Warsaw, Indiana: Holiday Inn Express

March 2019, weekday, one-night, king executive guestroom 329

Lounge on the third floor.

Platinum perks and check-in

Check-in time at this hotel is 3:00 PM, and I arrived before 2:00. There is a spacious lounge on floor three where I sat to work until after 3:30 PM. I then moved to the empty breakfast room to wait for my room. Even though check-in time is 3:00 PM, and staff knew I was waiting, I was not able to check-in until 4:35 PM. No one apologized for the delay, or even mentioned it. Neither agent recognized my status. I did not ask about my 500 welcome amenity points, because I usually do not have a problem receiving this. So far, I have submitted two inquiries about my missing points to IHG, because I have not received them yet (they did not answer my first inquiry correctly; apparently the person had not actually read my note).

Sunset from guestroom 329 at Holiday Inn Express Warsaw.
Hacienda Mexican restaurant visible, if you enlarge the photo.

Guestroom 329

I am not sure why the king guestrooms at this hotel are titled as executive rooms on their website, because this is a basic Holiday Inn Express king guestroom. It had the same amenities and furnishings as the Holiday Inn Express in Wabash: clothes hangers, a folding luggage rack, iron and ironing board, small fridge, microwave, K-cup coffeemaker with supplies, work desk and chair, flatscreen TV on a dresser, full-length mirror, soft chair with footstool, and nightstands beside the king size bed.

View of guestroom 329 from entrance area.

The bedroom area in this guestroom was smaller than the one I'd had the previous night, and the beverage area was located in the entrance area outside the bathroom. The overall guestroom size was similar. The bed, pillows, and bedding were very comfortable. The sleep quality was not good, however, because the walls are paper thin. I could hear complete conversations, TVs, and activities in the guestrooms on both sides of me. Additionally, the hallway noise was excessive with doors slamming until late in the evening.

Guestroom 329 at Holiday Inn Express in Warsaw, IN.

The bathroom had been recently remodeled. It contained a long vanity and tub/shower combination.

Bathroom in guestroom 329: Holiday Inn Express Warsaw, IN.

The guestroom looked clean, although a hairpin had been missed when the bathroom floor was cleaned.

Hair pin on bathroom floor in room 329.

Food & Beverage

The breakfast foods were the standard Holiday Inn Express foods: cinnamon rolls, waffle maker, cereals, sausage, and veggie omelets.

Water spout at Holiday Inn Express Warsaw, IN.

One reason I moved to the breakfast room after 3:30 the day I arrived is because I wanted to get something to drink. The water spout on the machine looked nasty. I imagine this is white from mineral deposits, which are not considered harmful; however, it still looked tacky. I also wondered why there was so much buildup on the sides of the spout when the water comes out the bottom.

Sushi from Yamato's Steakhouse.

I picked up sushi from Yamato's Steakhouse down the road, which was very good. There are several restaurants nearby, and Hacienda Mexican is located in front of the hotel.

Fitness center

This hotel was being remodeled at the time of my stay, and the fitness center was in sad shape. A few partially broken machines were crammed into a small room next the pool. One of the treadmills did not work, and the button was broken on the other machine. The second machine started; the speed button was exposed because the top cover piece was broken off. This made it difficult to press, and it seemed dangerous. I imagine all of the machines I observed will be replaced when the new fitness center is finished.

Guestroom diagram.

Misc. and overall

Because of the remodel, there was construction on floor two during the day when I arrived. The noise from the construction was not bothersome when I was working in the lounge nor in the guestroom. This hotel was in a convenient location for me; however, I would not choose to stay here again because of the paper thin walls.