Located in the Sequatchie Valley in Tennessee almost 30 miles west of Chattanooga, the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kimball was a quiet hotel property at which to stay — and peace and quiet is exactly what I needed during my escape from the electric power outage which was caused by Tropical Storm Zeta in the area where I am based.
Review: Holiday Inn Express Kimball
The front desk was decorated for Halloween — and notices pertaining to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus were affixed to the front desk itself, which included that all people are required to cover their noses and mouths with masks or cloth coverings.
A nice lobby area — complete with couches, a coffee table, and a television which was mounted on the wall — is located opposite of the front desk near the entrance to the hotel property…
…and located behind the lobby area adjacent to the front entrance to the hotel property…
…is a business center which is equipped with a desk, a chair, a computer, a printer, and some office supplies — but because of the current 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic, the business center was closed until further notice.
Affixed to the floor are circular stickers which encourage people to maintain a distance of a minimum of six feet.
For some reason, the closet was equipped with two white plastic wall mounts for an iron instead of one.
The bed was comfortable on which to sleep.
The room included a desk with a chair; a cabinet with a microwave oven, two drawers, and a hidden refrigerator; and a place on which to place luggage.
The soft cushion on which luggage is to be placed was stained — perhaps on a permanent basis.
The remote control was completely wrapped in a plastic bag — which was proudly made in the United States of America — and printed on the bag is the statement “Sanitized for your wellness” with the instruction to remove the remote control from the bag.
Whenever I tried to adjust the chair at the desk to my desired height, it would not hold the position, as it kept settling down to its lowest position. That was annoying, as the chair was ultimately too low for me on which to work comfortably at the desk.
The packets of the creamer for the coffee felt like miniature bags of concrete which had been exposed to water and dried, rather than powder. Good thing I do not drink coffee.
When I opened the refrigerator, I noticed that something was already inside of it.
A brown paper bag — presumably left by a previous guest — was left in the refrigerator. I did not open it to see what was inside of it.
Unlike the chair at the desk, the chair and ottoman in the corner of the room were quite comfortable. The temperature is controlled at the climate control unit under the window.
The nightstand next to the bed was equipped with three extra electric power outlets and three USB ports, which were quite welcome.
A pill — or tablet of some sort — was found on the carpet underneath the bed along with some dust and other items which should have been vacuumed or cleaned in some way.
A set of four plastic cups were sealed for my protection.
The Bathroom
The bathroom was equipped with a sink, a mirror, a hair dryer which was mounted low on the wall, facial tissues, and a waste receptacle.
The room to which I was assigned was designed for people with disabilities — and that is evidenced by the plethora of bars that were affixed to the walls of the bathroom — but that was not only the least expensive room which was available at the time I booked my reservation at this hotel property; but it was also one of the last available rooms overall.
The bathroom was supplied with an ample amount of assorted towels.
This photograph shows how the amenities were originally presented in the bathroom…
…but I rearranged them so that you could see what was included in the set of amenities: Rainkissed Leaves conditioner, shampoo, and body lotion with shea and vitamin E; makeup remover wipes; a shower cap; and two bars of J.R. Watkins cleansing face and body bar soap. I am unfamiliar with either the Rainkissed Leaves or J.R. Watkins brands.
The View
The view from the room was tranquil and somewhat scenic — but unless you like to look at a portico and vehicles in a parking lot, the view was nothing special.
Complimentary Breakfast
The complimentary Express Start breakfast bar was rather sparse with its offerings during the current 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic.
This looked rather ridiculous: caution tape was used to rope off the tables and chairs which were normally used during breakfast hours…
…and plenty of papers were taped to the walls. “This area is currently closed — Please take breakfast to your room or to go” and “Please do not sit here!” was printed on one piece of paper; while the other papers shared facts about the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, strongly recommended distancing yourself from others, and warned that covering your nose and mouth with a mask while inside of the hotel property is required.
The ice machine located next to the soda machine looked rather funky: was that condensation all over it — or something else?!?
The refrigerator unit was also plastered with papers which were taped to it, with repeated requests to please take breakfast to go or to your room and to not pull on the door of the refrigerator, as it is locked or you can pay for a new lock.
Breakfast hours are from 6:00 until 9:30 in the morning.
Trays are available if you need them to take your breakfast elsewhere — but what you see in this photograph is all that was offered for breakfast.
Guests could take a white Grab & Go paper bag — which conveniently had handles — to take the food and beverages which were offered for breakfast either back to the room or on the road.
The refrigeration unit contained yogurt, Greek yogurt, sausage biscuits wrapped in paper, cups of orange juice, and containers of milk. Bananas, muffins which were wrapped in cellophane, and packets of sugar and artificial sweeteners were available in stacked trays.
Also available for breakfast were assorted sealed cups of dry cereal — along with disposable bowls, napkins, and individually sealed plastic cutlery.
A few individual packets of yellow mustard and hot sauce remain in one of the trays.
The Fitness Center
A treadmill, weight scale, recumbent bike, and television are in the fitness center, which is open to guests 24 hours per day, seven days per week…
…as is complimentary water, towels, and one wall of mirrors.
Summary
The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kimball may be designated a smoke-free hotel property; but as far as cleanliness, I found it to be no cleaner during the current 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic than a typical hotel would be at any other time.
If you are at this hotel property at the end of April, you can stop by the National Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg and indulge in a southern favorite.
The hotel property — which has an outdoor pool — is located off of exit 152B of Interstate 24.
I do recommend staying at this hotel property, at which I paid a room rate of $81.00 for the night — excluding taxes and fees — but it was really nothing special or extraordinary.
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kimball
300 Battle Creek Road
Kimball, Tennessee 37380
United States
1-423-837-1500
All photographs ©2020 by Brian Cohen.
