Holiday Inn Express Temecula by IHG — Hotel in Temecula

I flew to Los Angeles (from Honolulu) to attend the SoHyang / Jung Dong Ha concert at the Pechanga Resort in Temecula. It was a last minute decision based on my ability to purchase a ticket near the front of the stage (row EE). I could fly into Los Angeles or San Diego but flying into LAX would allow me to get to Temecula during the day. Anyway, I picked up my rental car and drove the 95-odd miles from LAX to the Holiday Inn Express (HIE) on Jefferson Avenue. Why the HIE? Because there were no rooms available at the Pechanga Resort.

I arrived at HIE just before 10am because I wanted to drop off my bag. I’d seen videos and heard warnings about not leaving one’s luggage in the car. I had 5 hours to kill before I could check in at 3pm. Problem #1: They wouldn’t hold my bag. The excuse was no storage area. This is the first time this has happened; ALL hotels hold bags. So, I placed my bag behind the front seat and lowered the rear seat back to “hide” my bag. It was a SUV so leaving it in the space behind the rear seat left it in view.

I returned at 3pm to find out that my room wasn’t ready; they had sold out the day before and the staff were still cleaning rooms. I had what was labeled an executive room on the 3rd floor. So, I waited (along with a few other people) and finally got the card keys to my room. I went up and entered, turned on the AC and was greeted by a stale smell. Great; this is starting out to be “wonderful”.

I went to the ice machine on the 3rd floor and was greeted by a sign that said “Broken” (problem #2). I went down to the 2nd floor and couldn’t find an ice machine so I had to go to the ground floor to get ice. Back upstairs, I tried turning on the TV but the DirectTV remote didn’t do anything to the LG TV (problem #3). I fiddled around for a while and called the Front Desk. Five minutes later, someone came up and was unable to make it work. She said she’d send someone that knew more. I fiddle some more and got the TV powered using the button on the TV. The DirectTV remote would change channels but none of the other buttons worked. I had to use buttons on the TV to control the volume. The “expert” came up, looked at the remote and the TV and stated that the DirectTV remote doesn’t work with the LG TV and that the workaround I came up with was as good as it would get.

I showered, laid on the bed and got ready to go to dinner. What? I have what looks like a flea bite. Great. (It was the only one, thank goodness.) The bathroom was okay … the overflow drain cover on the tub was installed upside down; I started to put in it the correct orientation but found that I would uncover a nasty stain so I left it “as is”. At least there was hot water and sufficient water pressure. The toilet flushed like a marine head. Those that have been on a cruise will know what I mean. Hey, it worked … that’s all that mattered.

My room faced I-15 (100ft away) so I had to put up with freeway noise at night. Luckily, my activities made me tired enough not to care.

On Saturday, I encountered a throng of people in the tiny lobby … I think they were waiting to check in. So, my experience the day prior seems to be the norm.

I didn’t try the free breakfast until Sunday, check-out day. It was decent … there was a choice of sausage, biscuits and gravy, cheese omelets, breads and pastries. All I really wanted was coffee and it was decent coffee.

Final thoughts … I think I could put up with the issues encountered had I not paid almost $500 for 2 nights. For $244/night, I expect more; a lot more. For $100/night, I’d give it 3 stars. For $288/night, they’re lucky...

I believe, with all of my heart, that the leadership of this property genuinely cares for the guest outcome, before they even arrive. Yadira checked me in again, introducing me to a new Front Desk clerk (I forget her name-Melinda maybe?) with a very positive and sincere spirit of hospitality.

For the past several weeks there have been issues using the dryer, and I reply on my stay each Thursday to be able to wash and dry my clothes without any hassle. Kathy, the General Manager informed 'Melinda' to give the evening houseman, Dennys the directive to help me wash and dry my clothes. He was so diligent and helpful, I had to give him a healthy gratuity.

The best part of my stay is the Jacuzzi. With Dennys help, I ended up being able to relax just a little bit longer than usual, and those extra minutes in the Jacuzzi really made my stay more enjoyable. Thank you Dennys for our hard work, and for going above and beyond you normal job responsibilities to assist me. And the best reward was watching Jose the daytime houseman/Engineer fiddling with the washing and drying machines, which means that the hotel knew there was a problem, and Jose was right on the repairs the next day.

I can't say enough positive things about this property. It is located next to several fast food restaurants, and the Promenade Mall is just on the other side of the freeway. The internet speed is tremendously fast, and breakfast in the morning, I prefer scrambled eggs and bacon, but when they offer the cheese omelet and the pork or turkey sausage, I just get a couple extra Cinnamon buns.

Thank you again Dennys for going above and beyond, and thank you to the entire housekeeping staff for their hard work. I have yet to experience any defects in the room I am assigned, each time I visit it is really like I am the first one to stay in that room. There is 'mostly' no evidence of any previous guests, and very little wear and tear. The rooms, linens and fixtures are all in excellent condition.

Thank you all for a wonderful stay, and hope to see you again next Thursday.

I have one very disappointing dilemma to share. In all of the IHG web pages relating to the Holiday Inn Express properties, You display a signature foot warmer blanket at the end of the bed (see attached photo). An evening 'desk clerk' informed me that the IHG property inspector informed the property manager that these blankets are no longer required in the hotel rooms. I suggest that IHG update their web pages and remove the beds featuring their signature blankets. Otherwise, the IGH inspector that 'the desk clerk' spoke to, should be retrained or replaced. She was very rude about my request...

If I could give this hotel negative stars I would because this stay has given me a month of headaches even after I’ve checked out. They charged my card an unauthorized 1,100 and even now a month later still HAVE NOT returned my money. I would’ve happily given our stay a 4/5. The night staff (not the managers) were very friendly and accommodating. I appreciated that they gave guest their privacy. The room was decent, pretty big for my fiancé and my 2 year old son. Their breakfast was delicious! Upon checking out I got a phone call that my payment wasn’t processed, which came as a shock to me as we spent almost 2 weeks here with no issues of payment and I check my accounts regularly and they had charged my card every night we were there no problem. The night before I spoke to a gentleman at the front desk , that took my payment and said we were good to go, like they always did. Received a charge on my account and I went on with my day. Since we are IHG members we get a late check out around 1-2 pm so around 1:05 when I was trying to pack up my things and take care of my 2 year old I get a phone call to the room saying we didn’t pay for the last night. I quickly confirmed that there was a charge made to my card and that I could show them on my departure but I needed to get my son and family situated. (Real professional calling right when we are checking out). Anyways, after tending to my son and packing our car in 100 degree weather I quickly went up to the front and spoke to the gentleman that charged my card. Again he told me everything was good and that it was a mistake on their part. 2 days later my account was charged with an extra $1,100 charge after we already paid for our stay in full. Mind you this is my main card and put me in the negative as well as charged me with additional fees because of the overdraft. I have called multiple times and can never get ahold of a manager. My bank says it’s still with the merchant and it’s been in a pending status for almost a month. This has put such a stress on the last month of my life, we’ve spent over $1,000 at this hotel and now it has inconvenienced my everyday life over a month after leaving. I would really like to know who overseas this location as I will be contacting corporate. I don’t know why after the pandemic no one seems to know what customer service is anymore. We’ll let me tell you it’s not stealing $1,000 from a young family. So next time if you are thinking of booking your stay at this location I would rethink your stay. As your money/account information might be at risk and I wouldn’t want what happened to me to happen to...