Holiday Inn Express Calgary South, an IHG Hotel

Hotel

Would not recommend this hotel — the level of customer service is non-existent. As IHG Diamond Customers — I. E. Very loyal customers for years — I have to say this is the worst IHG franchised hotel we have ever EVER stayed in. It is a disgrace to the brand, and the staff just don’t care.

When we arrived at this hotel there was no power, and as we tried to ask a few questions the staff repeatedly asked for my name like they were trying to ignore the situation. When we asked what would happen if we checked in and still had no power into the night, the staff were very rude and got confrontational with us, while waving a form in my face to sign. The manager kept blaming the city and saying he was out money too, which is fine but we are just customers man. We hadn't even checked in yet, and the manager was yelling at my husband instead of answering simple questions, so we decided to leave.

I accidentally booked 2 nights on Expedia instead of one. No problem. My fault. So I ask the concierge if she can make it just one night. She says I will have to call Expedia. No problem. I call Expedia & they tell me they’ll call the hotel to get approval to get the one night removed. I went to get back in line to get the situation sorted out, however 2 families had arrived ahead of me and were being helped. There was only one concierge helping them. And one mopping the lobby. Instead of pausing her task to help the 2nd family to expedite the check in process, the lady (who I later found out was the supervisor) continued to mop instead of helping customers. After 30 minutes of waiting, the concierge who I assumed would help me, declined the Expedia request, so I quickly had my optimism dashed and divided. I asked the concierge why she wouldn’t approve this, and she said since her manager isn’t in. So I questioned why I had been instructed to call Expedia just for her to say no, she could’ve just told me no and I would’ve had to accept this. But instead I got the run around and was given false hope for my request to be approved. If this wasn’t enough, on our 2nd night here there was a large domestic dispute in the room across the hall from us. No security or hotel staff came to check in. Eventually police were called & arrived to de-escalate the situation. However, not before a woman had been hit.

DO NOT BOOK AT THIS HOTEL! It was a disaster from the minute we checked in to the minute we walked out the door the next morning.
I have nothing good to say about this establishment and the way it is managed.
It is not customer service oriented and it’s unfortunate that the managers and owners do not realize that without satisfied guests this hotel will eventually not exist. We stayed one night and didn’t even want to but there was no way the hotel would cooperate to compensate any monies if we left. I will never recommend this hotel and depending on how corporate handles the email I will sending, I might not ever book at a Holiday Inn again!

Do NOT stay here! Worst experience of my life at this hotel. Suspect I got Bed Bug bites from this hotel. When attempting to contact management about the situation an actual manager doesn't seem to exist. Given a whole run around and hung up on numerous times by staff member Ivan. Very unprofessional and not up to the standard of a Holiday Inn brand.
No toilet paper in the room, no towels, sofa bed broken and wouldn't close. But paid full price for a suite with sofa bed. The Staff and Management do NOT care about their customers. Save your money and book elsewhere.

Do not stay here. Attempted to check in at 8:15pm and was told to wait 10mins as the room was not clean.
The promised 10mins turned into 90mins sitting in a hot lobby with no air conditioning. I was one of the lucky ones that got a room prior to midnight. There were families with young children standing in the lobby after 11pm with no where to go. Garbage in the hallways. Guest mopping up water in the lobby to prevent slipping as other guest were forced to walk from the pool wet as there were no clean towels in the hotel.
There were 3 employees working in a full hotel making it impossible to maintain any level of service.
Guest were asking other guest for soap, toilet paper and other items as waiting at the front desk for items took 30-60mins. Breakfast was a muffin and banana which leads me to the one positive of this hotel… there is a Tim Hortons in the same parking lot.

Worst customer service I got ever. Nikita refused to get me the name of the man who was rude and handed our check in poorly. Have no communication skill ever.
Will never go back.

Very rude front desk, very bad experience. We do not recommend it to any body. I want to file a complaint about the front desk attitude and there is no upper manger we can talk with. Group of irresponsible people at the front desk.

Stayed there recently, the phone in the room did not work, the tvs did not work, only had luke warm water in bathtub tap. Also noticed they double charged my credit card for the same stay. Horrible place, stay far away from it.

