New Philadelphia, Ohio / Holiday Inn Express

November 2012, Weekday, 2-nights, King guestroom #424

Status perks

I got to choose one beverage and one snack from the gift shop. I did not receive an upgraded room because the manager told me that the suites are all located in the center by the elevator, and I had requested a quiet room. Looking at the floor diagram on the back of the guestroom door, there are actually huge end suites at this hotel--at least there were two on my floor. The room I had been assigned was right next to a longer suite room, so it did not appear that all the suites are located by the elevator as I was told. I appreciated that the manager considered my request for a quiet room; however, I think one of the suite guestrooms would have been better soundproofed since the bed is then farther away from the door.

I included a photo of the floor diagram for guests who want to see the room layout before arrival.

Guestroom

This hotel has four floors, so guestroom #424 is located on the top floor. 

The guestroom is a good size and it contained a microwave and small fridge in addition to standard room amenities. There were plenty of outlets, and the lighting was good. The TV was a newer flatscreen model, and the room contained a suitcase bench.

The decor in the guestroom was pleasant and the seating was comfortable. The bathroom was a nice size with plenty of counter space. I thought the bed was too hard, and the pillows were low quality, which I have found typical in a Holiday Inn Express.

I thought the Internet connection speed was unacceptable. I had trouble submitting my online work, and had to reenter some things. This hotel was full; however, I had this trouble at 4 AM too, when I would not expect as many guests to be using the service.

Food & Beverage

Breakfast both mornings included: breads, milk, juices, yogurt, cereals, fresh bananas, sausage gravy with biscuits, and the HIX pancake maker and cinnamon rolls. One morning, the egg item was cheesy omelets, and the next morning it was scrambled eggs. The room was comfortable and clean.

Business center

There were two working computers and a printer in the business center. The equipment worked fine, although a mouse pad would definitely have helped! I have never had so much trouble trying to control the mouse as I did on these computers.

Fitness center

The fitness center contained three working cardio machines and a flatscreen TV. It did not open until 6 AM, and the lock was programed, so the room was not accessible before then.

Misc. and overall

This is either a new building or a completely gutted and rebuilt Holiday Inn. I found information about an older Holiday Inn at this address before my stay. The entire facility looked new. There are several restaurants nearby. A Bistro and Mexican restaurant are located next door. I would not recommend the Mexican restaurant. It was clean and nice looking; however, the food was not very good or authentic. Restaurants across the streets included: Texas Roadhouse, Long John Silvers, Hog Heaven, Burger King, and Denny's.

There is a Hampton Inn next to Texas Roadhouse across the street. If I needed to stay in this area again, I would probably choose this Holiday Inn Express again as long as I did not have a huge amount of work to enter online. The Hampton Inn looked like a basic Hampton Inn, and the building was older than this Holiday Inn Express.