Holiday Inn Spearfish Convention Center an IHG Hotel

This is a big hotel not far off I-90, but far enough away and up on a hill, so no traffic noise. Attached restaurant, Lucky's, has decent if not gourmet food. Breakfast was quite good, although large as is typical in the western US. It can be a bit of a walk to your room and the restaurant. We were not there during a convention, so no waiting for table in attached restaurant.

We stayed here for one night while passing through town. Check-in was quick and courteous. Our one king + sofa room was clean and it was clear that the furniture had recently been replaced. The bed was extremely comfortable and the mini refrigerator fit everything from our cooler. The room fit our needs well. Unfortunately, the bathroom was extremely worn with cracks in the tub and some light staining as well as a toilet that seemed to run forever. As an aside, the hallways throughout the property always seem to smell of bacon. In the evening when we checked in, later when we got back from dinner, in the morning. Maybe it's a signature scent? 🥓

This hotel pretty much checked all the boxes . . . clean and comfortable, friendly and helpful staff, delivered on all expectations. Our first-floor room with both indoor and outdoor access directly to a parking spot was extremely convenient for those of us staying with a dog . . . and made loading and unloading very easy. Our pooch appreciates that they allow pets. This hotel seemed "old school" Holiday Inn, with its large footprint, layout, and overall "vibe". They ought to erect one of those gigantic, iconic Holiday Inn signs that dotted American highways last century. The large pool area, with "poolside" rooms, and the overall layout, gave me nostalgic vibes; remember the "Holidome" concept of long ago (Holiday Inn's branding of its pool areas)? You could almost imagine 1970s station wagons parked in the lot. I'm not saying this to be negative, I'm just pointing out that an added value of staying here for those of us in middle age is it may evoke memories of childhood vacations. The on-site restaurant, "Lucky's", also seemed a throwback to another time, with its dimly-lit frumpy decor. We ordered from Lucky's (and took it back to the room); nothing special but my "Din-o-Mite" salad did not have the grilled chicken it was supposed to have, so I had to go back to the restaurant to have them add it. Certainly an easy mistake to make, but kind of annoying. The hotel's fitness center was nothing special, but it was passable. One note: the sink was outside the bathroom. Whether you consider this a feature or a bug is based on your personal preference.

Do not stay at this property unless you love surprise charges on your card after your stay, that the staff will not tell you about up-front. They also don't seem to care much about taking care of their guests when they call for support/service.

Found out the day of our stay that the pool still wasn't done and there was no arcade as the website promised.....needless to say, our son was very disappointed. There was a corvette convention during our stay, which was super cool, but the hotel was packed. I assume that is why we were placed at the back of the hotel on the corner/end right by the door, which was pretty loud with people coming in and out. Restaurant was ok, seemed like frozen food was just heated up. My son's chips, salsa and cheese was clearly just jar food from store. Breakfast on the other hand was great. Our server was awesome and it was very cool to talk to the participants in the convention while we were there. Wouldn't stay here again as it was almost $300 and you could get way more of the spearfish adventure staying in a cabin.