Similar rating as my previous. 3.5/4. Clean, conveniently located hotel near major highway and…read morewithin walking distance of some restaurants. Overall very clean and in good condition. Hotel staff were polite. Standard Room this time (instead of accessible). HVAC was very accurate, so room temp was comfortable. Hand-operated shades were awkward and one not in track. Beds were very comfortable. Pillows were plentiful. Bathroom was clean and fully stocked with towels and soap, etc. BIG disappointment was shower. While there was a hand bar at end to aid in stepping into the tub, there was no safety bar in tub to use while showering. Instead, there was a "shelf-like" attachment along part of the back wall (see my photo)....It was totally inadequate to grab; slippery and of no use for stability. Breakfast was another disappointment - similar to our previous visit. Bacon was crisp. (No sausage patty this time.) Eggs were very dry, almost green-tinted this time. and pan on buffet was dried around the edges. Biscuit was tough. Sausage gravy was thick as.... Nevertheless, edible and enough to get us started on our journey after a comfortable night. Some fresh fruit and decent coffee.

I'm updating this review due to my last two stays here…read more Both times the hotel has been both cleaner and quieter. Possibly due to the clientele that is currently, (for the most part) occupying the hotel. Construction and engineering crews. Contrary to popular belief, they are, for the most part, good, hardworking people that respect other people's property. I know because I'm also in the industry. The hotel has been pretty nasty in the past but the last two visits have been very good. Clean and fresh, great front desk attendants and friendly staff all around. Great job Holiday Inn Express!

Booked this stay at the last minute and very pleased with the overall hotel. Nice hotel in an area…read morewith several nearby stores and restaurants. Front desk staff pleasant at check-in and check-out. Room was clean and bathroom had plenty of towels. We purchased food and snacks, so the mini refrigerator and microwave was a plus. They offer breakfast but I didn't have time to fix anything or be able to carry several containers. I saw they offered Waffle and Bagel on the go. I went with the bagel ( apple, water and jelly included) and asked for cream cheese. I liked this option. I will definitely book again!

Will be our new stop as we travel thru every year. Clean, suites are spacious with enough room for…read moremy party of 5. Quiet and surrounded by lots of restaurants and stores if needed. Nasha and Elizabeth are amazing at their jobs at breakfast! Both so kind and helpful and tons of options to choose from! We will be back!

The area this is located in is decent, and it's near a couple of restaurants and stores while also…read morebeing a short distance to places you may need to go for work. The breakfast spread is disappointing both in quality and options available, but it is complimentary. My room was near the elevator and ice machine, so it was loud late into the night. If you were on the other end of the building, you likely wouldn't have that issue. My room smelled musty, which was suboptimal. The mattress was also stiff and uncomfortable. The shower door did a poor job of keeping the shower water inside the shower, so the floor would be wet after getting out. This may have contributed to the musty smell. Staff were friendly, and check in and check out were quick and painless.

The hotel was pretty and clean. The rooms were nice and looked like the photos. The pool was clean…read moreand the grill area was a bonus. This is the first pool I've been to that actually had towels. The breakfast was mediocre but it was stocked.

Room was clean and the staff were very accommodating. Breakfast was good! Room was quiet and…read morepleasant.

Upon check in, we were given a dirty room by mistake. We went down to the front desk and they…read morequickly got us in a clean room. Staff was super friendly and we had an updated room with no carpet. We were missing a full length mirror on the bathroom door you could tell was removed, just hadn't been replaced yet. Overall the hotel was very clean and staff was super nice. Only downside, the hotel is supposed to be smoke free and one morning someone was smoking or had a pot rape pen and the smell was coming into our room. The walls are super thin and we had a room facing the highway. It wasn't super bad but if your a light sleeper, it could be an issue. In hindsight, I'd stay again at this location. I'm typically in the area two-three times a year.

