TL:DR for the price that you pay to stay in a place with the Holiday Inn name, there are better options in Redding. Hotel isn't super clean and is understaffed. Breakfast is hectic- no pancakes, hot foods always run out quick, and it's clear they are understaffed (staff there is doing the best they can). Front desk does provide exceptional service but not enough to make up for other deficits.
I've stayed at a number of Holiday Inns and IHG establishments including REGENT, Candlewood Suites, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, and Holiday Inn Express.
This review is being written at a time where a number of factors may be affecting quality including a busy holiday weekend (Thanksgiving), understaffing issues, the pandemic, and new changes to their protocol.
The pros:
I. The front desk deserves all the glory and if I could give them a rating no question 5/5 for service, problem solving, and multitasking. Krystal (I believe was her name) was exceptional at answering our questions, giving us clean towels, missing toiletries, refills for coffee/teas/coffee cups, problem solving, and juggling the issues experienced by other guests. She deserves a raise for her calm and professional demeanor.
II. The hotel is pet friendly (for an additional fee)
III. The fitness center and pool are quite nice
Cons:
I. Hectic hot breakfast. We were told that they just started serving hot breakfast which may be why there were so many issues. I stayed here for 3 nights and so far each breakfast morning has been crazy. It's not so much the crowd or lines (it's expected during the holiday weekend) but there is a severe lack of options and quantity of items for the guests.
While breakfast is served from 6AM-9AM timing doesn't seem to matter too much as there was always a short supply of everything. The pancake machine was broken, the milk dispenser was broken, there was no juice, according to the staff the eggs were frozen for days (thus not served), they did not replenish the limited fresh fruit options (if you weren't there by 7-8 am you weren't getting any fresh fruit), there was no yogurt easily accessible, limited supplies of cereal, and the sausage that was cooked disappeared faster than a Black Friday doorbuster deal.
Staff tried their best to accommodate the guests but it's clear they are being overwhelmed. We were eventually directed to a different room by the front desk where we were able to take some items like juice and yogurt. Thank you front desk! There should be signs or something posted so guest are aware. I checked on breakfast at 7 am and 8 am during my stay to see if things were being replenished but they simply couldn't keep up with the demand or number of guests. Not hot breakfast during my entire stay.
II. Lack of housekeeping and cleanliness is less than desirable. Again it could have been due to the sheer volume of guests (thanksgiving weekend) but during our 3 night stay our rooms were never cleaned. We had to pick up new towels every night from the front desk (Krystal you are awesome), trash was never picked up, bed sheets were never changed, and while we had a keurig we never got new k-cups. (Again super grateful to have the front desk help us out with our toiletries and missing items).
Note a number of the towels we were given were not used due to black/dark colored stains, the bed sheets and liners also had similar stains, and the shower itself had a lot of soap scum buildup (orange/pink).
There was also a good number of dust found on the lighting fixtures on the headboard of the bed. A piece of dust actually fell onto my pillow... Again I don't think it's current staffing that's the primary issue, I think they're doing the best they can with the number of guests staying here.
III. There was no mini fridge in our room and getting water/refilling water is a bit of a challenge. There are water fountains outside by the lobby but the fountain head ls themselves have green build up. We purchased water from a nearby store and brought it with us for the remainder of our trip.
Overall, my biggest reason for the lower rated review is my personal desire to feel like the place I'm staying at is clean. While this certainly isn't the worst place regarding cleanliness, it clearly doesn't live up to my previous experiences in IHG hotels and resorts. The amazing staff at the front desk doesn't make up for these issues. I do not plan on staying here again in the future until some of these issues get resolved.
Last shout out to the amazing front desk staff for making my stay the best that they could! They seriously went above and beyond. read more