Please post your Rewards Club Experiences 2018

Old May 29, 2018, 2:10 pm
  #76  
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Somewhere in Europe
Posts: 3,362
Holiday Inn Express London - Royal Docks

Holiday Inn Express London - Royal Docks

What is your Priority Club status?

​​​​​​​
Spire

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?

Fine, no issues

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?

Booked double, received double

How are the rooms?

Half the hotel has been refurbished within the last year, the other a few years back. Some rooms have the latest HIX design with the lighter curtains and chairs whilst the rest have the darker wood finishing and blue curtains.

How is the exec. lounge?

​​​​​​​
N/A

What was good and what was bad?

Clean room. We had been a bit concerned as TA reviews recently had mentioned smelly drains but all was fine.
Very good AC which was much appreciated as it was 27c in London while we were there.
Late checkout offered at check-in
Two minutes from Canning Town Station.
A very nice Turkish restaurant five minutes away on Barking Road called Efes - same owners as the one opposite Holiday Inn Whitechapel/Commercial Rd

Quite noisy due to the main road outside and building works across the street so there was a good bit of dust in the air.
Breakfast even for an HIX wasnt that good. Bacon was ok but the rolls were hard and the bread was poor.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?

Booked on Pointsbreaks at 15k. At that rate or under 85 a night cash would definitely return.
At the normal rate of 35k - not a chance. You can see the ICO2 (45k a night) from the bedrooms at the front of the hotel and the Holiday Inn Stratford (Also 35k) is two stops away on the tube. Realistically if this property was anywhere but London it would be 20k a night.
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Old Jun 1, 2018, 9:11 am
  #77  
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Holiday Inn Express & Suites : Newport (OR)

Holiday Inn Express & Suites : Newport (OR)

What is your Priority Club status?
Spire Inner Circle

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked two King Bed Executive Nonsmoking rooms, given the same adjacent rooms on the fourth (top) floor on the Northeast side of the hotel away from the elevator with a view of Yaquina Bay.

How are the rooms?
Very clean and fresh, with ample living space. The Executive Rooms have electric fireplaces which I thought would be nice, but they have a loud blower so you can't leave them on for long before you get annoyed.

How is the exec. lounge?
N/A

What was good and what was bad?
Terrific location and walking distance to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Relatively new build and no visible signs of wear in the rooms and common areas. No issues finding a parking space in the free lot. Standard free breakfast options.

Only bad thing was the noisy fireplace.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Overall, a solid choice. The $5 difference between the King Bed Leisure Nonsmoking and King Bed Executive Nonsmoking isn't worth it, IMO. I'd stay here again if visiting the area.
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Last edited by FlyinHawaiian; Jun 1, 2018 at 10:03 am
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Old Jun 1, 2018, 10:02 am
  #78  
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Holiday Inn Express & Suites : Astoria (OR)

Holiday Inn Express & Suites : Astoria (OR)

What is your Priority Club status?
Spire Inner Circle

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked 2 Room River View East Suite Nonsmoking, given the same on the fourth (top) floor.

How are the rooms?
Outstanding. I was travelling with +1 and her mother so it made sense to share a large room rather than booking two. The view out of the room was spectacular and we saw tons of waterfowl and even a bald eagle sitting on one of the pilings outside. The suite was large and spacious and very comfortable. The gas fireplace in the living room was a nice touch. Having only a single bathroom to share didn't prove to be too much of an issue.

How is the exec. lounge?
N/A

What was good and what was bad?
Terrific location and views. Relatively new build and no visible signs of wear in the rooms and common areas. No issues finding a parking space in the free lot, even when the hotel was sold out. Standard free breakfast options.

No any negatives worth mentioning.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
For a family, the large suite is a great deal. The views from the river-facing rooms are spectacular. We were sad to leave.
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Old Jun 6, 2018, 10:50 pm
  #79  
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 88
Crowne Plaza Newark Airport

What is your Priority Club status?
Spire

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
It was OK.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
I booked a standard room (whatever it is) and got that. Did not ask about upgrades.

