Express by Holiday Inn

Express by Holiday Inn Royal Docks-Docklands is only a short walk from Canning Town station, from where you can catch either the Jubilee line or a DLR train into central London. The hotel is an excellent example of its type and rates can be very good value if you take advantage of one of the offers available on a regular basis either online or in newspapers. The rooms contain all the essentials and I have never experienced any problems here. A help-yourself continental breakfast is included in the room price, the reception staff are efficient and friendly and all of the public areas are well maintained. A great budget option.

The hotel was really far away from pretty much everything, but that's why I was even able to get a room there. It was a last minute booking for a sat night and everywhere in town was booked up unless i pay more than 300 pounds for the night.

Anyways, I figure one night in the Docklands wasn't the worst thing in the world, with the tube being a block away and all. The hotel was pretty much what I have expected it to be. It was clean and neat and everything was at its minimal. The bathroom was clean, the shower was hot, the tv worked fine and the beds were pretty decent. The continental breakfast that came with the room wasn't as good as the breakfasts I've had at the other Holiday Inn Expresses, but I guess it depends on the region/culture.

Overall, it was a good deal and great for a short stay.

Let me start review by saying thanks to Tara (Hotel Manager) for doing her best to provide Customer Service. However Hotel management operational standards did not let her excel at her Job.
Had to go through lot of unnecessary drama during my stay however i will keep my emotions away and showcase what i found not ok from Guest experience perspective.
I originally booked the Hotel for 2 Weeks , Got a fantastic deal. Tara welcomed me at the Front desk, adjusted the pricing for me and gave me a bottle of water.

1) I requested for quiet and bigger room as i am going to stay for 2 weeks, However i ended up in a match box sized room. The front desk folks made me believe that's the best room they got. I would have appreciated honesty in this regard as later i found out there are much Quieter, bigger and nicer rooms available.

2) Elevator on my side is consistently faulty, Thankfully elevator on the other side of the Hotel is working. However its a maintenance problem and customer inconvenience. (It broke down at least for 3 days during my 7 day stay)

3) on Day 4, When i got back to the Hotel in the evening (5 PM) I found water leaking out of the Toilet and not flushing. I am exhausted and repeatedly tried to call the front desk for over 20 mins with no response. I dragged my feet down to the reception to report the problem at 5:30 PM and i got a response that operations are gone for the day and they will arrive the next day morning.
Hotel manager did Offer me for a room change. But from my point of view , i am all settled in and if i had to change rooms,i have to pack & Unpack everything. Simple solution should have been calling a plumber and fixing the problem.
I am very unhappy at this point. I am tired and my evening which is supposed to be relaxing turned into total chaos for not able to address a simple issue .
As a guest , all that i care is not being bothered by unpleasant service related circumstances .

4) Unhappy me told the hotel manager that i would like to check out. Instead of finding a solution , she tried to penalize me for early checkout. This is like putting gasoline in fire. and then disrespected me by offering me free points.
I dont care about free stuff, all that i care about is relaxing stay experience. I travelled several miles from home and paid for the hotel not to go through poor service experience.

5) I reported the inconvenience to the IHG Guest relations. and that night Hotel manager moved me to a new Room (spacious). I packed the luggage and moved myself to the new place. It's late in the evening and until the next day i did not look at the cleanliness of the carpet of the room. Hotel manager is not happy that i complained to the guest relations.

6) When i woke up next day i saw massive stains on the carpet in the room. Seriously It looks like Poop & Vomit (Look at the pictures) & appliances in the bathroom are not cleaned or maintained properly. I once again took this to the notice of the front desk and the lady did a walk through and offered me to change rooms again.
So the Rooms are Untidy and not clean. It made me question the health regulatory standards in London. Disgusting i must say.

7) That evening they moved me into another room ... again i have to pack all my belongings and drag my tired ass into the new room. Comparatively cleaner but Still got those black stains on the carpet.
I once again called the guest relations and updated the ticket with what's going on.

8) The next day, Right infront of the front desk i was confronted by the hotel manager for raising complaint with the guest relations. I dont want to get into the drama that happened But i once again want to say that Hotel manager Tara did her best to provide customer service however she is failed by her management. She doesn't have ultimate power to serve a customer. However i consider this unprofessional. If she had to talk , she should have requested sometime and spoke in the lobby area away from other guests.
I did not say nothing about leaving however Hotel Manager said i can checkout anytime i want.
Keeping emotions aside, Hotel management is asking me to checkout because i am questioning their untidy rooms and poor operations.

9) I care less about the drama but Hotel tidiness & operations is the most important factor for me. A rather simple solution is being turned into a uncomfortable situation to a customer. I cannot stay at a place where it is hazardous to health and not a relaxing experience. Plus i was unprofessionally treated.

At that point i decided to leave the hotel to Marriott brand. Let me tell you, total 360 degree change in experience. My rest of the stay in London is excellent and i highly regret staying at this location and had to go through all the drama in place of Customer Service.