Holiday Inn Express Harrisburg NE

I typically stay in 2-4 hotels per month and my average review is 4/5. To start with, upon entering the hotel I greeted the man behind the desk and handed him my card. He accepted my card without a word and didn't say anything until he gave me a room key and told me where the elevator is. Okay, quiet guy, wouldn't have thought much of it if the rest of the stay was fine, but not terribly friendly. The room was generally what I expect from a Holiday Inn express - the sink (outside the bathroom) was nice, bed comfortable (though the duvet cover was inside out with the strings dangling around), the best bench meant to put suitcases on ever. The remaining bathroom (toilet and shower/tub combo) was in a separate little room with a door and clearly had not been updated with the rest of the room. Paint was worn off in places/peeling, there were stains on the ceiling and rust from the grab bar, there was mold or mold stains from prior mold around the edge of the tub, there were hairs stuck on the wall by the door, and the toilet had a leak (could always be heard dripping and periodically refilling the tank). However it looked, everything was functional. The real treat came the following morning. Breakfast was fine. At around 9 I went back up to the room and housekeeping could be heard quietly yelling/loudly speaking in the hall and there was a lot of banging which continued until 12 when I left the room/checked out. I later learned that the banging was from housekeeping closing the metal swing security latch thingy (above the doorknob) while the door was open so that they didn't have to use the key to open the door each time they entered a room. So every time they entered or exited a room the door swung shut and banged on the metal latch. The first time housekeeping knocked on my door was around 930. Checkout is typically at 11, for reference, but I had requested late checkout at 12. 1) A male knocked on the door while I was in the bathroom. I yelled that I was inside, but maybe he didn't hear me through the bathroom door. I heard him enter the room, walk around for 10 seconds, then leave as he probably realized the room was still occupied. 2) The second knock came at around 950, from the same male. I yelled through the door that I would be in the room until 12 and he acknowledged this and left. I then placed the "do not disturb" placard on the doorknob and laid down for a post-breakfast nap. 3) At around 1030 a woman entered the room. No knock, no announcing herself as housekeeping, nothing! She came into the room slightly then quickly turned around and walked out before I could say anything (having just been sleeping). I got up and locked all the locks on the door. 4) The fourth housekeeping attempt came at around 1115. This time it was a woman, and I assume it was the same woman from the third attempt. I yelled that I would be in the room until 12 and she did not attempt to enter. I have never had someone enter my room without announcing thems

BEWARE this Hotel is a TRAP taking Advantage of seniors who are not computer/internet savvy who book reservation via direct telephone with hotel associate… Grievances include initial non- disclosure of non- refundable cancellation policy with reservation associate priority being upselling of membership/ rewards…Next level robbery is demanding immediate CC full payment of stay despite booking dates being 6-weeks out…Ridiculous daily rate $549 for 2-night stay despite being able to book same room/dates for $350 online ( you think this senior wasn’t taken advantage of ???)….No resolution/refund for 82 yo senior who booked reservation in error even though request to cancel was made ＜24 hrs after booking only becoming aware of cancellation/charge policies when emailed confirmation# later in the day and reviewed by family member……Forfeiture of total stay cost $549 if cancelled as per this hotel’s policy…No refund….Multiple calls to hotel with referral to guest service manager resulted in initial no call back within48 hrs requiring yet continued call to hotel management…Absolute refusal of refund with penalty forfeiture of TOTAL stay cost if reservation cancelled per their policy even when calls to IHG for escalated inquiry/complaint were made…Absolutely NO HOSPITALITY in this Hotel or Corporate IHG…Would DEFINITELY NOT RECOMMEND this Hotel or any IHG property Nationwide … if I could rate (-5) Star for Customer Service I would in a Heartbeat…. Senior Reservation Bookers Beware!!!!

There are three levels of HIEs in America- Good, OK, Bad. I classify this as "OK". It is an old property that was updated a number of years ago. Very small rooms, a bit worn out. Cleanliness is average to below average. Gym is just one treadmill in a room the size of a walk-in closet. There is a fantastic casual Indian restaurant located at the truck stop across the street. Truly delicious.

Good clean room. Kids enjoyed the pool. Nice looking view right off of I-81. Breakfast was also pretty good. The front desk staff were very helpful in fulfilling our request Nakia was such a help when we were leaving.

Renovated rooms were smartly decorated. Suites means lots of room. The problem is the lack of insulation between rooms. We were awakened by the neighbors alarm at 5 am and heard the two ladies chatting non stop for one hour. Check in was smooth and staff helpful.

Arrived at 1:50 PM on a Sunday to check in. Was informed I couldn't check in until 3:00. I mentioned that I was a Platinum member with early check in privilege. The woman working stated there were no rooms available for early check in. I mentioned to her that there were 2 cars in the parking lot and the lobby was empty and that she absolutely had rooms available in her 4 or 5 floor hotel. There was no one there. She then changed her tune and said it was company policy to make me wait for a room. So she lied straight to my face. All the while, she did this with a smug look on her face. 30 years as an IHG member and I've never been turned down for an early check in unless they really didn't have a room and then I usually had to wait less than an hour to get the early check in. Once I got into the room, the tv didn't work and I had to go down and have my room changed. Additionally, I called the Front Office Manager, Petey Waple, 3x over the next couple days to discuss the incident and he never picked up or returned the phone call. Is this really how you choose to treat a long time IHG member who spends 5-6 visits per year at your particular hotel? I'll never stay here ever again. There are too many other choices to be treated this way.

The staff at this hotel tried very hard to keep people happy. The lobby was clean but the rooms were often in disrepair. The owners need to hire a handy man, or two, and let them spend about $25k to make some basic repairs that are needed in each room. I am sure the room cleaning staff is rushed to keep up and they miss stuff. My family was in 3 different rooms. None had soap, and the desk reported they are out, but there is a Walmart selling soap within 20 minutes. Come ON. Toast at breakfast had 4 slots but only 2 worked during our 3 night stay. Once again. Walmart sells toasters. Breakfast variety was OK, but only had yogurt one of three days. Waffle machine out of order every day. Hot tub out of order every day. Elevator jumps like crazy upon starts and stops, but it worked. The staff was pleasant and agreed to explain our concerns to there manager. They need a handy man, and some funds to fix stuff. Location was good relative to Hersheypark. I would continue to search for a place with nicer reviews.