Toledo, Ohio / Holiday Inn Express & Suites Toledo West

September 2017, Weekday, 1-night, 2 queen beds guestroom 526

Arrival and platinum perks

The front desk agent recognized my status, although, sadly, he did not initially meet any of my requests or profile preferences. My guestroom preferences are: high floor, away from elevator, king executive. I was not concerned about the fact that I did not receive an upgrade to a king guestroom, although I was displeased with the agent's attitude about my requests. I had written my usual requests in my reservation comments: prefer top floor corner in quiet area (and, I always add a "thank you," as well). The agent initially handed me a key for guestroom 410 without providing any information about the room. I asked him if my room was on the top floor, and he said no. Since the guests above me for the two nights prior to this stay had been quite loud, I asked if there was a room available on the top floor. As the agent then looked at the computer and read my requests, he remarked that there were already a lot of elite guests in the hotel who had been there since Monday. Apparently, I was unimportant since I had arrived on a Wednesday, and would only be staying for one night. After a few moments, he recoded my key for guestroom 526. I was glad I had inquired about the room location, because later I noticed that guestroom 410 is also located very close to the elevator.

Sunset view from guestroom 526

Guestroom 526

This guestroom is located at the north end of the hall. It was spacious, comfortable, and clean. I heard minimal noise from the hall, as the nearby neighbors were very quiet. There was quite a gap around the guestroom door, so I imagine hallway noise near the elevator could be disturbing.

The spacious bathroom contained a large walk-in shower with glass doors. The floor was tile. Bath amenities, and good quality towels were provided. 

A full length mirror was mounted on the wall outside the bathroom. A small shelf next to the mirror was large enough for car keys, room keys, etc. An ice bucket, small fridge, microwave, and K-cup coffeemaker with supplies were located across from the full length mirror.

A closet and a large suitcase bench were located a few steps farther in, at the start of the bedroom area. 

Remaining furnishings in the guestroom included two queen-size beds, nightstands, flatscreen TV mounted on the wall above three drawers, desk and chair, chaise lounge, and a slide-in table next to the lounge. There were plenty of lights, electrical outlets, and USB ports in the guestroom. One of the top plates over the outlets had not been mounted correctly between the beds, so one of the USB ports and an electrical outlet were not usable.

Guestroom 526

View from the chaise lounge

View from in front of desk

I liked the suitcase bench, and the bed and desk work area were both comfortable. I expected the chaise lounge to be comfortable; however, it was not. The sofa in the photos on the hotel website looks like it would be more comfortable. The window could be opened a few inches, and the window coverings looked new and modern. The sunset view was beautiful. The Internet connection speed was good.

Guestroom diagram from back of door

Food & Beverage

Breakfast included the usual Holiday Inn Express foods: cereals, instant oatmeal, breads, cinnamon rolls, waffle maker, and some type of eggs. I do not recall the exact details of the hot items or the beverages.

There are a couple of restaurants in front of the hotel. I walked to PizzaFire hoping to get a single-serving pizza to-go. This was my first visit to a PizzaFire, and they only offer one size pizza. It has a thin crust, and I only ordered a couple of toppings, so it did not turn out to be an excessive portion size.

Fitness center

I loved the 24-hour fitness center in this hotel; it was the best one I visited all week. The room is large with several cardio machines with cardio theater. There were hand weights, towels, fresh water, and sani-wipes in the room, as well. The temperature was comfortable for working out.

Misc. and overall

There is easy access to I-475 from the hotel, and I would stay here again. It looks like this Holiday Inn Express and the Hampton Inn next door were both newer hotels at the time of my stay. I like the pillows better at Hampton Inns; however, I like the K-cup coffeemakers better at Holiday Inn Express. Other than that, I imagine they are both pretty similar hotels. The price was about the same at both places.

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