JS
Jessica Schmitt
5 days ago
DO NOT STAY HERE.
It probably goes without saying that most people staying at the CLEVELAND CLINIC Holiday Inn Express are not here for a relaxing vacation. Many are dealing with serious medical situations, either for themselves or loved ones. That reality makes this hotel's policies and lack of compassion all the more disturbing.
My brother and I checked in after midnight, after ensuring our family member was settled in their hospital room. By that point, neither of us had had much sleep for days. Around 8:00 A.M., my brother went downstairs and officially extended our stay, then returned to the room to rest.
Despite this, at 8:30 A.M. housekeeping began banging loudly on guest's doors asking if they were leaving, nearly two and a half hours before checkout time. This was not a gentle knock; it was loud disruptive and completely unnecessary. Is a hotel not supposed to be hospitable?
When I spoke with the front desk and a daytime manager, I was told that this is their "standard operating procedure" and that guest must place a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door to avoid it. I have never encountered this practice at any hotel. Even worse, guests are not warned about this practice at check-in. And frankly, even with a DND sign, you still hear the staff banging on your neighbors' doors.
What makes this particularly concerning is that this issue is not a matter of limited resources or outdated practices. Even in the 1990s, housekeeping staff commonly confirmed guest checkout status by contacting the front desk before approaching rooms. In 2025, with modern property-management systems and real-time room status tracking readily available, it is difficult to understand why guests are still being disturbed early in the morning rather than staff confirming checkout information internally.
I left a message for the Director of Rooms and never received a call back. Days later, I contacted corporate and was told a manager would call me by the end of the day. That also did not happen. Instead, the manager left a note on the case reiterating that this is "what they do" and offered 1,000 IHG points to be credited to my brothers account, which we were not interested in after this experience.
After requesting a call again, I finally heard from the Assistant Manager, Jeremy I believe. Unfortunately, his attitude was just as smug and dismissive as everyone else I had dealt with. He claimed he spoke to housekeeping but couldn't say whether this practice would continue or not. He said that no discount could be offered, then backtracked and offered my brother $20 off an over $1,000 stay (so less than 2%). When I reasonably requested $100 off (when really, I feel that one night being comped would've been more appropriate) he said that wasn't possible and vaguely mentioned that he would talk to the General Manager, though he didn't expect anything to change.
This hotel showed a complete lack of empathy for guests who are under immense stress. If you value rest, compassion or basic courtesy, save your money. And, if you absolutely must stay, make sure you use your do not disturb sign because this hotel certainly won't respect your need for rest otherwise.