A solid three-star hotel suitable for travelers…read more Fairly typical mid-range property. Room was clean and spacious. Bed was a little hard by my standards but that's just my taste. Lots of retail and restaurant places in easy driving distance. Safe area. Staff were helpful and efficient. Breakfast was a bit better than you typically get and included boiled eggs, which I greatly appreciated because the scrambled eggs you generally get at hotels are off somehow. Also it had a choice of sweet buns to go with the coffee and actual pitchers of half and half, etc., not just the tiny containers. Pro tip: There is an Applebees adjacent, but it was terrible. Skip that, as there are plenty of eateries within easy driving distance.

We recently stayed at Fairfield Inn & Suites Birmingham Fultondale/I-65 and unfortunately, our…read moreexperience was very disappointing and not at all what I've come to expect from a Marriott-branded hotel. To start, we were charged $70 more than the quoted price. When I questioned it, I was told it was for "incidentals" and would be refunded after our stay. However, this was never disclosed up front, and I was given a final price when booking. Charging more without informing the guest in advance is not acceptable. When we entered the room, there was a noticeable cigarette smell, like someone had smoked in the room and tried to cover it up with air freshener. I brought this up to the front desk immediately and was told someone would come check the room--but no one ever came, and the smell lingered all weekend. While it wasn't unbearable, as non-smokers, it was unpleasant and should have been taken seriously. The front desk was never staffed when we walked up. We had to wait every time for someone to come out from the back, and one time I waited so long I had to leave and come back later. Housekeeping never came during our stay. Towels were never refreshed, and trash wasn't emptied even once. That's a basic expectation at any hotel. The room itself was in rough shape: stains on the carpet, ceiling damage, cracks in the shower, a badly broken toilet tank lid I actually cut my finger on the broken lid during the night. I didn't realize how bad it was until I woke up to blood on my finger and the bedding. I reported it to the front desk and asked for a Band-Aid and ointment. They only gave me a Band-Aid--no apology, no concern, and no effort to fix the hazard. To top it all off, the indoor pool was so cold on the last night that we couldn't use it. We saw cold water being pumped in, and the temperature dropped so much it made the pool unusable. I booked this hotel specifically because it had an indoor pool, and that was a major letdown. I sent a detailed message to the general manager and received only a brief apology. Over a week has passed with no follow-up, no resolution, and no accountability. This was one of the most disappointing hotel stays we've ever had. I would absolutely not recommend this hotel to anyone, and I hope Marriott takes a serious look at the condition and management of this location.

I debated awarding only one star to this review, but after considerable thought, finally decided on…read moretwo. Our visit was a roller coaster of sorts - very long drive to get to our hotel. (That was the first uphill climb on our "coaster".) Then a fairly easy and polite check in with courteous staff. (The courteous staff was the highlight of the stay...and 5 stars for their considerate, attentive, polite attention to our concerns.) The first mini zoom downhill was the odd "instruction" to insert the room keycard upside down..."They sent them to us this way," is what we were told.) Ok, no problem; that worked. Then into the room and a quick glance around - all looked reasonably neat and clean. HVAC worked fine and was easily adjusted; not too loud. But then that first crazy curve in the rails...(check my photos of the bed box springs cover--bases. Clean, yes....torn and in great disrepair? Also yes. Fortunately the beds were firm and comfortable...but pillows, all 6, were very, very squishy and soft. Sigh! Then, a quick look in the sink....disgusting (just check my photos of the crazed, cracked and stained bowl.) OK....long trip so...relax and turn on the TV for a few moments. Uh....nope, not unless you want a highly strained neck. The TV (again, check my photos). The TV is mounted on TOP of the closet. Not on the desk, not on the wall, not anywhere within your normal line-of-sight or normal field of view. OK....watch TV on my laptop before heading off to sleep. Next morning...there's more....let's take a shower. Great water pressure and temperature ..but...oh, my - here the roller coaster goes off the rails. The drain is corroded and essentially rusted out and non-functional (although it did actually drain). And if you drop anything in it, the X rails above the drain trap are rusted out....well, there goes your ring....(fortunately not ours). But wait...there's more --- the faucet and lever to redirect water flow to the shower head was completely, irrevocably corroded and would not budge... OK let's wash our face and skedaddle out of here. We walked by the breakfast area for a quick bite. Reasonable self-service microwave egg, ham, or sausage English muffin sandwiches, ok regular but no decaf coffee, cereal, waffles, etc. And now....rolling to the end of the ride. We reported all our room issues (as politely as possible). Staff were very attentive, and the manager offered a $25 reduction on our bill. (I did not ask for this and said it wasn't necessary, but she insisted.) Sadly the staff have to put up with this kind of run-down negligence on the part of the owner or corporation. Kudos and thank you to staff and shame on you to the powers that be.

