Step Right in to the Holiday Inn Express
This particular Holiday Inn Express was built a mere two years ago, and still had that nice, fresh new hotel vibe to it as we pulled into the wrap around car port out front. The 4 story structure loomed over us as we pulled in at 11:00 AM after a full night of driving, road weary and in need of rest. We had made online reservations a few days before via their web site at http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hd/flosc, so honey and I entered the lobby with confirmation number clutched firmly in hand.
Little did we know, the official check in time at this hotel is 4:00 PM (check out time is at 11:00 AM – we had misread their web site instructions). I have to give kudos to the front desk staff at this Holiday Inn Express – they made us feel welcome from the moment we walked in the door, road dust trailing behind. They said it was no problem that we had arrived early, as driving trips were difficult to time perfectly, asked us to have a seat while they got our room ready, brought us coffee even though the complimentary breakfast was already over, and generally took excellent care of us from the moment we arrived.
After a few minutes, the front desk clerk walked over to us to say she had been unable to find the queen bed smoking room we had requested, and asked if she could upgrade us to a king smoking room instead. Since honey and I never say no to free upgrades, we said we’d take it. We settled back into the comfortable couches in the lobby to wait a few more minutes. After a short while (barely enough time to absorb the traditional hotel “faux Mastepiece Theater” lobby motif) the front desk clerk came back over with our room key cards and directions to the back entrance and up to the fourth floor, where our room was located.
Thanking the front desk personnel profusely for the courtesy of readying our room on short notice and not charging us an extra day’s stay, we hobbled back to the car. Once we parked, unloaded The Bridesmaid Dress and assorted suitcases and other necessities, caught the elevator and got to the fourth floor, we discovered the maids (working in teams of two) were not quite finished yet. They encouraged us to come in anyway and proceeded to finish their work, assuring us all the while that we weren’t in the way. Upon finding out I was a Florence native returning home for a special occasion, we played a pleasant game of “who do you know”, finding a few acquaintances in common. You have to love a small town. Having been efficiently cleaning while they made us feel at home, they were soon done with our room and on to the next.
Honey and I looked at each other for less than a second, making the unanimous, unspoken and immediate decision to lock the door and hang the “Do Not Disturb” sign so we could take a much needed nap. I have to say those sheets were lovely, cool and crisp when I sank down into them, but I might have been biased to extreme pleasure from thinking only of sleep for so long at that point! After waking from the fantastic nap, I was able to observe my surroundings more completely.
The hotel colors were a fairly standard mix of floral or paisley patterns and plain fabrics in burgundies, dark greens, tans, golds, off whites, etc. There was a chair, two nightstands, an ottoman, a writing desk, an armoir with drawers underneath and the Television in the top portion, a small hallway with a closet, and a spacious grey and white tiled bathroom with ample counter space for all the girly paraphernalia you need to bring to a wedding. Inside the closet was an iron, ironing board, and hangers. The bathroom was fully stocked with all the expected adorable little miniature toiletries, tissues and whatnot as well as the ice bucket and glasses set up and a hair dryer.
On the writing table was a 4 cup coffeemaker with coffee packets, paper mugs and other accoutrements, as well as the hotel stationary and pen set. In the drawers of the nightstands were several phone books from various towns, the cable television guide, remote control, ubiquitous Gideon Bible and ash trays. There was ample light in the room, with a lamp on each nightstand, the writing desk and a ceiling fixture in the hallway and also in the bathroom. the bathroom also had a heat lamp.
Once honey and I had taken stock of our surroundings, we decided it was time to join the land of the living and called my parents. It was then we discovered the bride and groom had not been seen for hours. With everyone distraught at the old homestead, we decided to go in search of sustenance. Now, I may have grown up in this town, but it has been many years since I have lived there. Florence has certainly grown! At a loss, we decided to see if the front desk was still in a helpful mood. Happily they were more than happy to recommend two local restaurants to choose from, and also to give us directions from the hotel. We chose Red Bone Alley (I highly recommend it, but that will have to be another review) and off we went. The directions were perfect, and the food was quite good – an excellent recommendation.
Since I ran into old friends (and my other sister) while we were out, we ran a little late getting back to the hotel. The parking lot was perfectly well lit at midnight – I would have still been comfortable parking there had I been a woman alone returning to her hotel room after a long evening meeting or event at night. Getting off the elevator on our floor we were both struck my the silence. In a hotel there is usually some noise, but not this one. We did not hear one peep from any of our neighbors the entire time. I truly appreciated a hotel with ample sound deadening in place – no one wants to know what their hotel neighbors are doing in the wee hours!
We called the front desk for a wake up call (it being gauche to miss the pre-wedding gatherings, fittings, rehearsal dinners and whatnot) and they continued to be helpful and pleasant, even going so far as to ask which recommendation for dinner we chose and what we thought of it. The wake up call came right on time the next morning, and we were off to get ready for the Main Event. While we were leaving we ran into our team of maids again and thanked them for the quick set up the day before. On the way out we noticed a glassed-in enclosure and noted it for later since we were in a hurry.
Coming home we made a special trip to the enclosure – an indoor pool! Near the pool was a fitness room with several treadmills, elliptical trainers, stairmasters and weights. Next to that was a small “office” set up for use by the guests – a couple of computers, a fax machine, broadband access, a printer, a phone and office supplies – a pleasant little space to work in if you are traveling on business and your laptop breaks or you didn’t bring it in the first place. We noticed that they also offered a laundry service, which we made a note of “just in case” since the wedding was coming up.
The following night, following the rehearsal dinner, we needed to find a local bar and grill because I had heard a good friend worked there and wanted to say hello. Once again, the front desk came to the rescue and steered us right to the local watering hole. Speaking of watering holes, I should note that not only is the hotel within 5 minutes of the Florence Airport, they are also 5 minutes from the local country club, golf course, shooting range, etc. There may have been a lack of things to do when I was a kid, but there is plenty to do around town now!
All in all, we were more than pleased with the Front Desk staff and the cleaning staff at this Holiday Inn Express. Now that you have relived the hotel portion of our experience with us, lets take a look at the amenities offered by the hotel:
Indoor Pool (ahhhhhhh!)
Complimentary Breakfast
High-speed Internet Access
On-site Guest Self-Laundry Facilities (washer/dryer)
Iron / Ironing Board
Coffee Maker
Kitchenette (suites only)
Health/Fitness Center On-Site
Hairdryer
A/C Public Areas (very, very important down South)
Pets Allowed in limited rooms for a fee
All in all this was a clean, pleasant, friendly experience made even better by the fantastic team working at this hotel.
Recommended
Yes
