Holiday Inn Express Wuppertal Hauptbahnhof

What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum + Ambassador

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
My sister and I were generally satisfied.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
2 Single Beds Standard, received as expected. The hotel doesn't have many room choices - I believe there's this, a "1 Double Bed Standard" and a "1 Double Bed Standard Sofa Bed".

How are the rooms?
Small. 23sqm. Feels like standard HIX layout stuff, but actually feels way cozier compared to the CP Utrecht Centraal.

How is the exec. lounge?
HIX - no exec lounges!

What was good and what was bad?
Good
Location: central, it's about a two/three minute walk from the Schewebebahn and the Hauptbahnhof. This is especially helpful if you need any groceries (or water) of any kind, since I believe the only place open in town is the REWE in the Hauptbahnhof (which opens 24h) when everything else closes at standard German times.
Welcome and service recognition: I don't think anywhere else in my stay was I gifted a 750ml glass bottle of still or sparkling water (not even the Interconts) just cuz, "water". Still way less hospitality than the Manchester Kimpton, but above the usual for IHG and particularly for a HIX. My status was also actually recognised here, which is kinda unexpected, honestly.

Rooms were very, very new. I appreciate the cleanliness of the rooms too - I know they're small, but these were maintained way better than the Kimpton in Manchester was.

Neutral
Given that this is a standard HIX in a usually non-touristic German city (we were there to see/sit the Schewebebahn), the standard of English is a bit lacking, but staff make up for it with enthusiasm.

Bad
Shower amenities: this is one of the places where IHG's shift to Dove amenities in the name of being eco-friendly has been very, very perplexing. The Wuppertal HIX came with inbuilt shower pumps and soap pumps that were meant to be refillable, by some German soap company which I have unfortunately forgotten the name, which the whole schtick was about being eco-friendly. Yet, these went disused and left there (since they are, after all wall-mounted etc) with non-wall-mounted bottles of Dove next to them. It would have made more sense especially from an economic and ecological perspective to just go on using the refillable German soap rather than individual (albeit big-ish) bottles of Dove.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Yes, if I find myself in Wuppertal. I might try the (currently) brand new HIX at Duesseldorf Hbf the next time round if I'm in the area, though.