I stay at IHG locations when I travel because of their quality and service. The Keene location fell far short of my expectations. I booked a 7 day stay because of business in the area. Upon arrival, there were signs posted everywhere that stated masks were required. I was also required to sign a form acknowledging I was aware Keene city ordinance required employees and guests to wear a mask or risk a fine. Ironically, the desk clerk, the man mopping the lobby, and a woman sitting in the lobby were not wearing masks. However, this was not my main concern. I arrived late so I went to bed immediately as I had a business meeting the next morning. Upon getting up, I found the carpet was soaked from the AC unit to the bed. This explained the musty smell when I arrived in the room. I went to turn on the shower and....no water. The shower knob had been stripped and would not turn on the water. This has me questioning how thoroughly the room was cleaned prior to my arrival. Needless to say, I had to attend a business meeting UNSHOWERED as I didn't have time to wait for a repair. I did however have time to go to the desk to inform them of the room condition and that I was cancelling the remaining 6 days of my stay. The only response I got was, "OK. Sorry...I stay at IHG locations when I travel because of their quality and service. The Keene location fell far short of my expectations. I booked a 7 day stay because of business in the area. Upon arrival, there were signs posted everywhere that stated masks were required. I was also required to sign a form acknowledging I was aware Keene city ordinance required employees and guests to wear a mask or risk a fine. Ironically, the desk clerk, the man mopping the lobby, and a woman sitting in the lobby were not wearing masks. However, this was not my main concern. I arrived late so I went to bed immediately as I had a business meeting the next morning. Upon getting up, I found the carpet was soaked from the AC unit to the bed. This explained the musty smell when I arrived in the room. I went to turn on the shower and....no water. The shower knob had been stripped and would not turn on the water. This has me questioning how thoroughly the room was cleaned prior to my arrival. Needless to say, I had to attend a business meeting UNSHOWERED as I didn't have time to wait for a repair. I did however have time to go to the desk to inform them of the room condition and that I was cancelling the remaining 6 days of my stay. The only response I got was, "OK. Sorry about that." The desk clerk's attitude was not rude but was basically, oh well. To her credit, she did waive the pet fee that was charged for our dog. Literally minutes after I had returned to the room, a man barged into the room without knocking or announcing himself, then slams the door shut yelling, "Sorry! Maintenance! Sorry!" My wife was getting dressed at the time and of course was justifiably freaked out by this. When I opened the door, the man was visibly angry but very apologetic, stating he was told we had checked out. Regardless, the protocol should always be to knock first and announce himself just on the off chance the room was still occupied.
IHG ensures guests that they follow CDC guidelines for cleaning and that providing a safe and clean environment for guests is important to them. However, this location fell far short of that promise.
To be fair, I sent an email to the General Manager and Corporate IHG and received this response fairly quickly.
“There is no explanation I can offer for an experience that is that flat out poor. No words can express how sorry I am. I will certainly chat with staff because I find no record of this in the COMM Log or Maintenance Log - and it should be there. I do apologize for our complete meltdown - you deserved better. I will find your reservation information and refund your payment. I am hopeful that is seen as a proper gesture to make amends.”
Sincerely and with best regards,
Peter Smith
General Manager
Holiday Inn Express
No refund has been received at the time of this post. More
Show less
