Holiday Inn Resort Phuket Surin Beach, an IHG Hotel

I thought the negative reviews here were just complaining, but they're actually spot on, unfortunately our stay here was a complete failure.

Before I get into our personal story, just some facts about this hotel, without emotion:

-Staff is super friendly

-It's a great environment for kids

-if you are seeking a 3-star level hotel, I think this would be a great option

-There is no air conditioning in ANY of the main areas - lobby, restaurant, breakfast, etc..

-the elevator is extremely small, and is quite aged, with a strong smell

-the rooms can get quite musty, especially during rainy season

-the walkways are dimly lit at night

-the breakfast was mediocre, at best. No real healthy or quality options. But again for a 3-star level hotel, it is TOTALLY fine.

So for our personal story, we checked into a room that smelled so strong of mold, they moved us to a second room, which ALSO smelled of mold, and so they placed us in a third room.

Interestingly, they did not dispute the fact that it was moldy, they explained that it rained a lot the previous day and that's the reason for the strong mold smell. We even saw fresh paint over a dark spot of the ceiling near the air conditioning unit, that was clearly mold.

We booked with a different hotel the following morning because our son has asthma, and there was just no way we could stay there for 5 more nights. Even this third room smelled musty, and we didn't feel like we were breathing healthy air in the room.

The last thing we wanted to do was travel more, but we bounced in the morning after breakfast.

The management refused to make it right, offered no refund at all, and rightfully acknowledged we booked with a no cancelation booking, and that was that. They offered us a sister hotel for 3 nights but we were already on the way to another hotel so the offer wasn't relevant, unfortunately.

They gave us a runaround, but ultimately didn't budge.

It's a shame when it's clear that someone needs help and the management simply doesn't want to make it right, just because they don't have to.

My advice, spend a little more and seek out other hotels in the area, there are some great hotels in Phuket.

Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.

This is not a 4 stars resort. It’s more of a 2.5 stars in terms of look and feel. Room furniture is old and chipped, some of the pool tiles are missing and dangerous for younger kids, the kids club is old and moldy, paint falling off from the walls. This hotel needs a good reparation and revamp before calling it a 4 stars. Not to mention the bed, the hardest mattress I ever slept on, squeaky bed, all the doors are squeaky. Just not a restful experience. Food is ok, but the service is a joke. 1h wait for an avocado toast. None of the food looks like in the pictures of the menu, don’t get fooled by that. The service: they try to be nice but they are understaffed and badly organized. One of the cleaners threw away some of the baby stuff in our room (baby bottles, spoons, plates) etc. and then failed to admit it. Also bad English, so hard to get an understanding of what’s happening. The hotel is not clean. Bathrooms next to the pool are disgusting. On the plus side, they have a lot of activities for kids + 5 years so if none of the above matters to you, your kids will love it. Location is ok.

I'll state some facts:
1) the rooms and the building are very very basic. It should really be 3 star and not a 4 star. The establishment is on the older side.
The rooms are having the pool and the garden . The entrances are in the back of the building. As you walk along the passage to your room ,you can smell sewer prominently.
2) the water pressure in the bathroom shower is not good.
3)toilet fittings are pretty old has marks,and bowl is not clean. I had rooms service everyday,still it was not completely clean and white. It could be the quality of the water that the flush uses
4) the elevator is very very small. Probably 4 adults at once can fit in it. They use the same elevator for service and for the guests. It is in the very dimly light corner of the building and is dirty.
5) the electric sockets are okay. But I had my power of the room go off three times.. as if the switch board just turned off for overloading. I used two plug points to charge my phone and my baby's tab. But it was a art to have the room go completely dark.
6) breakfast is fantastic. Service people are amazing. Very friendly and helpful staff.
7) I had three rooms with them. Two of my rooms were not ready when. I checked in. I had elderly parents ,one with a wheelchair. And I had to wait almost 2 hours before the room was ready.
8)the pool and common area is good. I'll mention the the lobby is not air-conditioned. So it gets very hot and stuffy when you walk in. The restaurant is not air-conditioned either.
9) if you order room service, please know that it will take a while. I had the food delivered pretty quickly only once so far.
10) beach is very very close. Literally across the street. That is a huge plus point.
11) the hotel is kid friendly. Lots of activities for kids.