How are the rooms?
A bit old. They have the basics covered. My main gripe is the aircon / heater unit which sits just below the window inside the room and is very noisy,

How is the exec. lounge?
I don't think they have one.

What was good and what was bad?
Good:
  • It's an airport hotel so I didn't expect (nor need) much and it was alright. At least it's clean and well equipped.
Bad:
  • The location is not great for an airport hotel and to wait half an hour for the shuttle is a bit much. We ended up taking a Uber on the way back.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
The price when we stayed was over 160 USD + taxes which I think is overpriced compared to other hotels in the area (which are cheaper, or better located). We booked on points, and at 20k points it was good value.
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Old Jun 6, 2018, 11:06 pm
  #80  
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 88
Crowne Plaza Niagara Falls (ON, Canada)

Crowne Plaza Niagara Falls (ON, Canada)

What is your Priority Club status?
Spire

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
I booked I think the second level of room, and got a great upgrade to a room with balcony and view of the falls.

How are the rooms?
This one was spacious enough although the layout was a bit weird. It was clean and well equipped.
The balcony was big enough to fit a couple of chairs and a table.

How is the exec. lounge?
I don't think there is one.

What was good and what was bad?
Good:
  • Good treatment as a Spire despite what I've seen from other reviews: upgrade + a bottle of wine
  • Location is pretty good
  • Breakfast on the top floor is nice. The view is is good, and it wasn't very crowded.
Bad:
  • No desk in the room (not that I went there to work...)
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
We paid a bit below 150 CAD including breakfast and welcome drinks. Without the upgrade it would have been pretty good value already, with it it was great and I would return.
On points it was ridiculous (45k), unless you're there on a very expensive day.
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Last edited by Romain_; Jun 7, 2018 at 10:59 pm Reason: Breakfast
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Old Jun 7, 2018, 7:02 am
  #81  
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 20
To follow this one up:

Crowne Plaza Niagara Falls (ON, Canada)

What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
I booked the lowest level of room, and got a great upgrade to a room with balcony and view of the falls.

How are the rooms?
This one was spacious enough although the layout was a bit weird. It was clean and well equipped.
The balcony was big enough to fit a couple of chairs and a table. (allthough a little bit old and used)

How is the exec. lounge?
n.a.

What was good and what was bad?
Good:
  • Good treatment as a Platinum despite what I've seen from other reviews: upgrade
  • Location is pretty good
Bad:
  • the resort fee

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
We paid a bit below 150 CAD including breakfast for 2, parking and the resort fee. Without the upgrade it would have been pretty good value already, with it it was great and I would return.
On points it was ridiculous (45k), unless you're there on a very expensive day.
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Old Jun 10, 2018, 2:47 pm
  #82  
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: San Antonio - the nicest city in northern Mexico
Programs: CO OnePass; AAdvantage Dirt; IHG Priority Club Plat; Hyatt Plat; Marriott Gold; Avis PresPref;
Posts: 884
Crowne Plaza Porto, Portugal
What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum
Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked 1 credit card free night standard double and 1 points night standard double. On check in upgraded to premium floor.

How are the rooms?
Quite lovely - spacious, well appointed. Great bed with assortment of pillows. AC worked well. Great bathroom with nice towels and robes. Safe in large closet. Plenty of outlets including USB ports. Coffee / tea maker in room. Adequate lighting.

How is the exec. lounge?
First time I encounter this - Club floor lounge replaced by Exec Lounge on lobby level. (Property web site still shows lounge on executive floor) Access not given, but allowed for fee of 35 euro/day. Not sure if this was because nights were freebies or if this is a new revenue stream. Lounge was on lobby level with key card controlled access next to front desk. Clean, bright, comfortably furnished with variety of seating options and good WiFi. Soft drinks (juice, soda, coffee/tea, etc.) and beer/wine (maybe harder stuff, did not notice) on self serve bar along with sweet and savory snacks. In AM buffet with breads, cold items and hot items available on request. Had scrambled eggs with bacon, mushrooms and all were quite good.

