A word about Chattanooga, TN

[Rock'n Robin]

We stopped on the way home from Florida in Chattannooga. I had searched on Expedia and found an interesting sounding hotel called the Holiday Inn Chattanooga Choo Choo. It is the restored Chattanooga train station. I figured how can I go wrong with Holiday Inn, right?
Well for one thing it is not in a great neighborhood. For another thing the lobby reeked of mustiness and mold. Our room was in a newer (perhaps 1960s) building but the carpets and walls were dirty, there was a Qtip in the hall, a little standing water in the tub. I was VERY uncomfortable. I like CLEAN hotels (I mean we had just left Disney for pete's sake!).
The restaurants shut down as we arrived (10PM) so we drove a few miles away to an O'Charleys about 11. I told DH that I would have to sleep in sweats or sit up all night. I honestly didn't want to touch anything. DH decided he would drop off the younger two kids and I into another hotel by the restaurant (a regular holiday inn--the Choo Choo is an independent franchise) and go to the other hotel and get our stuff. It was about midnight by this time and we all fell asleep pretty quick.
In all fairness the staff at the Choo Choo was very nice, and DH just told them it "wasn't my wife's cup of tea"--not that I was really grossed out. I am talking to Expedia about a possible refund but am not hopeful--they keep calling it "early check out", I call it "you said it was a 3 star hotel and you are crazy". I can't find anything on their site about refunds due to poor quality.
Anyhow, just thought I'd share. On the other hand, the Holiday Inn at exit 5 of I-75 is very nice, and there is a wonderful waitress named Linda at O'Charleys.
Robin M.

 

[FonFon]

My parents live in Chattanooga, and I used to work for a company who was headquartered there. We had an annual conference based at the Holiday Inn Choo Choo one year...and never again! I would echo everything you said - it's really NOT a nice place to stay at all. (LOL, I had to suffer through it for 4 nights - UGH, it was horrible.)

There is another hotel - the Chattanoogan - that is not far from the Choo Choo that is very nice. (Though not the "just a place to rest our heads until we start driving again tomorrow" type of place.)

 

[crazelion]

I live in Chattanooga and Hoilday Inn Choo Choo is in bad neighbor hood. Well it's actually in the hood. If go past the hotel you have not seen nothing at all how bad it is. I tell everyone try to stay in the Hamilton Place area that's where all the new hotels is at. Yes everything close about 10:00 - 11:00p.m. at night. Unless we is having a specal event downtown like a baseball game or Riverbend then everything shuts down at 11:00p.m. Nothing opens on sunday until 12:00p.m. and everything close 6.00pm.

It suppose to snow Thursday night they is alreay talking close schools here in Chattanooga. If school close then work is close to. I know it's crazy but true.