Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Smithfield - Selma I -95 by IHG

“A” for effort… But it appears that something has gone horribly wrong… On the surface, this HIE looks much like all the rest. A known product… BUT… They are in “mid-renovation “, and something appears to have gone horribly wrong. +++ The 4th floor is where I stayed, and is supposedly finished, but if it is the management needs to have a conversation with the contractor. Jacked-up paint, broken walls (missing chunks of drywall), a broken shower / SUPER low water pressure, missing furniture and a bad TV… Nothing that was a “show-stopper” for a few nights, but not what I was expecting. The management needs to step up their game and hold the contractors responsible for the product; their bad work is giving this location a terrible image.

Decent Enough For An Overnight Stay Property was OK. This was an unplanned highway stop driving south. It appears it hasn't been updated with the latest HI Express decor but it was still clean and decent enough for a quick stay. I could recommend.

Back Again So this is my third stay in Holiday Inn Express in less than a month. Holiday Inn will be my go to hotel from now on. First the rooms are really nice. This hotel had auto blinds. Something I saw in Europe. Then the breakfast’s are the best. No surprises. Each one had the same setup so you knew what to expect. That’s what you want in a hotel that you frequently use.

Worst Holiday Inn Express Stay EVER! Go somewhere else, especially Military/Veterans! How this place receives such high stars is beyond me as it must be from all the contractors, they give special priority/privilege too over their members. There was even a comment from a female guest that stayed here somewhat recently that stated there were many contractor trucks here and she felt unsafe. It is a facade with this place, let me explain, when we arrived about an hour early and asked to see if our room was ready and it was not per the female front desk employee, she said, it would be ready in about 30 to 45 minutes, so we left and came back in about that time. She seemed to have an attitude right from the beginning from our first interaction like she hated to work here as I saw it from her demeanor, well, low and behold my first instincts were correct because when I came back to see if our room was ready she said, yes and she then abruptly raised her unprofessional voice to say, are you here on business and I said, no, she said, well, you are not getting that rate. I said, what rate and she just said, again as she doubled downed with her loud voice, you are not getting that rate, basically, trying to embarrass me and I said, are you talking about the military rate, she said, yes. I don't make the rates; they are established on the IHG reservation website, and I am guessing in coordination with the facility General Manager and this rate states to only show a Government ID and I have one to show. If it is for business only (you must be on TDY orders for it to be business for the Military or being a government employee, I know this as I was one for a very long time on both sides, so I know) for this rate, then state this on the IHG reservation website so there is no confusion. This facility needs to get this fixed with IHG if it wants the confusion to stop. I have nothing to do with this rate but, this facility should award it and then get it corrected the next time. You should not punish, berate, or demean the guest because IHG/HIE website rate mistakes information. This is a bait and switch situation to me. I said to the front desk employee, you are the very first HIE that I have stayed at, and I have stayed at many, especially this week where nobody ever questioned the rate. She started to get loud for the third time and rudely once again screamed at me stating, do you want to talk to my manager and I said, yes, I do want to talk to your manager, well, the so called manager, who had her door wide open and could hear her loud obnoxious rude unprofessional voice from her office came out and started to protect and defend her rude unprofessional employee right off the bat on what she had heard and said to me, I said, you heard her unprofessional voice, right and she never acknowledge she did. That is when I said, is the way you treat your customers/guests when they first arrive? I was upset at the way this employee was talking to me as a guest and so I raised my voice back in return as probably due to my exhaustion from a long drive, being tired and needing our room. The employee refused to check me in and told the manager what to do and that she would have to check me in because she refused to do her job because of our interaction, I am sure. Who is in charge at this place? The manager or the unprofessional employee? Well, after the manager, checks for my room, she says, we are on the 4th floor, I said, I requested a first floor room and IHG had sent you an email days ago about our request, she said, we do not have two queen beds on the first floor and I said, you are the only HIE that I know of that does not have two queens on the first floor. I