Bowling Green, Kentucky / Holiday Inn Express & Suites

November 2015, Weekday/Holiday, 1-night, King executive guestroom #316

morning sunrise from hotel entrance

You can enlarge any of the photos in this blog by clicking on them, and more photos from this location can be viewed in the Bowling Green Holiday Inn Express Facebook album.

Arrival experience and status perks

We booked a king guestroom with points for our stay at this Holiday Inn Express, and my IHG status was Platinum. We arrived in the evening on Thanksgiving. The front desk agent provided excellent service. He recognized my status, and he told me we had been given an upgrade to an executive room. He said I could also choose an extra perk of 500 bonus points or a bottle of water and trail mix. I happily accepted the bonus points, which posted to my account before we checked out the next morning.

guestroom 316

Guestroom 316

This is a spacious and comfortable guestroom. It contained a king size bed, two nightstands with lamps and an alarm clock, desk with chair, armoire, flatscreen TV, good size fridge, microwave, sofa, and coffee table. A full length mirror was mounted on the wall next to the armoire.

spacious guestroom

There were screens in the two large windows (one next to the bed, and one by the desk), and the windows could be partially opened. Unfortunately, this guestroom is above the hotel entrance, and we had to shut our windows soon after opening them because that is where guests went outside to smoke.

The wireless Internet speed was good, and there was also an ethernet cord at the desk, which was even faster. I had been given an Internet passcode during check-in; however, I did not need it to connect any of my devices to the Internet.

The bed and pillows were comfortable, although the sheets were not very soft. They were a bit scratchy and stiff feeling. I can understand why some hotel chains have housekeepers wear hairnets. When we arrived, I pulled back the sheets on the bed to check the cleanliness (as I always do), and it was fine. Later, when we got ready for bed, I pulled the sheets back all of the way and observed three stray hairs on the bed. We removed the hairs and did not report this to hotel staff, because it seemed obvious that the bedding was clean and that the hairs must have fallen off the head of the housekeeper who had made the bed. Still, a bit unsettling!

bathing area

The bathroom area at the entrance was divided. A small room with a door contained the toilet and tub/shower. The shower head and water pressure were excellent, although it took a few minutes for the water to get hot. The provided towels and washcloths were all clean and good quality.

vanity

The vanity was located in the entrance outside of the shower room. Amenities on the vanity included mouthwash, a vanity kit with cotton swabs, a facial wipe, shoe mitt, and Bath and Body Works brand lotion, shampoo, conditioner, and soap bars.

bath amenities

A single serve coffee maker with supplies was also on the vanity, and a hairdryer was mounted on the wall.

The fresh water at the vanity had kind of a moldy, damp smell. It reminded me of the way our fresh water had smelled in our RV before we bleached the lines, although it was not exactly the same. I have a keen sense of smell, and my husband did not smell anything odd.

closet by door

A small closet without a door was located in the entrance next to the shower room door. It contained hangers, an iron and ironing board, and a folding luggage rack.

Food & Beverage

Fresh baked Otis Spunkmeyer cookies and flavored water were provided at the front desk in the evening.

breakfast

Breakfast items included milk, juices, hot beverages, hard boiled eggs, Yoplait yogurt, breads, bagels, muffins, cinnamon rolls, cereals, instant oatmeal and grits, pancake maker, and fruits. Foods in the breakfast area were fresh and the area was clean. The two staff members were attentive and friendly.

Pool area, misc., overall

There is an outside pool at this hotel, which was closed during our stay. There is no hot tub. The exercise room looked satisfactory, although neither of us used it.

There is a nice inside seating area across from the breakfast room with comfy looking seats and a large flatscreen TV. The business center/computer is located in this area.

There are several restaurants within walking distance of the hotel: Bob Evans, Waffle House, iHop, and Olive Garden are a few of the restaurants nearby.

We were happy at this hotel, and would definitely stay here again when in the area! If you find this information helpful, please share this blog post.