Logansport, Indiana / Holiday Inn Express & Suites

September 2014, Weekend-Weekday, 2- nights, King executive suite #218

Status perks and check-in

I called the Holiday Inn Express the morning of my arrival because I was not going to be arriving until late. I inquired about an upgrade at that time, and was told that I would probably receive one. During check-in I was given the choice of 500 bonus points or a snack item. I also received an upgraded guestroom.

Guestroom

This suite is located on the second floor next to the elevator. The front desk agent had told me that the suite on the top floor was not available. 

The bathroom was located just inside the entrance on the right. It was spacious and contained a long vanity and mirror, along with a tub/shower combination.

Hangers, a folding luggage rack, and extra bedding had been placed in a doorless closet in the entryway. A full length mirror was hung on the wall across from the closet.

The kitchen area contained a sink, microwave, small fridge, coffeepot with supplies, plastic ice bucket, and a small table with two chairs. A few disposable plates and some silverware were in the cupboards, as well.

The kitchen extended into the living room where there was a sofa, two end tables with lamps, a coffee table, a fireplace, and a flat screen TV.

The sofa was very comfortable, although there was no comfortable place to work on my laptop. The chairs at the table were uncomfortable, and there was not room on the table for anything except my laptop. The Internet connection speed was good.

The fireplace either did not work, or else I did not know how to operate it. I turned the wall knob on, which looked similar to the controls I have used for other hotel fireplaces, and the fireplace did not light. I did not call anyone to request assistance, so I did not learn the cause of the problem.

The area was open between the living and bedroom area, and the bedroom was spacious. The sleeping area contained a king size bed, two nightstands with lamps, and a large whirlpool tub. The bed was comfortable, although the bedsheets were low quality and scratchy. The elevator noise the first night of my stay was minimal, although I could hear noise from guests near the elevator the second night of my stay.

During stayover, my room was not thoroughly cleaned. Housekeeping did not clean the kitchen area, so the coffeepot had not been emptied, and supplies were not replenished. I had left a thank you note and tip on this counter, which had also been untouched. It appeared that the person who cleaned my room completely missed the kitchen area.  

Fitness center

The front desk agent had told me the fitness center is open 24 hours; however, that is not what the sign said on the door. I assume the sign on the door had not yet been changed at the time of my stay. The cardio machines did not have cardio theater, and they did not face the TV in the room. I had to look to the right, if I wanted to see the TV. I wondered why the machines had not been placed on an angle facing the TV in the corner, rather than facing straight toward the mirrored wall. The photo on the hotel website makes it look like the machines are angled, although they were not positioned that way during my stay. It was very warm in the room.

Food & Beverage
I thought the included breakfast was low quality. I do not remember all of the details, although I do remember that milk was in a gallon in the cooler, rather than individual containers, and the bananas were black.

Logansport, Indiana / Holiday Inn Express

February 2012, Weekday, 2-nights, King suite #327

Status perks

I received an upgrade to a king suite at check-in.

Guestroom
The spacious guestroom was located on the top floor near the end of the hall. I always request a high floor room in a quiet area when making my reservation online, so I was happy that hotel staff must have read my request. There were larger guestrooms on the diagram on the back of the guestroom door, which I assume must be executive suites, although the room descriptions for this hotel make it difficult to choose a room. Guestroom 327 was larger than most of the rooms on the diagram, so the basic king room I had reserved must not include a sitting area as well as the fridge and microwave that were not listed in the guestroom description.

This guestroom had a kitchenette area with a mini-fridge, sink, and microwave. A desk and chair, along with a couch, and coffee and end tables, were located in this same area. The king bed and flat screen TV were located at the end of the guestroom by the window. The sitting and working area were both comfortable. The bed was fairly comfortable except for the pad that was under the sheets. The feel of the pad through the sheets reminded me of the pads that are often used on toddlers' beds when being potty trained. A nice suitcase bench was in the sleeping area next to the TV, which was on a large dresser. The guestroom was clean, and I did not hear any noise from the hallway or outside during my stay.

There was a large vanity and decent hairdryer in the spacious bathroom. The hallway outside of this guestroom reeked heavily of cigarette smoke almost every time I went in or out of the room. I was glad that I could not smell it in the guest room.

Food & Beverage
I did not eat breakfast at the hotel either morning because the food did not look appetizing either day. The first morning, I entered the room just a few minutes after it opened at 6:30 AM. The scrambled eggs and sausage gravy both had a crusty film on top and did not look fresh. Cinnamon rolls, three kinds of bulk style cereal in a dispenser, bagels, milk, juice, and coffee were also available. The second morning, bananas and yogurt were available as well. Scrambled eggs were served again the second morning, and I do not recall for sure what the second hot item was, although I think it was sausage.

Fitness center

The fitness center is located next to the pool, and it was quite warm the first day. I checked the thermostat before I left, and the heat control was set at 74. I did not change the temperature that day; however, when I entered the next day, and it was even warmer, I did. The heater was set on 89 degrees, and it was hot in there! I turned the air on, and turned the temperature down to 74.

There were three cardio machines, hand weights, a water cooler, towels, scale, and deluxe first aid kit in the room. There was no cardio theater; however, since I was the only one in the room every time, I watched the flat screen TV, which was well positioned for viewing.

Business center

A computer and printer located in the breakfast room served as the business center. I did not have a problem using the computer to print a document; however, the person using the computer before me had been browsing X-rated sites. I quickly closed the window, and then wished I had told someone at the front desk before closing it, so the computer settings could be adjusted. The person must have attempted to clear the evidence because it was not in the history, although he had not closed/exited the window that opened up properly. Some hotels have their computers set so that this kind of browsing is not allowed. Be warned that the computer at this hotel is not set to block activity.