Had a great stay, used the pool with the grand kids and had fun had to book the pool time but was great to have the pool to ourselves. Had a 2 night stay.

Tvs didnt work. Changed rooms 3 times checked other rooms in between changes. Rooms werent clean. After spending 2.5 hrs trying to resolve TV issues we requested our money back to just leave and they refused.

Great rooms. Nice pool and spa. Great people.

We stayed for 3 nights and were very happy with our stay. Starting off with a very pleasant staff member at check in and all the other staff were very nice and accommodating. We only wish the pool was a bit bigger as it was quite busy and they have a water slide but it was still good. Only downside was you have to check out towels from the front desk. The breakfast was basic but good and the only suggestion is they could offer fresh fruit like in the little cups. Their staff member Bonnie was amazing. We were there all 3 mornings at the busy time and she sure held her own. She was ran off her feet but never complained (we felt she could have used some help). Some people weren't as patient as we were and needed to be more understanding.

Our stay at this hotel is always relaxed. The rooms are clean, the rates are good and the staff is friendly.

Well it was a decent hotel for the price, staff were nice, but a couple complaints are when you go swimming you have to go get towels from front desk and return to front desk which leaves the hallways all wet and elevator, breakfast was tasteless, also when we were on our way to check out we stepped into the elevator to go down and my 5 year old slips on a puddle of water and bangs her head in the elevator we go down to front desk and let them know, they didn’t seem too concerned, told the janitor, we were going to make a complaint but a crying kid in the lobby wasn’t good and we had to go.

Love the Manager, Pamela Park — Being local we tried to book a room and ended up having a horrible online experience with a third party. In speaking with the manager, she understood our issue and was quick in providing some assistance and while our reservation is finalized with the third party. Her ability to troubleshoot and provide support was exceptional. I will always sing their praises and refer them to anyone visiting our fine city. Holiday Inn for the WIN!

Great hotel room. Very clean and good customer service. Kids had a blast on the waterslide in the pool. Did not like that they charge $20 extra for a cot.

My new favorite place to stay in Calgary. The rooms are very nice and very comfy beds. Continental breakfast was pretty good.

Staff were very friendly and helpful. Bathroom was a little dirty. The sink had a leak and there was a pool/puddle of water under the air conditioner. It was convenient for the event we needed to be at so that's why we choose it.

Stay away from this place. Service sucks. Wi-Fi doesn’t work and be ready for the surprise charges on your credit card. I was there for 7 hours and I got charge $76 extra. I didn’t even watch TV, I took a shower and went to sleep and it cost me 255 for the room plus the 76. Crooks.

My daughter has swim lessons here so I only use the pool. It's a nice size with a slide and hot tub. It would be better if it had more then 1 bathroom/change room but the size is great and easy to change an infant in. However it is slightly confusing on why the slide goes into the shallow end of the pool where the stairs into the pool are at the deep end? One of life great mysteries I guess.

I've had the pleasure of traveling from the States to Calgary the last three years, and always choose HI Calgary South as my hotel (for a week's stay each time). The location is great and withing walking distance of a few eateries. The hotel is always clean, the staff always friendly, and my check-in/check-out always easy. I appreciate their level of friendliness and customer service. Already planning my return trip!

Staff is friendly and the rooms are clean. Breakfast is continental style and satisfying. However, the hotel is showing its age. The rooms are dark and the plumbing in the suite is loud. However, still a good value.

Clean rooms, pleasant staff, and a professionally created comfortable atmosphere. This hotel is consistently a reliable place to stay, close enough to everything to not require too much of a drive, but far enough away I'm never caught in traffic. I'll definitely be back.

Nice hotel. A bit light on service if you stay more than 1 day. We had to ask 3 different times for towels (have two toddlers) bit they eventually arrived. Hot breakfast was a great perk.