then said, the reason we request a first-floor room is because my wife is disabled. Well, the manager did not even offer us a disability room to accommodate us even after I explained her health condition that I mentioned. So, this place does not have a disability two queen beds on the first floor or anywhere in the facility? I knew she was trying to give us a 4th floor room because of our interaction, I am sure. This is how they can get back at paying guests/customers who complain, I am sure. This is the very sad part about this business where they think they are KING over the guest/customer as they know we are only here for a day or two, etc... I stated to the manager is this how this place treats Military Veterans, I just would like to know, and crickets. If you are an Active-Duty MILITARY MEMBER OR VETERAN avoid this place at all costs as you will get no respect for your service to our country. They do not care about you like the facade they put on with their little military rate discount. It is only a couple of dollars less than the normal rate for anyone to stay. It is like a TWO PERCENT discount. Oh Joy! If this General Manager and Managers are worried about a few dollars for a military veteran, then how greedy are they? Sad and Pathetic! I started to reflect from Sep 2022 when we tried to stay here and now, I remember that we got the same type of horrible service back then, except that visit we packed up and left and went to the hotel across the street. I was going to give a bad review back then but just let it go but, not this time as it being the second visit experience that I had received. This place like back in Sep 2022, once again, did not even contact me by phone call, email, nothing to say they did not have two queen beds available on the first floor because I had forgotten about our experience from Sep 2022 nor did the Manager, even try to accommodate us with a second-floor room as I had to basically, literally, beg for a second-floor room. They don't try to go above and beyond here to satisfy their customers as they only do their bare minimum. Why would anyone want to stay here or again? The manager, gave us a second floor room but, then this is when more of the horrible service continues, Room 214 must be the worst room available on this floor as the housekeeper was right in front of the room as we came off the elevator and this room is right at the elevators and as she saw us going into the room, we could tell by the look on her face that this is the worst room on this floor, well, we discovered that it is probably the case for Room 214, avoid this room at all costs and just leave this place if they give you this room. For starters, the bed pillows on the bed are horrible, the refrigerator is leaking and the furniture is damaged and old, they did not have a desk like every HIE we've been too this week, they had a small child like round table as your desk as you have try and cram everything on this table from Keurig, with coffee and ice bucket is on it and if you have a laptop it barely fits, and the chair was not even a roller one, it was a dining room table one. When you flipped on the bathroom light, the main light buzzed with a very loud annoying noise and the showerhead was disgusting with mold and mildew like it had been used for years and years. The bathroom lighting is terrible. The toilet will not flush properly as it seems it is getting clogged. The carpet has stains on it and the towels and washing cloths looked like they had been used for years and years too. The heater gives off this loud humming noise when it comes on. I read this place had bed bugs over the years from other reviews online, so we looked for bed bugs. This looks like the housekeepers hang out room. I wonder how we know such a thing. Their breakfast was mediocre and some of the hot food was cold, turkey sausage and gravy, the biscuit was doughy and not cooked all the way through. BTW, HIE/IHG hides their bad reviews so you cannot see them, look at their sort function, I wonder why this is? There is a reason, HELLO! I have seen online complaints where they ask to speak to a General Manager, he does not call and gives canned statements on the complaint online. Not surprising. Holiday Inn Express at this place does not meet their slogan of keeping it simple and smart. Well, a smart attitude, yes. We will never stay at this place EVER again! You have been warned.

Not Good Experience The most disappointing Holiday Inn stay ever! Do Not Stay here if traveling on 95! Bathrooms are awful, no hair dryers, toilet are literally 8-9" off the ground. Air conditioners run all night and guest engagement might as marginal. Wrote to H Inn explaining my disappointment and heard back immediately from Kelly Hope, Assistant Manager thanking me for alerting them and they were sorry for my inconvenience? She closes by stating my feedback is valuable and they will use it to improve the guest experience; unless they replace all toilets, add hair dryers, add some towels and hire people who are sharp, outgoing, proactive with the guests, this particular hotel is likely to disappoint many future guests.