What was good and what was bad?
Good:
  • Recognition and good treatment as a elite member: upgrade + a bottle of wine and pastry delivered to room
  • Location is fine - out of tourist fray but a brief uber away.
  • Good WiFi throughout
Bad:
  • Fitness center basic, no steam/sauna. No pool
  • Fee basis Exec lounge in place of executive floor louonge
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Both nights were reward redemptions, with 25K points a reasonable rate for this lovely property. Yes would return.
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Old Jun 13, 2018, 6:53 pm
  #83  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: VPS
Programs: IHG Diamond, Delta PM, Hilton Gold, Accor Gold, Marriott Silver
Posts: 7,210
Holiday Inn Express Springdale-Zion National Park, Utah, USA

Holiday Inn Express Springdale-Zion National Park, Utah, USA

What is your Priority Club status? Spire

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay? Yes

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? Booked 2 queen bed rooms as an award stay; got as booked (no other room options available for paid stay during our stay) Did get more desirable second floor that has better views.

How are the rooms? Property managed to have a modern western lodge feel to it while meeting all the usual HIX brand standards. Good sized rooms, looked like the bathrooms had gotten a remodel recently. Housekeeping kept everything quite tidy. Second floor rooms have nice cathedral ceilings, likely an attempt at summer heat management in the desert.

How is the exec. lounge? N/A

What was good and what was bad? Good- location, location, location right on the Springdale town bus line (parking has become a nightmare for Zion/Springdale so you want to leave the car in the hotel lot as much as possible) and with a lovely view of the canyon from rooms, breakfast area, and pool. I'm usually not much for hotel pools, but it was very nice to do some hiking in the morning at the park, and then easily get back to the hotel in the afternoon for a cool float among splashing children and enjoyment of the red rock canyon walls. Property is in good shape, and well cared for. The information sheet in the room was genuinely useful and offered instructions on everything from how to use the pod coffee maker, how to turn the shower on, the proper way to connect to wifi depending on device... it made it seemed like management was trying to make sure you had the answers to a lot of common questions.

Bad- poorly positioned lamps and light bulbs were slightly inadequate.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return? Cash rate can run $280+ including taxes for a refundable rate during peak season . While the points rate isn't the screaming deal it was two years ago when it as 20K a night, 40K a night is still relatively reasonable post-devaluation. Would stay there again, preferably in October or March when the cash rate would be lower and Zion NP was not being 'loved to death' that time of year.

Crowd control note- The shuttle bus route down Zion Canyon in the park proper can have an hour long line at the visitor center in the morning. But if you spend 15-20 minutes walking the Pa'rus Trail to the next bus stop, you can end up with little or no wait time for space on a bus to take you further into the canyon.
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Old Jun 17, 2018, 5:06 pm
  #84  
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Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Ka ʻĀpala Nui, Nuioka
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Posts: 18,002
EVEN Hotels : Sarasota-Lakewood Ranch (FL)

EVEN Hotels : Sarasota-Lakewood Ranch (FL)

What is your Priority Club status?
Spire Inner Circle

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Wellness King with Enclosed Shower; given the same on the fifth (top) floor facing the pool and the lake behind the property. Suites were showing available on the app shortly before I arrived, but I was by myself and only staying for one night, so I didn't press for an upgrade.

How are the rooms?
Very nice. The decor is modern and Euro-sleek with high-quality furnishings. The bedding is Eucalyptus Tencel fabric and is very soft. I didn't find the fitness equipment in the room to be intrusive (although I didn't use any of it). There had to have been at least five or six USB charging ports in the room. Mini-fridge was in the room, along with a Keurig machine, but no safe. EO bath products in the wall of the shower. A/C wall unit did a good job of cooling the room down (it was 96 and muggy outside) and I liked that there's a constant fan option so there's always air blowing even if the compressor is off during the auto-cooling cycle.

