Holiday Inn Express & Suites W. Monroe by IHG

Best ever - when adversity strikes, some step up! The hotel deserves more than five stars. We knew an ice storm was coming during our trip to Arizona, so we changed our reservation to get a few hours farther down the road planning to only have a 5 hour drive the next day and, even if slow, we could get to our next hotel. Got to West Monroe late and exhausted, that was when we first hit gold. Jala checked us in; I told her I was handicapped plus still recovering from a knee replacement and would appreciate a floor as low as possible. She went out of her way to get me a first floor room not very far down the hallway. Her personality and service were wonderful. The ice storm hit much worse than we expected. It did not look so bad the next morning, but when I stepped out to check, it only took one touch to realize it was black ice. We debated, had no reservations for that night, went in to talk to manager. She told me not to worry; they would take care of us. By the time we got back to our room, the parking lot was white, mainly ice not snow. We sat in the breakfast room for a while and I was impressed with how the manager worked for her guests and staff. I expressed concern to one lady I knew was ending her shift, and she said she would be OK; the staff had rooms because it was so dangerous to try to go home. One lady was especially nice, when I complimented her to the manager, and mentioned how helpful Jala had been, she said the lady was Jala’s mother..not surprised. The service, care, information (they told us alternate routes for when we did leave the next day) continued. It’s not just that the rooms were clean, the food was good, service was prompt; I expect that, but everything they did in addition! This hotel needs to recognized, both the staff and the manager; we were so impressed. I wish I could do more than write a review.