Holiday Inn and Suites Phoenix Airport North by IHG

I booked this hotel under my name for a family trip, and my wife and kids arrived about an hour before me due to our travel schedule. Even though she provided my full name, my ID, the booking reference, and the exact credit card used for the reservation, the front desk still refused to check them in. This was at 11 PM, after they had just gotten off a five‑hour flight, exhausted, hungry, and traveling with kids. Instead of showing any flexibility or basic hospitality, the staff forced them to sit in the lobby and wait for my arrival.
************************UPDATES******************************
The $500 plus tax they witheld was claimed to be a smoking violation fee. Both my wife and I are life-long non-smokers and they did this without any prior communication or physical evidence.

The "Evidence" is Scientifically Impossible:
The hotel provided a sensor report showing a PM 2.5 of 393.1 and an AQI of 429 at 09:58 AM—exactly when we were packing for checkout with our children. According to EPA standards, an AQI of 429 is "Hazardous," equivalent to being in the middle of a forest fire. If this data were real, the building's fire alarm would have been triggered. No fire alarm went off because the sensor was clearly malfunctioning.

A Deliberate Setup for Guests:
The General Manager, Danielle Sonn, claimed she could not reach us on Booking.com platform right after checkout (which is a lie) and admitted that their "REST" sensor system is intentionally configured to only send reports at 9 AM and 11 PM, rather than in real-time. This is a massive red flag. The hotel could easily send staff to verify a room immediately if smoke is truly detected, but they choose not to. Instead, they wait until you have left the premises and no physical evidence remains, leaving you with zero way to defend yourself.

If you are a non-smoker, you are not safe here.

When booking my stay, it stated that there was a free continental breakfast provided. Wrong!! I was told it would be $18.00 per person. Ad needs to be changed
They had a hard time finding my reservation. After 4 hang ups from them, we got through the front desk. The reason they couldn't find me was the booking was listed as Sherwood Barbara instead of Barbara Sherwood. If miscommunication between Booking.com and Holiday Inn Express, I will think twice about using either service.

The phones didn’t work, there were no USB ports, the Keurig Coffee maker was not working, the coffee maker in the lobby was out of order, the jacuzzi water was hazy, the management seemed unapologetic.

Location was sketchy. Pulling into a gated area is always a red flag. The hotel was decent. Hot tub was green and smelly. Don’t use the hot tub!

Chambre bruyante jour et nuit
Salle de bain très petite avec lavabo dans la chambre
Ascenseurs en panne
Personnel à peine aimable
Hôtel dans son jus pour un prix assez élevé

Everything. DO NOT stay here. This company is false advertising their facility and amenities. The photos shown are NOT an accurate reflection of the real property. This place is in the ghetto, has jail like gates, feral cats roaming near the hotel. I felt like I was in the projects.The elevator didn't work. Severely neglected property. The room has no useful utensils although it had a small kitchenette. The bathroom seemed to have mold. We were next to a giant air conditioning system. I felt uncomfortable just being in the room. I wasn't going to be able to sleep at night so we just went to another hotel even though we had already paid for the room. Never trusting this company again.

Spent over $300 for a room without working air. Tried to get the manager to contact me and was ignored. Shower leaked everywhere making it where we had to share a towel and use the rest to not flood the bathroom. Absolutely unacceptable.

Elevator broken
Too much roughhousing in pool area
Not enough chairs in pool area
No where to buy a drink til 4 pm
Sink handles broke in room 205

Low quality and run down state. Needs a thorough renovation.

Booked a room with a patio and had to move rooms after first room did not have outdoor access. Second room had a small space that was not even big enough for a chair

Rude people at front desk. I have to look at my invoice I think I was doubled charded.. Not sure

No communication or information. There was a QR code as we went into the building to check in. Person didn't tell us anything - realized that maybe it was for parking after we got to our room. Had to go back down and pay or risk getting towed. Had to search for coffee in the morning - it was pretty far away and free until 10:00. It was not a friendly place.