Random Review: Holiday Inn Boston

I normally really love Holiday Inn and have stayed in many of them over the course of my travels. I recently went to Boston and wanted to stay a little bit out of the city both for price and convenience (I wanted to visit Salem while I was there) so I thought Peabody would be a good fit. Upon arrival I was given a room number and checked in but the front desk clerks offered no other standard information that all hotel people give upon check-in. You know, "Check out is at 11, breakfast at 6-10, elevators over there." I just stood there awkwardly and asked where the elevator was. Whatever, that's fine. We reached our room, many bags in hand and ready to be unloaded. We unlock our door to walk-in and find someone else's belongings in the room already! We had been given someone else's room and the key that allowed us entrance! I left my travel mate in the room to head downstairs and hoped that the occupant didn't return to find him in his room! That would have been a very awkward scene. "Oh, I thought I locked you out already," the front desk clerk said. So we were finally given our real room. The next day we returned from our full day out in Boston and to a concert to find our room key didn't work. So I trudged back to the front desk once again and was informed that they hadn't activated the key long enough. Fine, whatever, just an annoying hassle especially since we were exhausted from such a long day. I give this hotel a 3 because it's not horrible, the room was pretty clean but the beds were extremely hard. I have never stayed in any Holiday Inn without a free breakfast either! What the hell is with that? I'm sorry but for $146 a night I should at least get some standard hotel-fare scrambled eggs, preservative-packed muffin, stale danish or at least a coffee! One of the elevators nearest our room was extremely slow to the point that we just gave up waiting for it and walked to the next one. Unfortunately we waited at the elevator long enough to hear someone loudly having sex in the room next to it. When we returned later the hallway reeked of pot from one of the rooms but that's no fault of Holiday Inn Peabody. The Carrabbas next to the hotel was pretty subpar. It was my first visit to the chain but will probably be the last. This whole visit can just be summed up in two letters: O-K. I've stayed in worse, definitely, but if you're looking for a regular Holiday Inn experience... this one is a little different.