How is the exec. lounge?
N/A

What was good and what was bad?
Nice and quiet location, just off of I-75 in a mixed commercial and residential area, with mostly shops and offices nearby. Very, very quiet and deserted on the weekends, but there's a mall nearby with chain food. I found decent Cuban take-out a stop up the freeway. Room rates were very reasonable and lots of free parking. Friendly staff, but the front desk was unmanned several times while I was there. Obviously, the health and wellness focus of the brand is appealing for some. I liked the fact that each floor has an ice and water machine for water bottles (each guest is given a free one to use and take home) and lots of spa flavored water is downstairs. There's also a grab n go market adjacent to the restaurant. I was tempted to eat there but opted not to.

Only bad things was that the spa in the pool area had a nasty green tint to the water and there was a group of guests splashing around in the pool and generally having a moderately noisy good time in the evening. I had an early morning departure so I turned in a little after 9 pm and I could still hear them. I just played music on the clock radio to get to sleep.

No any negatives worth mentioning.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Given the free parking, quality of rooms, and relatively cheap prices, I thought it was a good value and will give the brand a look at other locations. I'd stay here again if I am ever in the area.
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Old Jun 17, 2018, 8:21 pm
  #85  
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Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: UK/AU
Programs: QF P1 + LTS, EK Gold, BAEC Gold, QR Gold, IHG Ambassador
Posts: 1,120
Just had some fantastic service for a platinum member. I get in to LAX early in the morning, wife and I want to see some of the city before we head up the coast to stay in Santa Barbara (we have an IHG booking up there from 3pm). I called ahead and the Crowne Plaza at LAX will give us a room to shower and change in before we go for a day in LA at no cost.
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Old Jun 18, 2018, 8:54 am
  #86  
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Isle of Anglesey
Programs: DL Silver, NZ, VS, HH, IHG Gold, Marriott, Hertz 5*
Posts: 217
Holiday Inn Sheffield (UK)

Holiday Inn Sheffield

What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes.
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked standard double room, received 1862 suite.
How are the rooms?
Half of the rooms are in a historic Victorian Station Hotel, the other half are in a modern annex.
The 1862 suite is done to much higher standard than a typical Holiday Inn. I'm not sure about the other rooms.
How is the exec. lounge?

What was good and what was bad?
Amazing room. Sometimes you get lucky with upgrades. Great service. Good breakfast. Good fitness room (for a hotel). Easily the most unique HI I've seen.
No air conditioning in the historic part of the hotel. Historic single glazed sash windows means you will hear some outside noise.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Incredible value with the upgrade.
Yes.




Dining Room


Somewhat hidden Central Stair Case. Many guests may never see this.


Bedroom


More of the 1862 suite

Last edited by AndrewAndDebbie; Jun 18, 2018 at 9:32 am
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Old Jun 20, 2018, 3:38 am
  #87  
 
Join Date: May 2016
Programs: BAEC - Gold, IHG - Spire Ambassador
Posts: 560
HI Prague Airport

HI Prague Airport

What is your Priority Club status? Spire

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay? Yes

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? I booked the cheapest standard and was upgraded to a suite on the top floor.

How are the rooms? Suite was large. Three double wardrobes in the hallway. Sofa, armchair and desk in the living room. Comfortable bed. My room faced the airport but I heard no noise. Single bathrobe, no bath, only shower. Large bowl of amenities. Two bottles of complimentary mineral water. Paid minibar.

How is the exec. lounge? NA

What was good and what was bad? Upgrade was good. Shuttle from the airport fast and free. It is walking distance but the shuttle was on demand. Received a pen as a gift.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return? I paid 75 and would return at that price.
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Old Jul 15, 2018, 2:40 pm
  #88  
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 123
Holiday Inn Express Hotel Exeter M5, Junction 29

Holiday Inn Express Hotel Exeter M5, Junction 29

What is your Priority Club status?
Spire Elite

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked Standard Room. Had been allocated a 2 single bed disabled room - but the Hotel Lift was broken & they (fortunately) asked me to take a 1 Double Bed with Sofa Bed on a higher level.

