Let me start this review off by stating that I only review places I either really love and feel deserve positive praises or places that completely suck and I would not refer my enemies to. With that idea in mind this review is going to be a rant, not a rave- so be forewarned. If you want the skinny without reading the whole review through here it is: Nice accommodation, less than accommodating hotel staff, decent rooms but with horrible sleeping conditions and bad, bad customer service. All in all I will never, ever, ever be getting back together with this Holiday Inn. If you want the details, press on! So, I visited this Holiday Inn a few weeks ago for a convention that was being held in Casa Grande (3 day/2 night stay). I didn't choose this hotel, the organization I was with set it up; I've stayed at Holiday Inn's around the country and never had a bad experience before so I was not expecting the train wreck I got (foreshadowing). At check in everything was great. The lobby was spotless (they were remodeling the floors out front), the outdoor pool area was well stocked and the room appeared clean (I was even impressed that their toiletries were supplied by Bath & Body Works). The issues didn't really arise until that night. When I got settled in for the night and went to lay down I closed my eyes and was unpleasantly woken from a drowsy slumber by a roaring passing train in the night. What no one had mentioned is that there is a train track about 1000ft from the hotel and that trains frequently pass through the night (and by frequently I mean like once every hour or two). The hotel supplies you with ear plugs, for this reason I'm guessing, but a piece of foam in your ears isn't going to stop the polar express from running in the night. I talked to the hotel about it and they were willing to move me to a different room, but lets be honest- an extra 500ft of space away isn't going to make a difference. The next morning I left to go about my day and when I got back there was a pre-typed note left on the unmade bed stating that there were too many personal items left on the bed to make it. I look up from my note and see a pair of pants, my daughter's Barbie doll and a hairbrush on the bed. Freaking seriously? I get that touching someone else's DNA is scary but I'd hardly call 3 items a massive inconvenience to move. Puhlease! I've heard better excuses than that from my 6 year old trying to weasel out of making the bed! That was completely obnoxious. The real coup de grace was on check out. I received an itemized bill and there's this $17 charge for an in-room movie I'd ordered the morning before. Umm, wait, what? I had been out the whole morning! Plus, why would I spend $17 to rent 'Here Comes the Boom' when I could get it at the Redbox for $2? Maybe the cleaning staff ordered the movie? They sure didn't do much else while they were in the room. I definitely disputed this, let the front desk know that I wasn't even IN the room to order the movie and I actually got argument from the staff about it! They said they'd drop the charge but that it goes through a third party service. By then I was tired and frustrated and I just wanted to get the f out of dodge. Well, I didn't get charged for it then but a few days later I ended up getting billed for it anyway- I called their corporate office and it's still being disputed. So my experience? Not so good. I seriously wanted to lay the boom down on these guys! Next time I will definitely be more aware of my surroundings before I decide on a hotel and I will likely be staying at least 1000ft away from Holiday Inn's period.

negative

Group party dinner the night before the 2011 Rock and Roll Arizona Marathon. The restaurant was busy that night, but isn't it always before a marathon? The entrees were pricey, but I guess that's normal for authentic Italian dishes. Good times, great company. I had the veal lasanga, side salad, with 2 bottles of Heinekin. Wasn't the best, since the portions were smaller, service could've been better, and the prices were just a bit too much.

negative

The food here is reasonably priced but it is not that good. I ordered the Super Quesadilla with chicken and it was bland. On the side of it there were two cups of shredded lettuce, one tablespoon of guacamole and one or two small tomato slices. I could've made something better at home. My one friend had ordered three tacos from the a la carte menu; those tacos were also unseasoned. The other friend enjoyed her chicken and bacon quesadilla. If it didn't have the bacon, I'm sure it would've been just as bland as mine. As for the waitress, she wasn't on the ball at all. She got my friend's order wrong, she didn't refill our glasses, but she made sure she promptly brought us our bills that were difficult to decipher. This was my first and last visit at Gran Agave. The decor is nice but everything else is overrated.

negative

Management Needed: Waited 45 minutes to get a pick up order with no apology or explanation from the manager. If you have an opportunity to eat out, do not go to this establishment due to its poor service and poor attitude
negative