Holiday Inn Express Newington Hartford an IHG Hotel

When we arrived in the evening, I was initially concerned. The garbage can was overflowing with garbage, and I instantly had a worried feeling about how our room was going to be. The girl working at the front desk seemed very overwhelmed and a little brief, but understandably because there were 2 sports teams staying at the hotel and there were kids hanging out in the lobby. The elevators were a bit slow, but once we got into our room my whole attitude changed. The room was GREAT. The bed was the most comfortable that I slept in during the whole week that we were away. The room was very big and incredibly clean. There was even a fan in the bathroom which most hotels seem to forget to add for some reason. I love the mirror in the room with the hanging hooks. The only issue we had was a few kids running the halls knocking on doors. But kids will be kids, I get it. We were hoping to beat the sports teams to breakfast and we must have hit it at the right time because it was not packed. The girls working there were working extremely hard to keep up with the demand and keeping everything stocked. I liked the fact that in the bread selection they had some French toast slices that could be put into the toaster, something different than the other hotels were at. The cinnamon rolls were right on par. Very nice check out, and I made sure to tell them how impressed I was with our room and the breakfast staff. The only thing I would recommend is that the area behind the front desk get cleaned out because it was all cluttered with stuff and was not something I normally see at check in. All in all it was a GREAT STAY and this seasoned traveler would stay here again (the garbage was gone when we checked out, the people on the bus were probably cleaning out the bus and instead of asking for a bag they tried to shove it all in the receptacle outside).

I am writing to formally express my dissatisfaction with my recent stay at your establishment from September 12th to September 15th. Upon my arrival on the evening of the 12th, I encountered an unacceptable situation—my bathtub was not clean. After notifying the front desk, I was provided with cleaning supplies and rags, which I was expected to use myself. Given the extensive travel I had undertaken with my son and the early morning commitments for an athletic event, I felt compelled to clean the tub rather than seek alternative accommodations. Following this incident, I anticipated that my concerns would be addressed promptly and effectively. Unfortunately, my experience only deteriorated when I escalated the issue to your front desk manager, Francesca. Rather than receiving an apology, I encountered a dismissive attitude and was subjected to accusations regarding the authenticity of my claims about the state of the bathtub. Despite her acknowledgment of the prior guest’s negligence—who was identified as a construction worker—Francesca's demeanor was unprofessional and dismissive. As I checked out on Sunday, I found that no resolution had been reached regarding my complaints. I had expected some form of communication or acknowledgment from upper management, particularly after my initial interaction with Francesca proved unsatisfactory. When I inquired about the lack of follow-up, I was informed that she was too fatigued to address my concerns. Throughout this experience, I have felt disrespected and undervalued as a guest. Sanitation and customer care are priorities for me, and I believe that this situation could have been resolved on the first day through a simple apology and an expression of empathy, possibly accompanied by an offer of compensation. Instead, I have spent my entire stay engaged in discussions with corporate regarding this unresolved matter. As a business owner and state administration manager, I understand the importance of maintaining high standards of service and customer satisfaction. It is disheartening to experience such a lack of humanity and professionalism.

I’m highly satisfied and happy staying 4 nights in this beautiful property. Newly renovated room with nice design fixtures, floor carpeting, lights and colorful blinds. Experiences welcoming gestures, accommodating and friendly services from Corey at the front desk, Cecile in the breakfast area and Carl the maintenance specialist. Impressed by their team services leading by Kathy. Especially love this stay!

I wish I could add video. This hotel is disgusting. Turned me against all IHG in future. I’ll spend the extra money for the Hilton. We never even made it into the room hallway was so gross it made my skin crawl. Thinking I would have slept in my car first. Very Sketchy! I took the loss and went elsewhere.

This hotel has potential. The biggest red flag for my review was the renovation work that was happening at the place. There were shipping containers and dumpsters that consumed 50% or the parking so the nights we stayed people were parking on the sides of the entrance cause there were no spots. The back door was propped open and even when the prop was removed the door would not securely latch. The luggage haulers were non-existent. Because of the main entrance construction, all traffic was routed out the back and that required lifting our bags up and down the stairs even to get to the level where the elevators were. The hallway carpeting was gross. I hope it was on the schedule to get replaced as well. The rooms were spacious nice and clean however all but two outlets in the room were totally worn out and would not hold a plug. We went to move one of the coffee tables and the whole top was unglued. One of the chair cushions was a different color so I pulled it up to find it was an old leather one that was falling apart with a cover on it. Kind of gross! Breakfast and staff were very nice. We did ask for more towels and were turned down at the desk due to a shortage. We were able to get some from the house keeping staff though. Not sure what the deal was there. Pool was green and had hair in it my kids were saying. There was no one patrolling the hallways at night and two of our three night stays there were people partying till 12-1am. In summary, I have stayed in worse places. After the renovations are done, this place will have some potential. They still need to clean up some of the details even outside of the renovations. I would be hesitant to stay there again.