5 Comments

1. Location was easy as we were here for a soccer tournament in Oceanside. Upon arrival and entering our room, it smelled like mold and everything felt moist in the room – bed linens, towels, and the air. We had to call the front desk because cleaning supplies were left on the floor of the room. Our sink was completely clogged and filled with dirty water and black particles. It was very hot in our room and we had to immediately turn on the A/C and had it running our entire stay. Room remained musty and muggy. Pool is only open until 9pm in the middle of the summer, on a weekend. Friends and I were enjoying each other’s company while sitting in the lobby and we were also told the lobby was closed and we had to go back to our rooms. I had to request towels everyday because our towels would not dry and would remain completely wet. It seemed as though it was a complete inconvenience for the woman at the front desk when I asked for 8 extra towels each day because none of our towels would dry. There is only one elevator for the whole hotel. On the third day of our stay I noticed a slow leak underneath the sink which probably is the result of the moldy smell. Overall, it was disgusting and a horrible experience. I would not recommend this hotel even if it is required for a stay and play – do yourself a favor and buy out of it. This place is gross and I will not be returning.

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2. During my recent one-night stay at this hotel, I encountered several alarming issues that significantly impacted my experience. Firstly, a substantial bed bug infestation in the room was highly distressing and made it impossible to have a restful night. We were moved to another room after talking to the front desk regarding the bed bug bites. However, when we checked the bed, we noticed several dirt spots. We requested another room, but the strong smell in the third room made it difficult for us to sleep, especially at 2:30 am. Additionally, there was a noticeable and unpleasant musty smell throughout the hotel, which was quite concerning from a health perspective. Furthermore, the state of the carpet was unsatisfactory, as it was visibly dirty and added to the overall discomfort.
   The situation was exacerbated by the indifferent and unhelpful attitude displayed by the front desk staff when I informed them about the bed bug infestation. Evidently, they were aware of the bed bug problems in the hotel, and there was no treatment or prevention for this issue except changing rooms. They did not take the matter seriously, which was very disappointing.
   Because of these issues, I strongly suggest everyone avoid staying at this hotel because of its severe health and safety hazards.
   This hotel does not meet the standards of the Holiday Inn Express and should not use this brand.

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3. AJ was superb!
   Wonderful breakfast
   Hot tub closes at 9PM, would be my only negative comment. I believe 10PM is reasonable
   IHG = you get a similar experience every place you stay.
   I’ll be back!

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4. My overall experience during my three night stay at this Holiday Inn Express was very good. I was warmly greeted upon check-in and offered the option of late check out. My king bedroom located on the top 3rd floor was spacious and quiet; however, there wasn’t much of a view other than a partial view of the Benihana restaurant to the north. The complementary breakfast was fairly standard. The first morning of my stay, the juice machine was out of order and there were no cinnamon rolls. One of the elevators made an annoying noise that should be addressed. In addition, wifi connectivity could have been better. Nevertheless, I appreciated the convenient location to the Coaster commuter train station, South Carlsbad and Ponto State Beaches, as well as to dining and shopping right across the street. Staff members were friendly and professional. Based on my recent stay, I would consider staying here again in the future.

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5. This hotel made the first day of our wedding weekend ROUGH and we have still not had action to make up for it. The experience:

   We booked a 30-room block plus additional friends booked under their own name since they realized the hotel charges more when booking through the link they gave us. The rooms were clean, things worked, and the front desk seemed cheerful. However, guests were told that check in was at 4 (after telling us 3pm a year ago), so our wedding party had to leave for our ceremony rehearsal while spouses stayed and waited for 4pm to arrive. As of 4:40 and later, many friends were still just in the lobby starting at the front desk waiting to be checked in (the front desk agents weren’t actively on their computer checking people in…?), and a few friends were allowed to be checked in but told their room wasn’t ready yet (???). Our bridesmaids who’d checked in the day prior were given room 123 which has a horrible wet, toxic mold smell. Our best man was still unable to check in by the time he had to leave for our Thursday rehearsal dinner. This was a not-busy Thursday and the hotel had had almost a year’s notice that we would be checking in.

   On Thursday we wrote to the manager who’d booked our block, and also to corporate. We received a response but no action from corporate. The following Monday, we received a response from “General Manager” (no name given) that basically blamed us for everything (additional things happened like our room keys all stopped working a day too early, so we were locked in the pool area- even room keys that had never touched a credit card- and they implied this was our fault?). They also implied it was our fault there were only 2 front desk agents, and that our guests should have been happy to wait 1-2+ hours for the agents to check in 10-15 rooms each.

   Your hotel made put our closest friends and family in a bad mood for the most important weekend of our lives, and the hotel has yet to apologize or do something to make it up to our guests.

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