I'm not sure what to say about this Holiday Inn Express. I expected a lot more since I've stayed at this chain and have trusted their accomodations, but after this, I will be more careful.

First off, the front-line staff is extremely nice. I didn't like the first room that I checked into (too close to the open vending machine area) and was checked into another room within 3 minutes! It's always the staff that invites people into a place and I truly appreciate that. However, I'm not sure that it's enough this time.

The rooms definitely need updating. Carpeting is old, the tiles in the bathroom are old, and I felt every single spring in the bed. I tossed and turned all night and woke up with a back ache. I opened the armoire and one of the doors almost fell off. There's definitely a lot of wear and tear here and I'm just not used to that in a Holiday Inn Express.

Not only that, it just seems housekeeping lacked the attention to detail. The refrigerator was tilted. Not a big deal since I didn't use it, but I fixed it by adjusting the screw in/out legs. The room had a mild-moldy smell that could have been rid with some air freshner. It just seemed that they were cleaning it for the sake of cleaning it, rather than taking a bit of time out to make things look and smell inviting.

Also, there are creepy-crawlies around. I was on the first floor and a spider dangled by our door and there were ants in the bathroom (in December, mind you). A sign by the door did indicate the presence of pesticides, so be forewarned.

I had the impression that all Holiday Inn Expresses have the same quality, but this one proved me wrong. It could have been a mere "miss" to my previous experiences, but with all the other hotel chains around there, why wouldn't you want to make an impression to ensure future business? I will stay at another Holiday Inn Express in the future, but if I'm in the area, I don't think I would return to this hotel. I'd be more prone to give the other hotels in that area a try rather than going back.

After trudging along the turnpike in a heavy storm after a long day, I greatly hoped I would find a Holiday Inn Express, as I stay in many of them around the country because they seem to offer so much at a decent price. Suddenly I saw the iconic HIE sign, and I was ready to fall into a comfy bed, relax, and then head to the nearby Philly airport in the morning. What I found:
Ups—the location is convenient to all sorts of destinations; the bed was okay; it was quiet; the room was good-sized; the furnishings were reminiscent of other HIEs; the bath was large and clean.
Downs—the staff seemed less attentive than I’ve experienced before, although they took care of matters after some wait; the breakfast was okay, but had less choice than usual; there were some signs of wear-and-tear [but that might simply be from a continual high-volume of guests].
Overall—not bad, not great; given the same circumstances, I would likely stay there again, knowing that it would be a quick, overnight experience.

Ok, you look all around the hotel from the parking lot to the lobby to the elevator, to the room and bathroom and furniture and refrigerator and lamps and you can clearly see wear and tear, cobwebs, worn carpets, lack of attention to detail when cleaning floors, furniture, lamps. Severely wrinkled sheets, pillow cases, rough towels and damaged tables/chairs. The candy items in the 3rd floor vending machine are dangerously close to expiration dates which made their appearance and taste unsatisfactory.
But when I had a complaint about my first room being opposite the elevator or a wobbly floor lamp, the manager and maintenance were on the case.
Another plus- the mattress was AOK!!!

We stayed one night here enroute to a cruise out of NY CIty.
The location was very easy to find off the NJ Turnpike and the outside was nice. Once inside I waited a while for the guy to get off his phone (personal call). I was checked into a room quickly once he focused on his job.
There were sports teams staying here. Our son has played select soccer and we have had our share of team hotel stays, so I have patience around lots of kids. These kids were all over the place ( playing in elevators, slamming doors, knocking on random doors) and hotel staff did nothing to keep the hotel quiet and clean for all guests. There were what looked like potato chip crumbs throughout the hallways on both the main floor and along the way to our third floor room. I am not talking occasional crumbs, but a lot of crunching as I walked!
The icemaker on our floor did not work--the 2nd floor did not have one, so the ice machine on the main floor served all guests. It could not keep up with demand for teams filling coolers and other guests.
Our room itself was very nice and seemed to have been recently redone. Beds were comfortable and bathroom was spacious and effiicient.
Breakfast was a nightmare. The hostess girl said they were out of rolls, eggs, and I forget what else. She said the hotel was full with the teams. I questioned if they had not reserved long ahead--I know our teams would never walk in with no reservations--so therefore they should have enough food for everyone. I think she got tired of people complaining because she went and SAT on the counter of the front desk and chatted with the clerk there. Tables were not cleaned, the items like milk and cereal they did have were not filled. The crumbs were still all over the carpeting as we left.
The pool was only open when the manager was on duty. I thought this weird as he seemed to work 9-5 and most people are at a hotel like this in the evening.
This hotel did not meet standards of the usual Holiday Inn.