The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Ogden is an old Holiday Inn Express off the interstate highway that has been lightly renovated.

The entranceway doesn't have automatic doors, which is an issue if you're handicap or have luggage.

Zero IHG Spire status at check-in, not even a complimentary bottle of water.

Vending machines were mostly empty. No Coke or Diet Coke in the gift shop.

Hallways are dark.

My first room had broken lights and a toilet that didn't flush. How didn't housekeeping notice this when they cleaned the room?

My second room was fine. It had a big (45 or 50 inches) newish LG television from 2019 and what looks like some fresh paint. The furniture looked older as it was was scratched, scuffed and stained.

However, there were no electrical or USB outlets by the bed that could be accessed, the in-room lighting consisted of five yellow-colored lights each with their own switch. The bed and linen was comfortable.

No screen in windows. Windows themselves were filthy. Very poor sound insulation. Highway noise is prominent.

The gym was small. About the size of a broom closet. The gym fitness equipment was mismatched and older. The treadmill was a small model and the kind you might have in your bedroom, not a full-size, professional treadmill.

Breakfast was the full Holiday Inn Express buffet from pre-pandemic times. However, nothing was labeled and the attendant spent most of her time in the back room. Tables were never cleaned up. Coffee was cold by 6:30 a.m.

My big issue was safety. The hotel felt unsafe.

The side door leading to the ride sharing parking lot for the interstate highway was constantly propped up by stones and rocks all night. It's clear someone was using the hotel for drugs or prostitution. I heard people all night in the hallway.

I would not stay here again.

I'm an IHG member which I only point out as a reference for the fact I stay at a lot of IHG properties over the year - in fact this hotel was the first two nights of nine on the road over five different IHG properties and the simple fact is this was the least impressive of the five so it's hard to rate it anything more than average.

However, whenever I talk about hotels the two main criteria I'm looking for is a comfortable sleep and a nice shower. This hotel definitely looks a bit aged and rough around the edges; but for the most part the sleep wasn't too bad and the shower had exceptional water pressure.

A couple of additional thoughts on the sleep though - first replace the headboards as the ones in our room were heavily worn out from people using them as backrest while watching TV (like most hotel guest use them I'm sure); but that worn through the material look just made the whole bed feel dated even though I'm sure the mattress wasn't nearly as old. Second give the AC units a tune-up ... the night of sleep would have been much less disturbed by a AC/fan unit that wasn't so jarring every time it kicked in (and it was a very hot/warm couple of days in May so it was necessary).

No issues with any of the staff - everyone was very friendly and professional.

The staff really make this hotel. They will bend over backwards for you. Beyond that, it is just a Holiday Inn Express. They've been great during Covid. I come to Ogden 3 or 4 times a year and always stay here. Some of the interiors could use a bit of a face-lift, but it really is a great little hotel.