Holiday Inn Express & Suites Birmingham-Irondale (East) by IHG

Reviews

• AT

  Ashley Teague

  3 days ago
  1.0
  BED BUGS! STAY ELSEWHERE! I have stayed at this hotel many times in the past. I have a small home, so when my mother comes to visit, this is her go-to spot. I was having some plumbing issues at my house, so I decided to book this hotel for my daughter and I for the evening. I initially called to book because I had a couple of questions. The woman who answered the phone repeatedly put me on hold while trying to book the room then eventually told me she would call me back in 5 minutes. Ok, weird, but fine. Maybe she's new. After about 10 minutes I decided to call back, to which I was answered very sternly with "I told you I would call you back in 5 minutes!" I should have decided then and there to stay elsewhere, but this hotel is convenient to where I live and it was around 9pm. I quickly booked online instead and headed to the hotel. Check-in was smooth and we headed to our room. I noticed some small debris on the floor, and a stale, musty smell. I went to take a shower and while in the bathroom, I noticed a lot of mold and mildew under the rim of the toilet. As I was finishing up, my daughter came in to the bathroom and told me she saw bugs on her sheets. Sure enough, I investigated for myself and saw tiny bedbugs moving about on the fitted sheet. Not to mention the crumbs, hair and dirt on the sheets. Disgusted, I called the front desk and reported the problem. The lady haphazardly apologized and offered an upgraded room. I briefly considered it, but ultimately decided I would prefer a full refund because there's no way they could guarantee there weren't bed bugs in multiple rooms. We got our stuff together and went downstairs to leave. I told the lady at the desk that I wanted a refund and she kept insisting on getting me an upgraded room instead. She asked for proof of the bedbugs and I showed her the video I took, which I have attached to this review. She floundered about a bit, so I'm wondering if she was new and didn't know how to handle the issue correctly. Eventually she asks another woman what to do, and the 2nd woman called who I assume was the general manager or owner. Fortunately, they agreed to give me a full refund. It seems like this hotel is under new ownership or management and they are not doing an effective job at maintaining cleanliness standards. Pretty sad, considering it's not the cheapest option and Holiday Inn Express is usually a reliable go-to. I've noticed a lot of the responses from the person in charge on many of these low rated reviews and they say they appreciate the feedback and use it to improve. Clearly that is not the case because these issues would have been resolved by now. UPDATE: Google Asian Lady Beetles. The bugs on the bed are 100% not those. They are young bedbugs.
• TM

  Tesheia Mayfield

  6 days ago
  1.0
  My room was FILTHY. But since we didnt utilize the room until late night, it was not noticed at check in. Housekeeping needs to be trained on the level of acceptable cleanliness.
• TB

  Thomise Butler

  Nov 17, 2025
  5.0
  Lovely hotel tucked away on a hill. Clean and spacious rooms with a nice view of pool or forrest. Friendly staff and complimentary breakfast with a variety of options (tasty).
• JJ

  Jimmy Jones

  Nov 8, 2025
  2.0
  Keep driving. The bed smelled like mildew, especially the pillows. The front desk tells you breakfast starts at 6am. It does not. The TV remote tells you it’s a smart tv. It is not. I called ahead and asked if there was a printer I could use. They affirmed that there was a printer. Well, there is, but it doesn’t work. I asked check in to please print a form for me and she refused at first but then reluctantly gave me an email to send the form to. This is a nice area. There are, surely, better places to stay. I felt the unwelcome and uncomfortable, and I’ve stayed at some rough places before..
• LM

  Layla Mack

  Oct 23, 2025
  2.0
  Disappointing Experience – Would Not Recommend Our stay was extremely disappointing. The housekeeping staff seemed unprofessional — we found a full case of Natural Ice beer on her cart and even witnessed police being called regarding an alleged theft from another guest. Shockingly, management sided with the employee rather than the paying customer, who had a valid complaint. Noise was another major issue. The hallways were loud late into the night, and if your room is near the pool, expect constant noise during operating hours. Parking was also a problem — there weren’t enough spaces, and we were forced to park on gravel outside the main lot. Breakfast was decent, but the attendant did not greet anyone and instead left tip cards with her Cash App information on every table. While the area was kept clean, there was no sense of customer service or hospitality. Overall, this property needs significant improvement in professionalism, management response, and guest care.

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