Holiday Inn Express & Suites Richwood - Cincinnati South by IHG

Reviews

• KC

  Kylee Cashwell

  Jan 5, 2026
  1.0
  This place was absolutely atrocious! The entire hotel is MUSTY. Like wet basement musty. The pool area disgusting- murky water hot tub was slimy the entire area smelled horrific. Mold in the pool area. I mentioned it to the front desk and they said “oh it is dirty? Must be because our maintenance man has been off since before the new year.” …. Gross so that means the pool has not been cleaned in days??? But also even if the pool was clean how can you get past the smell in there and the mold everyone even mold on the pool chairs. And now to the rooms… rooms were mid also still smelled like must. Like the sheets and towels had sat in a washer for far too long. Mold in the shower and on the bathroom ceiling. They have a large dehumidifier in the lobby….. how about investing in a way to fix this must. No dehumidifier will fix that problem. Also with the reviews I looked at after booking some go back three months of the nasty awful pool area so I don’t think the maintenance man being off is the issue. Do yourself a favor and book them hotel directly across the street.
• CK

  Chulgu Kang

  Jan 3, 2026
  1.0
  We stayed at this hotel for one night (Jan 1–2). This was our second consecutive year staying here, as we had a good experience last year and specifically chose this hotel so our kids could enjoy the pool and the adults could relax in the hot tub after a 13-hour drive. Unfortunately, this stay was extremely disappointing. We checked in around 7:30 PM and went to the pool area around 8:30 PM. The pool had a strong, unpleasant odor, and the hot tub was filled with visible debris, making both completely unusable. My children had already changed into their swimsuits and were very disappointed. When I spoke with the front desk, the staff recommended that we not use the pool and informed me that other families had already canceled and left due to the same issue. This means the hotel was clearly aware that the pool and hot tub were not usable. However, we were not informed of this at check-in. Had we been told, we would have chosen another hotel and not wasted over an hour. By the time we learned the truth, it was already around 9:30 PM, making it unrealistic to find another hotel, especially one with pool access. We ended up staying the night only to sleep and left the next morning to drive back to Canada, without being able to use the main amenities that were a key reason for choosing this hotel. I also attempted to contact the hotel manager afterward, but received no response at all, which was very disappointing and unprofessional. Overall, we feel that we did not receive the services that were advertised or expected, and the lack of communication—both at check-in and afterward—was unacceptable. I cannot recommend this hotel based on this experience.
• TJ

  Trinity Justice

  Jan 3, 2026
  2.0
  One star. And that star is solely because there were no bugs in my bed. That’s it. That’s the review’s mercy. To get to my room, I walked past a giant industrial dehumidifier plugged into the hallway about 10 feet from my door. Nothing says “welcome” like remediation equipment. The hallway smelled like mold, though thankfully the scent did not follow me into the room. Small wins. The room above me housed what I can only assume was a family of elephants. Constant stomping. Add in people running up and down the hall and nonstop door slamming until well past midnight. Sleeping was not an option. Lying awake in misery was. When the lights were turned off, what I believe was a smoke detector emitted a full strobe-light flash every other minute. Not a blink. A flash. All. Night. Long. The bathroom contributed its own soundtrack, a never-ending rushing water and gurgling noise that I first thought was another room. Nope. Just the bathroom existing loudly. The pool was not heated. Even better, all the windows in the pool area were wide open to the outside. It was 7 pm. It was 22 degrees outside. Closing the windows helped exactly zero. The hot tub did not bubble. When guests asked about it, an employee came in and said she called the manager, who replied that “someone probably messed with it too much” and to “leave it alone and it will work later.” It did not. Breakfast was the final boss. Kids everywhere slopping food out of half-empty containers. The pancake machine was turned off. I asked the attendant if it worked and was told yes. I waited for it to warm up, only for another guest to inform me it did not work. The attendant later lifted the top and said, “No box.” Apparently the machine “works” in theory, just not with ingredients. Plates were missing until requested. Muffins were gone. Food was not replenished, despite over an hour left before breakfast ended. By this point, the constant noise from inside the hotel and the freeway a stone’s throw away had completely finished me. Yes, convenience was my fault. Expecting rest was apparently not. Would not stay again. Would not recommend. Would, however, like to thank the bed for being bug-free. Hence the star.
• JW

  Jacquelyn Wierzba

  Jan 1, 2026
  2.0
  Front Desk staff wonderful and a clean bed everything else a disappointment. Dirty, run down and lacking in staff work ethic. I've stayed at other Holiday Inn Express and never seen a more sloppy hotel. Overall dirty. Dining room tables were never wiped down, ants crawling all over me while I'm sipping my morning coffee. The room carpet looked like the door mat of a hardware store. I do believe the main issue is lack of staff who know what a good work ethic is. Also, the building itself needs basic maintenance. Room heaters that don't work in the middle of winter, slow plumbing, green murky pool water, broken or empty food/beverage amenities. There were never enough pool towels and the pool room was dripping moisture from the ceiling like there was a hole in the roof on a raining day. I usually speak so highly of Holiday Inn Express and recommend to family and friends. This location I just can't. I do want to note though how friendly and willing to help the front desk staff is. If it weren't for them I would have canceled my reservation and gone somewhere else without a refund.
• CD

  Charles Day

  Dec 24, 2025
  5.0
  For the room price you really can't beat it... This hotel has a pool hot tub I'm better than your average bear breakfast. Pancake maker cheesy omelettes biscuits and gravy sausage toasted bagels your way etcetera and more. The king room we had was more than spacious. Although I would say this hotels location is not far from things that's not exactly close to either.

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