Unsatisfied with the service and quality at this hotel. Spent Easter weekend at the Holiday inn SOUTH-MACLEOD TRAIL in Calgary and was given a room with power outlets that were not working, lamps with light bulbs that were burnt, and a shower head that was not attached to the wall. That's not even the worst part of my stay at this Holiday inn… … Guest services came up to the room to try and repair the power outlets and in the process spilled water all over my MacBook Air laptop causing severe water damage and no possible way to recover the content on my computer. My property was damaged in my hotel room by an employee at the hotel and the operations manager advised that I will not be fully compensated for the damages that their employee caused. I strongly recommend booking a hotel elsewhere when visiting Calgary as this could happen to anybody! The Holiday Inn will not fully compensate you for damaging your property.

Unsatisfied with the service and quality of this hotel! Spent Easter weekend at the Holiday inn SOUTH-MACLEOD TRAIL in Calgary and was given a room with power outlets that were not working, lamps with light bulbs that were burnt, and a shower head that was not attached to the wall. Guest services came up to the room to try and repair the power outlets and in the process spilled water all over my Macbook causing severe water damage and no possible way to recover the content on my computer. My property was damaged in my hotel room by an employee at the hotel and the operations manager advised that I will not be fully compensated for the damages that their employee caused. I strongly recommend booking a hotel elsewhere when visiting Calgary as this could happen to anybody! The Holiday Inn will not fully compensate you for damaging your property.

Broken furniture. Showerhead was loose in the wall. It's very rundown for a big city hotel. There's got to be better places.

Good place, clean and comfortable.

Nice hotel. Typical Holiday Inn Express. Not brand new, but in good shape. Rooms are modern and public areas well kept. Usual breakfast included. Started earlier than the posted 630 am start time when I was there, which was appreciated as I had an early flight.

We stayed during the family day long weekend, as we were in town for a soccer tournament all weekend. I have to say we have never had better service at a hotel. Everyone was so friendly and helpful that I would never stay anywhere else while in Edmonton. They were more than accommodating for our team and made room for our pizza party and room for a movie for the girls. We had an issue with the pullout bed being a little uncomfortable for our girls. Instead of ignoring the problem they added a mattress on top and the girls never slept better. I have to say everyone from the front desk, morning staff at breakfast, and the cleaning staff were so friendly it felt like family. Thanks for all your hospitality! We really appreciated it. Thanks again.

Rooms are good and clean. People seem friendly and accommodating. But the breakfast. Let's just say stick to the packaged yogurt and dry cereal. Altjoughcthe pancakes were good as well the hockey puck or I mean turkey sausage and bacon and eggs were barely suitable for a dog. Cinnamon rolls were so hard I couldn't bite them. Maybe just a bad day but not a great impression. Everything else is great.

Great family place to stay, the kids loved the waterslide, spent most time there. Great place for families meet and get acquainted while kids in pool, also a hot tub and exercise room attached. Staff very personable and helpful. Rooms are good size and very clean. Will stay here again definitely. Price is reasonable.

Great stopover. Welcoming staff always ready to help with information as needed and simple pleasantries that brighten the day! Thank you.

Very Impressed with the accommodations and meeting rooms we booked this weekend to celebrate a family event. Rooms were clean, comfortable and very update. The staff bent over backwards to accomodate us, and all checked in to make sure we were happy (manager to housekeeping) The kids loved the pool area, and the catering we ordered was fantastic. Would book here again, and again!

Clean rooms. The water slide and pool area is great for kid's. We'll kept.

Very comfortable beds, very clean, great breakfast. Easy access to shopping and restaurants. Would recommend to anyone!

After calling to ask how much advance notice I needed to give to shorten my stay, I was advised to let staff know at check in. When I advised the clerk at check in that I would only need the room for 2 nights instead of 3, I was told I was on the hook for the 3rd night since I didn't notify the hotel 72 hours in advance! The room itself was okay, with these exceptions. No shampoo was provided, only conditioner. Also, only decaf coffee was provided in the room. All these problems arise from poor training of staff. The breakfast I could only describe as 'gut fill. ' Nothing tasty or nutritious was provided. To top it off, our vehicle was vandalized in the parking lot. We came out to an 8" long scratch on the hood that wasn't there when we parked it. I won't be returning.

Clean rooms. Friendly staff. Good pool and water slide. Kids really enjoyed that. Very quiet rooms.