How are the rooms?
Standard modern/renovated Holiday Inn Express for the U.K. The room was clean. There was an interesting note on the pillow notifying me that they forgot to put power sockets into any convenient space near the bed - and they could instead be found hidden behind the curtains 1.5 metres away out of sight. The note said this was an error and they were having remedial work done soon. A room nearby was being worked on during my stay.

How is the exec. lounge?
None

What was good and what was bad?
+ Clean + Modern
+ Drinks voucher / Points offered.
+ Quickly seated at breakfast in the morning
+ Check-out time of 1PM easily granted

- The fire alarm went off at 7.45am for several minutes, disturbing my lay-in (Perhaps not IHG's fault, but still a bad experience)
- They weren't pleased (and their tone wasn't great) that I was trying to check-in at 1.30pm, as check-in time is 3pm; despite Spire potentially being able to check-in from 11am as per IHG policy.
- Lack of power sockets anywhere appropriate in the room.
- Quickly seated at breakfast became a downside when they were trying to give my table away whilst I was getting more food; I felt everytime I stood up that I would come back to no table.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Cost was 80 but I spent 25,000 points instead. It's the only IHG property in the area and was to a reasonable standard, and so I would return if nearby.
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Old Jul 17, 2018, 3:45 pm
  #89  
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Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: flyover country
Posts: 2,412
HIE Glendive (Montana, US)

HIE Glendive

What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes, but satisfied would be more accurate than happy. It did have a clean, comfortable bed, and a clean bathroom with clean towels, so it did meet the primary requirements.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
One king suite. No upgrade.

How are the rooms?
The "suite" was a room with half-height walls projecting a couple of feet from the walls of the room. In other words, it was simply a room, albeit spacious. As noted above, it was clean. As noted below, it was quirky.

How is the exec. lounge?
None at this hotel.

What was good and what was bad?
On arrival, there was a sign at the front desk saying it was unstaffed at the moment and that I could call from a telephone across the hall for immediate service. Figuring that whatever was taking the clerk away from the desk was at least quasi-urgent, I visited the adjacent business center. None of the three computers listed the one available printer in the print dialog box. Another customer used the telephone and I checked in when the clerk appeared.
Certainly I don't need the extra calories, but I was a bit dismayed to find the cookie case empty at my 1700 arrival and never refilled.
The ice machine on my floor would make noise but would not discharge any ice. There were two other ice machines in the hotel, so it was a minor hardship.
The bathroom had a motion-sensor switch. This sounds fine until one gets up in the middle of the night and would rather not be bombarded with photons. (There was a nightlight that would have been perfectly adequate to the task at hand.) As far as I could tell, there was no way to disable the motion-sensing switch before it turned on the lights, although it could be turned off promptly if one knew the procedure.
The desk had a lamp with two electrical outlets and two switches for the two bulbs. The design of the lamp precluded using even the smallest Apple power brick I have seen, which limited the utility of the outlets.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
This is the only IHG property in a many-mile radius and is useful as a stopping point on a multi-day journey. Under these conditions, I would stay here again. As IHG properties go, it is relatively inexpensive.
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Old Jul 20, 2018, 11:00 pm
  #90  
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: CYYC/CYYZ
Programs: UA 1K, IHG Spire, Bonvoy Titanium, Hertz P.C., GE/NEXUS
Posts: 140
Thumbs down CP Singapore Changi Airport

CP Singapore Changi Airport

What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Not at all

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked lowest King on points for 20 hour layover, no upgrades.

How are the rooms?
Booked non-smoking, told there is no rooms upon check in, given smoking room. Spoke with 'manager' who assured me a room change ASAP, had to constantly call front desk back to beg for it and only given a non-smoking room after 6 hours. Emailed IHG Corporate, got bounced back to the manager who attempted absolutely zero service recovery. Absolutely appalling treatment of a Platinum..

How is the exec. lounge?
Was not provided lounge access.

What was good and what was bad?
Good: Location

Bad: Room, front desk, manager, everything.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Never, in fact I'm leaving IHG altogether after I burn all my points. Sticking with Stariott from now on.
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