Holiday Inn Express Towson Baltimore North — Hotel in Towson

We stayed for 4 days at this hotel in a King suite. There was no coffee table as pictured in the room advertisement. The iron was broken. We only had 3 towels even though there were 4 registered guests and there was no blanket or pillow case for the sofa bed. The blanket was resolved quickly but not the pillow case. We never received one.

There was not eating area in the room even though there was a kitchenette.

Cabinets were scratched, missing veneer and overall in need to repair.

The bathroom ceiling was flaking/peeling with dark spots all over the shower ceiling.

Beds were comfortable, but we were unable to sleep due to noise in the hallway and noise in the adjoining room.

I highly recommend NOT getting a room with an adjoining option unless you are actually using that other room. There is 0 sound proofing due to the door. We stayed in 501, which was at the end of the hall, which had benefits, but the adjoining room ruined it.

In that same light, there was a horrendous party going on next to us that went until 1am. There was screaming, noise makers, and music.

We went to the front desk at 10:15pm and were told they could be as loud as they wanted as it wasn't 11pm.

The next day we spoke to the front desk again and they stated that was incorrect and that 10pm should have been enforced.

We were told if they were loud again Saturday night we would get a credit as they could not move us.

Luckily they checked out.

Breakfast here is the worst I've been to at a holiday inn express. For reference, I only stay at holiday inn expresses. The bananas were rotting in their bowl with literal juice from the rot sitting in the bowl under the bananas.

Breakfast hours also end a bit early, even on weekends, they're over by 9:30am. When we overslept on Saturday due to the party next door Friday night, we had to go out for breakfast as it was already gone.

Overall the feel of the hotel is that it is a huge space with not enough furniture. The room was missing a coffee table (pictured in the listing for the room), there was no desk area, there was not eating area. But the rooms are HUGE. There's just a ton of empty, un-usable space. Our suite had a corner hallway near the bathroom, which easily could have accommodated a desk.

The air conditioner cannot keep up even at night on hot days. We had it on the coldest setting and our room was still hot. We got back to our room so late that it could not be fixed.

We were informed Sunday night that they gave us a discount for Friday night due to the noise, but this would have sat better with me if the noise issue had been dealt with timely and my family and I could have slept.

I have 2 young children and even with noise cancelling headphones, they could not sleep.

Other Holiday Inn expresses enforce quiet hours very strictly and this hotel needs to do so as well. it doesn't need to be children's bed-time early, but asking for people to not been screaming and partying non-stop at 10pm isn't outrageous.

When we asked the front desk about a replacement iron as the water plug was missing and it leaked as I tried to use it, we were told to ask a house keeper that was in our hall if they were there.

We did find one, but unfortunately she could not understand us, even with us holding the iron.

My stay could have been dramatically improved just with proper customer service and communication.

We were going to use this hotel as it is down the street from my family for all our future trips, but will not unless...

I want to start by apologizing to the hotel for taking this long to submit my review. I tend to respond within the week of checking out...

As anyone viewing my profile can see, I dedicate significant time to reviewing various destinations & locations around the world. I am constantly in search of quality hotels with swimming amenities. Due to various health conditions, being in the water is an essential, daily, necessity for me. Google Maps does a fairly decent job throwing potential spots my way. I came into this facility hoping for a positive experience. That being said, my expectations were not necessarily too high. It's hard to find nice hotels, with a pool, for a good price. Especially anywhere close to a major city. This spot sits right outside of Baltimore, Maryland. The lobby was the first thing I noticed. Not too fancy, yet clean and comfortable. With plenty of space for all guests. The workout room was especially well put together. Being that it was during the summer, I always attempt to find outdoor swimming where I can. An amenity that is usually only in the more expensive hotel chains/locations. I actually chose this hotel due to the outdoor pool. The only downside was that it was only open between the hours of 2 p.m. - 8 p.m.. The pool was well maintained, though, and I did take advantage of it. The rooms were decent, although I believe there should be ventilation fans in all bathrooms, unless you're staying at a really inexpensive location. Other than that, the beds were up to the standards expected from a spot like this, and room service was great. I want to submit a few names of the employees that assisted me during my stay, as they encourage this from their guests. I thought that was a great idea!