Nice suite. Breakfast was decent. Was never any towels at the pool. The ones they brought were small. Need more seating at the pool for parents.

Some rooms are really nice, others are average. Really good free breakfast daily. Front counter staff could be more professional and be friendlier. Cleaning staff are nice and do a good job. Nice to have a washer and dryer for your clothes. Elevators and in room refrigerators need some work. Wi-Fi, fitness area, pool. Overall it is a nice place to stay.

If I could leave a 0 star I would. Ridiculously old rooms. No pools towels. And be careful of using any towels in your room with makeup or your hair. They will ding you for it. Better off bringing your own towels lol.

Absolutely perfect location if you're visiting Calgary because the C-Train is just over the road. Service was impeccable, room was gorgeous and the breakfast buffet is pretty yummy too.

Clean & comfortable. Have unit was very loud when it kicked on and off. It woke me a few times.

It is not wrong. The rooms are spacious. The breakfast buffet friendly. In Spain would be a 3 star.

Helpful and friendly staff and the room is beautiful and comfortable. Walking in after a long day was relaxing as the lights were on and the cool air was blowing.

I don't mind paying more to stay at a HI Express because I think they have higher standards for the most part, and we've stayed at many. This hotel needs to work on doing a better job cleaning rooms. I opened the sheets to climb into bed and there were a bunch of long, black hairs on the sheet. Gross! Obviously the sheet wasn't changed. I called the front desk and a girl came down and changed it out. Also, the bed lamp was not working properly. The girl also replaced it. Bathroom fan was not working as well. When checking out, I let the desk know about the issues we had. The girl was pleasant, but in my mind a 'sorry' doesn't really cut a bad experience like that.

Excellent staff. Clean rooms, great breakfast.

Rooms are average. Room service is horrible. Too expensive for the location.

The rooms are very big and also very clean. The staff is very friendly. There's also a swimming pool and a little gym. The breakfast is included.

Great little hotel, modern and clean, well-appointed rooms, an excellent free breakfast, jacuzzi suites, water slide, fun.

Our family stayed in 4 rooms for 3 nights in May 2012. We were in Calgary for the funeral of a close family member. Unfortunately on the night when we needed sleep the most, the hotel was overrun by partying Grad students. Despite many calls to the front desk and going down at 4 am to talk to them in person they did nothing to try and stop the noise. The desk person on duty that night had no idea how to handle the situation and could only say “I’m sorry”. On a night when all we wanted was a good night’s sleep, this hotel was completely unable to provide it. If you are looking for a hotel that provides clean rooms and an ok breakfast, this one is fine. If you have any problems with your stay you will be out of luck.

Was visiting from Dallas. Great hotel. Great room. Location was perfect too.

Pleasantly Suprised with the size of the room. The office area was perfect for working, fridge and a microwave in the room and free internet. The staff are very friendly and cheerful. The decore seems new and the whole hotel is very clean. Met the manager at breakfast and she went out of her way to locate a restaurant I only half remembered from a previous stay.

I love the Holiday Inn Express Hotels, but this one was ok at best. There were three of us in the room, my husband and daughter and me. We had to ask for towels everyday as we were given one facecloth and two towels. When I inquired about the lack of towels, or why we had to ask everyday I was told they were running our of towels and thought it best to give everyone some. This might explain why I saw an employee cutting towels in half or why they charged me $15.00 for a makeup stain, they were unable to get out, on a hand towel. I am thinking the stain may have been on a face cloth instead, although they never actually showed me the face cloth. I tried to get make up out of a white face cloth at home and had no issue, which leads me to believe that they do not use high quality soap on their towels and bedding. We came back one day to no water as they had to do a repair on a pipe, by some of the reviews; I see this is not the first time this has happened. The pool area was nice however; both my husband and I found broken plastic cups on the bottom of the pool. The breakfast area was nice and well stocked except for fruit, most days they did not have any at all. Overall the hotel is ok; the rooms were upgraded and comfortable. Unfortunately the lack of fruit and towels and the charge on the bill at the end of the stay left a sour taste in our mouths.