Holiday Inn Express Palestine by IHG

Reviews

• DL

  Danny Lemons

  2 days ago
  5.0
  Terrific location, especially for those of traveling from Waco area to far East Texas and beyond and working in between. The rooms are fantastic and very clean. The hotel itself is usually very quiet without uncaring folks being noisy up and down the hallways and slamming doors. Beds are very clean and comfortable as well as the rest of the linen. One can't go wrong picking this IHG location to stay at.
• EE

  EPTCB

  5 days ago
  5.0
  Our first time staying at this hotel and we were impressed. We had a wonderful stay. Our room was spotless and quiet. The pool was sparkling clean and inviting. The fresh roasted and brewed coffee in the common area was on point. We highly recommend this hotel!
• GM

  Gina Morgan

  Aug 12, 2026
  5.0
  Amazing customer service, very clean rooms. Amazing clean pool and jacuzzi! I'll be back!
• TS

  Thomas Stiewig

  Aug 11, 2026
  1.0
  This hotel was exerting too much control and tried say we were not travelling on active duty order that they couldn't honor their booking via their website. Didn't do this to the others traveling there. Very disappointing to be singled out like this. Do better.
• OQ

  Ofelia Quilantan

  Jul 13, 2026
  1.0
  My husband and I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Palestine, TX, along with my mother-in-law, father-in-law, and brother-in-law, while attending a family funeral. We checked in on Friday and checked out on Sunday. After a long, emotional day on Saturday celebrating the life of our uncle, our family decided to relax at the hotel pool. The posted pool hours were 10:00 AM–10:00 PM. We entered the pool area around 6:00 PM. Access to the pool requires a room key, which is clearly posted on the glass door. Around 9:55 PM, we began gathering our belongings, cleaning up our area, and preparing to leave. We were respectful guests and even picked up trash left behind by others. My 80-year-old father-in-law, who had been sitting poolside all evening, was with us as we slowly made our way toward the exit. At approximately 9:58 PM, I attempted to use my room key to exit the pool area and discovered the door had been disabled. We were locked inside the pool enclosure with no way to leave. The emergency exit gate was blocked by a dirty towel bin and secured with a padlock, preventing entry or exit. We knocked on the glass door multiple times to get the attention of the front desk attendant. Another hotel guest even pointed us out to her. Rather than immediately helping us, the front desk employee appeared to laugh at the situation while we remained trapped inside. After several minutes, she finally unlocked the door and immediately began scolding my 80-year-old father-in-law, repeatedly saying, "I told you 9:55 PM." This made no sense because the posted pool closing time was 10:00 PM, not 9:55 PM. At no point were we informed that guests would be locked inside the pool area before the posted closing time. To make matters worse, she threatened to call the police on us, despite the fact that we were simply trying to leave an area that hotel staff had locked us inside. This was not only extremely unprofessional, but it also created a serious safety issue. Guests should never be intentionally locked inside a fenced pool area without a means of exit. The employee's behavior—laughing at guests, scolding an elderly man, and threatening police involvement—was completely unacceptable. I have stayed in many hotels over the years and have never experienced anything like this. What should have been a quiet weekend spent with family during a difficult time turned into one of the most upsetting hotel experiences I've ever had. I strongly encourage hotel management to review their pool access procedures and provide additional customer service training to the front desk staff. Guest safety should never be treated as a joke.

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