I do need to point out that there was no hot water my first night there, but I came to learn that they had recently upgraded their water system. I only found out about this one day when they apologetically had to turn off the water completely for a couple of hours. I will give them the benefit of the doubt that it was unexpected. Otherwise, I would have expected them to inform me of these issues prior to my stay.

Last, I'd like to mention that the staff were impeccable for a hotel of this caliber. It's not the "Ritz," and they don't claim it to be. Yet, I was definitely treated with the same interactive experience. From management, all the way to maintenance. In fact, the head of maintenance actually brought me extra towels when he heard I had requested some. It was not his job, but he jumped at the opportunity to help, as it would have taken them a bit longer, had I waited.

In conclusion, it's very close to 5 stars for the price. 5 stars based upon what I received for the money I paid. It is not the Ritz, but they don't claim it to be. It's very much what one would hope for, based upon the price, location, and time of year.

Thank you to... Mark Wright Alexander Peak Beau Rich Betsy The life Gaurd Crew, And the maintenance crew. I wish I could find the name of the gentleman who helped me with the towels, and I do hope you guys can figure out who I am referring to. He was probably the most helpful. I will call in to be sure that he gets the credit he deserves.

I'm looking forward to the next...

Our bi-annual family reunion was hosted at the Holiday Inn Express. I would definitely stay here again!

The hotel is a quick under 2 minute ride from the exit off the highway. The area seems safe if not a little industrial. Major stores like Walmart, BJs, and others all within 5-10 minute drive.

From the time we checked in it was an awesome experience. The spin the wheel at the front desk was also a nice feature and I'm excited for the extra points! The staff was very friendly and the Director of Sales and Marketing gave me a tour of the first floor. The water and coffee station in the lobby are also nice touches as well. There were 3 luggage carts that were in use quite a bit. At one point during our stay we had to unload items and we couldn't find one available. Yet a staff member offered to call/text us when one was available. These are great small touches that make a stay memorable. It's not required but it really shows the staff cares about the guests experience.

We really enjoyed the facilities especially the common areas which made it easy for us to socialize during planned and unplanned events. The breakfast area was huge and really impressive. The food was constantly being bought out fresh as it ran low and the staff kept the area clean. The lobby bathroom was well stocked and kept clean despite me seeing children from the pool coming and going. The floor was never a slip hazard. In the hall near the pool are some chairs which were nice to sit and chat and watch the kids in the pool from inside the air conditioned building.

This is probably the first hotel I have seen outside of New Jersey that has a lifeguard on duty, which is a great safety feature and you had pool noodles on hand. Family members talked about how friendly and nice the life guard was along with other staff.

Overall the hotel staff was so helpful and friendly from the front desk staff to Joe the maintenance person who set up the banquet room for us.

The banquet space was nice and big. I was really excited to see such a large banquet space that allowed outside food. It kept our reunion affordable for some who may not have otherwise been able to attend. The room could be divided up but we left it fully open. Outside of the exterior door area are dumpsters for us to empty our trash which was easy to access.

I would offer a few things as feedback or ideas. The rooms were nice for the price point of the hotel.

The beds are pretty high and can be a danger for small children, senior citizens and the disabled. Moving the coffee station and the refrigerator in the suites to the kitchenette area would give the suites a true closet area. Add more towel hooks in the bathrooms, larger towels and extra washcloths in the rooms. Most people like to wash their face with a separate cloth. The lobby and breakfast areas are pretty large and to really set the hotel apart from others in the price point adding some yard games (large connect four, giant jenga, chess/checkers, an air hockey or foosball table) to an area will make this family friendly hotel even friendlier at a low cost for the owners/management to purchase and maintain. Maybe add an amenities fee for use of these items...