5 stars - Consistently Clean, Friendly, and a Great Value…read more We've stayed at Microtel in Gardendale multiple times over the years (twice in the last month alone!), and it never disappoints. Clean, comfortable rooms Great location Super reliable Wi-Fi Excellent continental breakfast -- with a wide variety and lots of thoughtful touches (we LOVE the tea selection!) Didn't use the pool, but it's there if you want it Fantastic value overall Shout-out to Jennifer Q at the front desk -- always friendly and helpful! And big thanks to Jennifer D and Ms. Vernora for keeping the breakfast area spotless and fully stocked every morning. Their care and attention do not go unnoticed. Looking forward to our next stay -- highly recommend if you're in the Gardendale area!

During the summer of 2022, the Picante family enjoyed a road trip from Southern California all the…read moreway to Key West, Florida... And then back home via Omaha and Colorado. In addition to a dozen different campsites, we stayed in seven different hotels. This was our least favorite. Notably positive: the front desk lady was very nice and helpful, the morning breakfast staff was kind and sweet to my kids, and parking my truck and trailer was a breeze. After a long day in the truck from Savannah, GA, we pulled in weary from camping and driving through some pretty good storms. We had booked the room on AAA several weeks ago, and to be honest, we were disappointed to see that it was a hotel with external doors. Not sure of why there's a pattern, but this always spells disaster for us. Once the nice young lady at the front desk got us our room keys, we made the short walk to the highway facing room, open the door, and were punched in the face by the smell of mildew and whatever the opposite of "non-smoking room" is. A certain amount of funky can be tolerated for a one night only stay, but this was too much for me, even with a CPAP. I went back up to the front desk, explained the dilemma, and again, and I was young lady offered us a different room on the other, quieter side of the hotel. To be honest, that room smell wasn't much better, but it wasn't as bad. The young lady explained they had just washed the carpets, trying to explain the odor. I just nodded and smiled, and wondered to myself, what the hell did it smell like before they washed them? Maybe clean the water in the carpet shampooer... or add shampoo? I don't know. The rest of our stay was rather uneventful. Other than the funky carpet, and the ghosts of countless packs of Marlboros, Camels, Pall Mall, Parliaments, and God knows what else, The place was marginally clean: Bug free, older but seemingly clean linens, tiny bathroom with the shower/toilet behind the door and the sink outside in the room, mildewy shower curtain, and a working TV, refrigerator, and air conditioner. Bedspread and carpet patterns camouflage spills to some degree, but not entirely. Mrs. Picante enjoys exercising in workout rooms after sitting in the car for several hours, or barring that, taking a run around the neighborhood. There was no treadmill in the small workout room, so off she ran down the Highway and luckily found a sports complex up the hill somewhere. Morning breakfast was interesting-- key card guarded to keep out non-guests maybe?-- and it was more like eating at someone's house than at a roadside motel. Beverages and several items were in pitchers instead of commercial packaging/containers. Still, the staff member was friendly and our yogurts, cereal, and other usual free-breakfast fare was adequately matched with the price (freeeee...) It seems this place got hit by a tornado in recent memory, and they had to rebuild. One of the support beams on the front of the hotel was still severely damaged looking, right near the office. Call me to think of it, that was another good reason to move from that room right under it. Left early in the morning, and haven't talked about it with anyone until now. Our family has stayed in worse hotels and motels over the years, but not on this trip. I suppose in a pinch I could sleep here for another night, but I can't say I would plan to stay here again without some upgrades. Truly, I can't say enough about the nice people who work here... 5 star service, in a 2 star facility.

