Holiday Inn Express Winchester South Stephens City

Holiday Inn express is our preferred brand of “box hotel” the road. In general, they are a good value and most are well managed. On a recent trip from Michigan to Virginia in mid-July, we spent the night at the Holiday Inn Express in Winchester Stephens City just outside the DC Beltway. It was very disappointing. The first impression was mixed. The reception person was quite friendly and efficient in checking us in. But reception area was extremely hot on this hot and humid evening because the air conditioner had failed. Fortunately, the room had its own system We were assigned an “upgraded” room for disabled guests on the first floor. This is not a problem in itself, but this room was in horrible condition. The lighting in the room was so dim we had to bring out our phone flashlights to unpack our suitcases. The window shade was broken. When we attempted to close the shade in this ground floor room, the entire shade came off its roller. The television didn’t work and the bed had a big dent in the middle of the mattress. At about 2:30AM, somebody attempted to get into our room. Fortunately the chain was latched and they pulled the door shut again. But it disrupted our night. A call to reception went unanswered. The next morning we were presented with a hot breakfast that seemed like it had been recycled for several days. The scrambled eggs were dry and had burned bits in them. The precooked omelettes were so dry that they had a texture of leather. The bacon was out, the biscuit gravy was out and the coffee was so bitter so as to be undrinkable. Box hotel breakfasts can range in quality. We have been to many Holiday Inn Express hotels and other box hotels where the breakfasts are top notch. This is one reason we choose HIE. But this breakfast here was inedible. There are plenty of hotels in this area just outside the beltway. Avoid this one. S&P Hotels (Hermal Shah) who owns this hotel and several others in the area should be ashamed of themselves.

Need coffee Everything was ok but the coffee was the absolute worst!!! Same thing the last time I stayed there. Mixed coffee 1/2-1/2 water to be able to drink. Good taste but way too strong. And I like dark roast coffee. Also please bring back the waffle machine.

Room not ready at advertised check in time. First room assigned had not been cleaned, bed had not been made, and last resident's with wet towels on the floor. Once I got a proper room it was 52° inside. Otherwise, everything was just hunky dory.

The location is great, located between Winchester and Front Royal. The people that work there are the best! They helped me with carrying things and a few times with bringing my breakfast to the table since I am on crutches. I would like to especially thank Ericka, Elaina, Yolonnie, Janet, Rosie and Diego. Things that need to be fixed: the window shades in some rooms do not work, some of the phones you can't get a dial tone or the call the front desk, lights in the bathroom ceilings in some rooms do not work, some shower handles are very loose, some charging ports in the rooms don't work.

This hotel is right off the highway and a decent place for an overnight hotel. The hotel is on the older side but the rooms are updated and clean. Unfortunately the walls are VERY thin, as in you’ll hear every conversation your neighbors have. The beds and pillows are very comfortable. Overall, not a bad stay, just hope your neighbors go to bed at a decent time like mine did and remember to be considerate of your neighbors because if you can hear them, they can hear you.