Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Pittsburgh-South Side

Doesn't Recommend

erinasimmons

Joined 2 years ago

Worst Hotel Experience Ever. I stayed here recently for a work trip. After a comedy of errors in both booking the rooms and staying at the hotel, I sent the below (abridged) complaint to the Holiday Inn national management:

**********************

I have never experienced the sheer lack of service as I did recently at the Holiday Inn Express South Side Pittsburgh.

Reservations and Payment: I booked a group of 8 rooms for four days. I needed an invoice or confirmation with the entire cost of the rooms in order to have my organization write a check for the total cost. I was told that the manager of the hotel was the only person who could provide me with this documention. Over the three weeks preceding the stay, I left no less than 9 voicemails for the manager. Each voicemail provided my name, email address, cell phone number, confirmation code, and a clear explanation of what I needed and why. On one of my repeated calls, I did finally manage to get the assistant manager on the phone; he promised to send me the required information immediately. I finally received the invoice a week later after an additional two voicemails; unfortunately, it indicated that the entire cost for the block of 8 rooms for four nights was approximately $1,500. I immediately replied to the email asking for the correct amount (a total that exceeded 5,000). I never received a reply to this email.

I called the hotel five days before the group checked in so as to have each individual's name on the reservation so that they could check in easily. I spent 45 minutes on the phone with the very polite front desk person, painstakingly giving each name, receiving confirmation numbers for each guest, and going over the payment plan in detail. Upon checking into the hotel, none of the guests were able to use the confirmation numbers I provided them, nor were any of the rooms in their name. Upon checking out, it was established that half of the rooms were charged to each individual's credit card rather than taken from either the corporate card I used to pre-pay the rooms with, or the large check I brought with me. Upon trying to remedy this, I spent another 20 minutes with a very polite and helpful front desk clerk, only to find that not only were the majority of the rooms charged to individual cards, but that they couldn't even find one of the reservations.

Service: Upon checking in, one guest discovered that the couch in his room had been vomited on by the previous guest. When he went to the front desk, he was told that there had been a sports event the previous night, and that someone would eventually be up to clean the couch. Upon arriving back at his room the next night, he found that "cleaning up" apparently meant reversing the couch cushion. He was never offered an alternate room, nor was the mess ever taken care of properly. Three of the guests did not receive maid service for three of the four days. They did not have "do not disturb" signs on their doors, and when they specifically requested service, it was not delivered.

*****************************

I received a standard form response to this, which didn't address any of my actual complaints but promised to have the specific hotel contact me within 48 hours to further discuss this matter. Needless to say, I've not hear back from them.

It's a shame since the actual property is pretty nice. However, in all of my frequent practice of booking hotel rooms, I've never quite had an experience like this one.

Recommends

alyssa55

Joined 2 years ago

Great Hotel BUT.... It's a great hotel but if any of you are looking to save some $$ then book it at referer.us/8/GoodHotelDeals They usually have some pretty good deals on there!

Recommends

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Budget-minded travelers appreciate amenities like complimentary breakfast buffet and a kids-stay-free policy.. In Short
Since its 1952 debut in Memphis, Tenn., Holiday Inn has become one of the most recognized hotel brands in the world. In addition to the Kids Eat and Stay Free program, Holiday Inn Express offers amenities like free high-speed Internet access, in-room data ports and cable television. Upgraded showers feature multi-function shower heads, curved curtain rods and upscale bath products. A complimentary breakfast bar is available with warm cinnamon rolls and 100-percent Arabica coffee.

Recommends

lovepb

Joined 9 years ago

Great Place Great Price. We stayed here during a Steeler's game weekend. The room was very nice and clean. The staff was very friendly. The complimentary shuttle service is great if youre going to be drinking or really don't know your way around the city. Just make sure you call to let them know when you need picked up. A quiet, wonderful place to stay. We will definately be staying here again and again.