Holiday Inn Express & Suites Albuquerque-N. Balloon Fsta Park an IHG Hotel

So frustrating! Will not stay...

Liked: Pros were the room was clean and comfortable, but there were so many other frustrations that we won't stay there again. The location was good for us, a short drive to see family on the west side.
Disliked: When we checked in, the young guy at the desk was uncommunicative. We got our key cards, and I took our luggage and 3 grandkids (they live in ABQ, we were visiting from CO) up to the room on the 3rd floor, while my husband parked the car. My key card wouldn't open the door, I tried many times while we waited for my husband, who arrived and his key card wouldn't work either. My husband went down to the desk and got 2 more key cards that we tried a dozen times and they didnt work either. The 5 of us with our luggage went back down to the desk. A girl was now working the desk who was extremely nice, and explained to us that the lock in room 311 is broken & you have to try your cards multiple times until it opens. The obvious question is why haven't they fixed the lock, and why do they continue to rent out the room with a known broken lock, but she was just an employee, not management, and was trying to help us. We had already tried our cards at least a dozen times, so requested another room, preferably on the same floor. She could put us in a room with 2 queens, but didn't have another 2 queens & sofa bed room. We have 2 granddaughters and a grandson, we needed 3 beds. At this point our grandson, who doesn't handle stressful situations well, decided he didn't want to spend the night, so we took the room offered. We got our things put away, and left the hotel to go eat at a fast food place, then came right back to go swimming. Our key cards WOULD NOT OPEN the 2nd room door. I went back down to the desk this time, she reprogrammed our cards and this time the key cards worked.We got our suits on and my husband took the kids to the pool first. I joined them about 10 minutes later, and the card wouldn't work in the 1st door into the pool. The kids let me in & my husband told me the 2nd door to the pool works. Each time a new person tried the door, one of us would open it and tell them the 2nd door works.

Exceptional

The room was dirty and...

Very good

Exceptional

Exceptional

Exceptional

Could've been better, Could've been...

Liked: Good breakfast (can't beat those warm cinnamon rolls.) 2nd room was super clean. Nice comfy beds. No highway noise. Bathroom layout was perfect.
Disliked: Not a great neighborhood. Thin walls, thin ceiling.The sound of movement from inside adjacent rooms carried through to ours, not to mention the footsteps from the room above at 5 am. Narrow parking spaces. Not a good value overall.

Very good