My seventy-five year old mother and I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites in Midlothian Virginia for two nights starting on Sunday, October 5th, 2008. When making our reservations online, we requested a room on the top floor, away from the elevator and the highway, and we received a room on the top floor near the end of the hall, away from the elevator, after asking to change rooms from the main floor room they originally gave us.

The large-sized room included two queen beds, each with four pillows on them, a clock radio, one office-type chair with a table/desk, one comfy chair with an ottoman, one bench-type chair, a large television with seventy-three channels and a remote, a mini-refrigerator, a microwave, a coffeemaker, and an iron/ironing board.

The very large bathroom had plenty of room to move around in, and included three sets of towels, a hairdryer, bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion, a shower cap, as well as two bars of soap. There was a handle in the shower, which my mother was able to use to get in and out with ease. The toilet was one of the loudest we have encountered, and after each use, the handle had to be held down in order for a complete flush.

The location is quite a distance away from Downtown Richmond and nearby Petersburg, but is close to some restaurants and shopping, albeit discount (Wal-Mart, Target, IHOP, etc). The high speed internet connection, both wired and wifi, worked sporatically both nights of our stay, making it very frustrating to get anything done. We also found a green crayon on the floor by the computer desk on the first night, and it was still there on the second night. We also found stains on some of the towels we received the first night. Obviously housekeeping at this Holiday Inn has cut a few corners when cleaning the rooms and linens.

After taxes, the American Automobile Association rate per night for Room 403 came to $138.99 U.S. Funds. For the price, our stay would have been better had the room and towels been a bit cleaner. Still, the room was fine for our needs...