Holiday Inn Resort Bar Harbor - Acadia Natl Park by IHG

Wayyy overpriced for what you get. The grounds are lovely but the room was not as advertised. We arrived at 1:30 pm. We knew the room would not be available until 4 PM l, but asked if we could at least confirm arrival. . Online I when I made the reservation I selected an “ocean front premium room with balcony”. The desk lady on arrival was very nice, reconfirmed that room type, and took our credit card information. She also said although a room was not yet ready, someone would call or send us a text message as soon as our room was available. No one called or sent a text. When we returned after 4 PM. We were told we had a room (618) which is on the ground floor. When I said we reserved one with a balcony and ground floor was not acceptable, the person at the desk (not the one earlier) said that was the only room available, Period, no apology, nothing. She was quite haughty about it. We were paying $407 per night without breakfast for this room with a view but there were people walking back-and-forth constantly right across our window so we had to keep the curtain closed the whole time. So much for the ocean view! On top of that the radiator clanked loudly constantly and therefore had to be turned off at night so the room was cold. Also, the bathroom had no Kleenex (an empty holder) nor any other amenities. There was a small refrigerator but no microwave, There was a coffee by the cup device with the usual powdered stuff but no cups! We will not return. There are far better places that actually care about customer satisfaction.

Deceptive Business Practice My wife and I booked a five-night stay at this hotel through Booking.com, selecting a “breakfast included” package for an additional fee. Upon checking in, the front desk informed us that the package was not the typical Continental buffet, but rather a limited offer: one meal, one drink, and one side per person, excluding sales tax and gratuity. This crucial information was not disclosed on either the Booking.com or hotel websites prior to our booking. The next morning, we visited the restaurant near the lobby, showed our room key, and learned we had only a $50 credit for two people each day. Again, this detail had not been communicated to us beforehand. We received a bill itemizing our meal and drink, and I only signed for the breakfast tax and the server’s gratuity, not the total amount. Feeling confused and frustrated, we went to the front desk to express our concerns. They mentioned that we could forgo breakfast on the following days without being charged for tax and gratuity but did not offer a refund for the unused “breakfast included” cost. To avoid further complications, we decided to continue having breakfast for the rest of our stay. On the day before checking out, I again signed only for the tax and gratuity. When we checked out, we received an itemized bill that seemed correct, including sales tax and resort fees. However, once we returned home, we discovered the hotel had charged us the full amount for the last day’s breakfast, along with sales tax and gratuity. Over our five-night stay, we expected to receive five breakfasts as part of our package, a standard practice in the U.S. and globally. The lack of clear information on the booking site and hotel policy feels misleading. With all the taxes, resort fees, and additional breakfast costs, we ended up spending over $600 a night, only to face unexpected charges. This feels like a serious oversight, if not a scam. Regarding the hotel, the only positive aspect was its location. We booked an ocean view room, but it turned out to have more of a pool and jacuzzi view. We also tried the food at the hotel’s Stewman’s Lobster Pound, and it was disappointing. Overall, this hotel felt average while charging five-star prices. We’ve decided to avoid any “Holiday Inn” branded properties in the future.

FELT A LITTLE DECEIVED Stayed 3 nights in a DIRECT OCEANFRONT ROOM. #308 Room and bath were a good size and clean. Some of the furniture was a little dated. Balcony isn’t very wide but the view was great. MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT: There is NOT an elevator to these rooms. IHG booking site needs to state THERE IS NO ELEVATOR to these Oceanfront, EXPENSIVE rooms. We are not young, 66 and 69 (husband has heart condition), and we DID NOT know this until we were given our keys/directions to the room. If I had known this, I would have booked and requested a room with elevator access or on the 1st floor. We survived it but kinda felt deceived by IHG. NO free breakfast here but the hotel restaurant had a very good one, although “pricey”. Had dinner there too and it was good. Best blueberry pie of the three I tried in Bar Harbor. It’s there thing. They also had a FREE, “do-it-yourself” laundry which we greatly appreciated, being that we were on a three week trip.

Nice ocean views from hotel Room was good, but had some trouble getting the room temp stabilized. Liked that they offer Dove products in the bathroom. Room seemed like an update might be needed in the future. 1st floor hallways had very dirty carpeting near the service entrance doors that we had to pass by...needs a deep clean. Grounds are very nice & great views.

OK but not Great 1. Forget about eating here. The menu is limited and overpriced. Forget about going to Stewman’s. The service there was good, but that was about it. They didn’t even have any beer to sell! Plastic dinnerware and paper bowls shouldn’t be in a restaurant that wants you to pay the price they ask. The place was cold with some of the help actually wearing jackets. Better dining options are easy to find. The hotel is OK. Our room was clean and well taken care of. The shuttle bus to Bar Harbor stops right outside the door, and that is really nice. Parking in Bar Harbor is very, very hard to find.