Holiday Inn Express Kendallville

So this place is pretty bad as HIE hotels go.
First of all, what hotel in this day and age doesn’t have automatic lobby doors? I am juggling a few bags only to have to set everything down to open not one, but two sets of doors to get into this place. When I walked in, there was some nasty smell in the lobby. While it appeared nice, it definitely smelled.
Checkin was quick and easy, though I found it odd that they are so cheap that they white out over the old wifi password and room number in the cardboard key holder rather than just using a new one. No biggy, just a little detail. When I walked into my room, yet another pungent smell. Seems like they over use some kind of a deodorizer/​air freshener to overcome an even nastier smell. So what you get is a combo of the two which really is not good.
The bottoms of the doors on my end of the hallway all have what appears to be water damage (the finish is peeling) and the area where the tub meets the floor has a poor caulking job that looks like it has rust or some other kind of staining. The drain in the tub has half of its finish missing, so it is half chrome, half black. Small, easy fixes that should be completed. Oh, almost forgot the curtain rod that seems it might fall at any moment. It is one of those curved ones. The problem with that is when the begin to fall out and tip forward, the curtain will not stay closed. See attached pic.
The furniture in the room is all dinged and nicked. Refridge and microwave are really old looking. You can tell because what used to be a white front is now yellow. Out of curiosity, I pulled the microwave out and it has a manufactured date of 2002. Again, a minor detail, but shows the lack of updating things.
As a Platinum member, I expected to get a room in a decent spot. Not one of the first floor next to the highway. I am a light sleeper and the highway traffic was quite annoying. I could understand if I checked in late and the hotel was full, but I think there were a total of 10 cars in the lot last night when I came back from dinner… not exactly a full house with limited room availability.
The pool floor, just from walking by, is obviously in poor shape. Looks like it was painted blue at some point, which could look cool. The problem is, it looks like a 3 year old did it with finger paints. Very uneven and spotty.
I am sure I could spot 20 other things, but you get the idea. I am checking out early and finding another hotel. I know it is just an HIE, not a fancy hotel, but I expect more from this brand. Clean and maintained is what I am looking for. This place just doesn’t cut it compared to the many other HIE hotels I have stayed in. The only reason they get two stars instead of one is because the lady at breakfast this morning was super nice and really helpful!
As I pack my things to check out, house keeping has knocked on my door 3 times in the last fifteen minutes. I am here. Come back later.

A terrible experience. Room reeking of smoke and guests allowed to smoke. Uncaring management. Filthy carpet (nail clippings on floor). Noisy and non-​cooling air conditioner. I have been a traveler for thirty years and never stayed at a worst hotel. Holiday Inn Express has really gone down in quality. I would recommend any other hotel or sleeping in your car!

This hotel shouldn’t be a Hoilday Inn Express, repair is poor and rooms are dirty.
Management let kids scream in the pool area until 11:30pm Sunday evening.
I’m hoping it gets better or I will have to drive in from Ft Wayne.

I used to enjoy this hotel. Granted, not much choice in the area but still. This last visit was the final straw. The rooms are old and plain. The wifi is useless for a business traveller. So bad that dialup speed is faster (I measured the speed to confirm this). The breakfast was the same everyday. No variation AT ALL. A week long stay makes this lack of change unbearable. Sorry, I will drive further rather than stay here again.

I started out really liking this place but quickly it became just ok.
We arrived (my husband, dog and I) at about 9:15pm and were greeted by a very friendly front desk girl. I called earlier that day when I made my reservation to add a dog and my husband (when I made the reservation it sent me an email stating you can bring a dog for an additional charge… what?! Awesome! Mini family vacation!) but when we arrived they had no record of it. I had also asked for a late check out since I had a few meetings in the morning for work and my hubby and puppy had to stay in the hotel. The guy I spoke with, Joe, also said that he would add the dog charge of $ 15. He didnt and the girl didnt know how to add it… so she said «dont worry we wont be charged…» Even better! They also never wrote us down for a late check out even though I told Joe earlier in the day, told the girl when we got there and then they still forgot bc my hubby got a call asking him to leave… huh.
The room was decent… slightly less nice than most of the other Holiday Inn Expresses I have stayed at but still not bad. It was quiet and clean.
The best part of a holiday inn express is the breakfast… but I was met with disappointment. I always look forward to the flavored teas, fresh fruit and granola bars… Well, they didnt have any. They did; however, have their wonderful biscuits and gravy… without my other favorites, I had to indulge.
When we got the bill we were charged for the dog… we didnt mind paying, obviously, but it was irritating to be told we wouldnt have to and then have too.
Nothing were deal breakers, when I have to go back for work– for lack of options I will probably be back!

Relatively new hotel in a quiet town, clean, well maintained.