Great place to stay nice and friendly staff and very convenient when it come to get to restaurants…read moreand other place it is very close to everything.

Went here for a bday brunch and the selection for the four course meal was just okay to me. I wish…read morewe had left so we could have more selections and not a set menu. I had a burger without the egg and it was good. The shared items were just okay. 58 dollars later; don't have to do that again. The server was ok with not much personality.

Everything was amazing except room service eggs tasted like rubber. Front desk was really friendly…read moreloved love love love the room slept well TV was amazing pool was a little bit cold workout area was amazing would stay here again

This was our second stay here. The first time was Spring Break last year and we were woken up by…read moreother guests who entered our room after being checked in to our room by mistake. We gave it another shot this year and we won't be back. The door was broken, the furniture was broken, we found a German cockroach in the bathroom, the room was very hot despite the AC running on the lowest setting. I am a loyal Choice Hotels member who travels regularly for work. Econolodge or Rodeway Inn would be a better option than this gross place. Will not be back.

Arrived and were told we had no reservations. That was a mistake of a Choice Privileges agent. We…read moreare Platinum members of Choice Privileges. We were told there were no rooms available by the desk clerk. Checked on the app and it showed rooms available. Called Choice Privileges customer service from the parking lot and glory be there was a room available!! The very same room we were supposed to have booked!! Checked in and while the room appears clean... the smell is horrible. It's damp and musty. This room desperately needs a dehumidifier. It was hot and humid in the room and the AC was turned off. Everything feels soggy. The baseboard at one corner is cracked and in need of repair. The one bedside lamp doesn't work. The supposed fold out couch doesn't fold out. It's some weird sorta wide couch that some bright person has delusions that it will sleep two people when my child barely fits on it. This room is supposed to sleep four people. It barely fits the three of us and it stinks. My kid is scared and upset. I'm disgusted. The Internet doesn't work half the time and when it does it moves at the speed of smell. I can't even load pictures on Discord without it crashing my connection. I'm so glad I'm not having to do work here. I'm an artist and I literally would be unable to do my job with clients. I'm having a hard enough time right now just trying to negotiate a commission only chatting and sharing my website. Choice Privileges properties are getting worse and worse.

Off exit #267 of I-65, this hotel offers a nice stay. The parking lot is situated so that none of…read morethe spots is far away from an entry door. The hotel is nestled among mature trees within a bevy of other hotels of similar price point. There are restaurants and other businesses necessary for travelers within a short walk (or drive) of the hotel. Although the hotel offered free breakfast, we were too exhausted to awaken for the meal so I cannot comment on its quality. While the mattresses in our room were past their prime, all other necessities and amenities were completely fine for our one-night stay. I would stay here again.

Stay away, stay away, stay away! Is what I wished someone had told me before I booked a room. This…read morelocation doesn't have many good reviews or pictures but I decided to give them a try anyway. I should've known when I walked in the lobby, it just felt cold and uninviting. While checking in the front desk employee tells me there's a $200 CASH deposit needed before I can check in because I booked with a 3rd party (Priceline). Cash deposit? Who does that?? I noticed there were hand written notes all over the place informing you what they were out of or what was broken or missing, it looked tacky. There was constant beeping from one of the smoke detectors in the hallway. There was trash in the elevator and everything just felt run down but I hoped my room would be different. I walked in (rm 221) and unfortunately it was more of the same. Stains on the bed and the carpet, hair on the towels, missing fixtures, disgustingly stained lamp shades, and just a dirty feeling overall. I went downstairs to change rooms and was put right next door. As soon as I walked in (rm 223) and turned on the light, I saw a roach scatter across the table and go into a crack in the baseboard. I looked around and a 2 seconds later saw another roach chilling out on the wall. At this point I'd had enough!! It was time to check out! I booked another hotel for the night. The only saving grace for this place was the nice employee handling my room issue. This hotel is listed as a 2.5 star hotel but deserves much less.