobby on the inside. You can see them on the second floor sitting at tables by the pool and on the couches drinking and being rowdy. I went down to the lobby to get Doordash after 10 and it was like a bar scene.

Let's continue. They do have a restaurant on-site. It also has a bar. The service I received was fairly decent, but the employees were rude to other patrons I noticed, though some of the patrons were rude to them. There was a comic convention and a volleyball tournament going on.

There is a small gym. Half of the equipment didn't work. There are three treadmills, two bikes, and a stepper. The stepper works but sounds like it is going to explode. I stopped using it because I kept getting glares from other gym goers who were annoyed with how loud it was.

As far as the room, it is a bit dated. Our television had light burn in throughout the screen. For some reason the preview guide channels don't match the actual channels on the television. The room appeared clean, except the vents, fans, and the bolts holding the toilet down on the wax ring. The bed and linens were alright.

My thermostat was falling off the wall. They lock it to a set temperature. It was freezing. There was no way to change the temperature. If I wasn't under the comforter, I had to wear a winter jacket. It never stopped blowing cold air.

The shower was finicky. One millimeter decides whether you're about to get scalded or become hypothermic. By the end of the stay I had it figured out fairly well. The tub part was peeling a bit which was only a cosmetic issue.

Apparently everyone and their mother at the hotel had key issues. Multiple people had to reprogram their keys, including me. Some of the doors had a dead batteries I heard and maintenance had to replace them by taking a screwdriver, disassembling the key module, and putting in new batteries. If only I were so lucky. My door stopped functioning. Maintenance had to get a special tool for opening the door but couldn't get it open. She tried a few times, made a few calls, and ultimately had to get a tool to reprogram the door. This took over an hour but still she couldn't get us in.

When she went to make a phone call to another maintenance worker, I was watching a YouTube video on how to open a hotel door with a "slim jim" tool. I slid my phone under the door with the front facing camera facing up so I could see the door handle. I maneuvered the tool into place, lassoed the handle, and was able to open the door myself. I'm a fairly handy guy and I really wanted to eat and go to bed so I took it upon myself when the opening presented itself. No shade to the maintenance worker as she seemed overworked. She was very apologetic. However with the door still broken, I just couldn't leave the room until the morning lest I be locked out again. We told the front desk the next morning and we were dismissed. She didn't care.

It's been a while since I have stayed at a Holiday Inn and probably will be a long time before I do again as my experience at a South Carolina location was even worse than this one.

2/5 stars Pros: A clean bed Cons: Too many...