Holiday Inn Holidome Cvtn Cntr, Lawrence

Celebrating New Year’s Eve at the Lawrence Holidome has been our family tradition for 4 consecutive years now. However, due to the way management handled some changes they’ve made we will never return. This originally became our tradition for several reasons: wonderful customer service towards both adults and children and the extra amenities offered just for New Year’s Eve. The extra amenities have always included keeping all of the holidome activities (pool, arcade, billiards and mini golf) open until midnight when they usually close at 10pm, keeping the breakfast buffet open until noon the following morning when it usually closes at 11am, offering banquet tables to be rented and placed in the holidome for use until midnight and a discount on the breakfast buffet. This year the only thing being offered was the discount on the breakfast buffet but no one was told upon making reservations or upon check in that the other amenities were not being offered this year. We were all led to believe that we were paying for these extra amenities just as we had in years past. At check in I said that I wanted to rent a banquet table for the night; offering the hotel more of my money. I was told that I could not rent a banquet table because all of the catering staff had gone home for the day. No one was available to set it up. I felt like this was an excuse since I had seen managers setting up banquet tables in years past. But, if they didn’t want my money I was happy to keep it. So, just as we had the three years before we set up at a table in the pool area. We found out that the party at the table next to us had been denied a banquet table as well. Then, at 9:50pm we were all informed by a maintenance man that the pool and the rest of the holidome amenities would be closing at 10pm. It was no problem that the rules had changed but I was upset that we were not notified until 10 minutes before the rule change went into effect! I asked the maintenance man why they had changed the rules. He said there was no rule change; that they’ve always closed everything at 10pm. I said, “Not on New Year’s Eve. For the past three years our family has enjoyed our midnight toast right here at this very table on New Year’s Eve.” He just shrugged his shoulders and said, “New management, new rules.” I really didn’t appreciate that he had lied by trying to claim that they had never kept the place open until midnight for New Year’s Eve. Everything was shut down at 10pm and they turned the lights off. So, those guests who were able to pay extra for the banquet tables had to eat, socialize and toast the coming of the New Year in the dark! Upon seeing that I was glad they didn’t allow me to rent one. A few minutes later my husband ran into one of the managers in the hallway. He asked why the rules had changed. We didn’t understand because the party had never gotten out of control. It was just families swimming, playing mini golf, eating and hanging out until midnight. No one have ever gotten hurt or drunk; at least not that we knew of. So when he asked why the rule change the manager said the same thing that the maintenance man said – there was no rule change, they had always shut everything down at 10pm on New Year’s Eve. My husband told him that this had been a tradition for us so we knew this was untrue. The manager still insisted that they had never offered the extra amenities on New Year’s Eve. My husband said, “For the past three years we’ve enjoyed our midnight toast at that table. We have it on video.” The manager just shrugged and said, “Sorry.” My husband went on to tell him that we felt deceived since none of this was mentioned at the time we made our reservation or at check in. And now, he and his employees were trying to lie to everyone about the whole thing. After all of this we will not be returning.

No big complaints, the regular rooms had no refrigerator, the regular curtain covering sheers on the windows would NOT shut in all the rooms we reserved, so if you want privacy/dimlit room bring something to pin them shut, the parking on the back would be difficult for handicapped guests because there are no ramps leading up to doors,and if you enter from the front it would be a long path to several rooms, the back cement steps were crumbling and dangerous to walk on with hands full of suitcases, bags, the steps were not very deep and felt like they were beginning to slant downwards, and the outside doors looked like they wouldn't keep out anyone even if they didn't have key cards, in otherwards, nothing fancy, I had read in other reviews that there was a lot of remodeling going on inside, didn't see any of that going on, but the outside needs help! You can get a better value if you use Priceline.com...we got the room for $30 less than the desk person quoted up on the phone. If they don't improve some things, try $50 less.

Stayed here while traveling through Kansas, hotel is just off I70 very convenient. Very helpful friendly people. Great hot tub and bar.

the key didn't work for the pool door to open. i had to go down and ask at the front desk. there was no contental breakfest. i wouldn't stay here again.

Pros: Friendly staff, big pool, nice hot whirpool. Cons: Piles of dirty towels, rags and sheets piled all down the hall for two days, no cover on electric outlet in our room (serious hazard with kids), smoke alarm in our room hanging by wires and no battery in it.

I attended a conference of approximately 1500 college students and faculty, and this hotel was the official conference hotel. When our group of 15 arrived to check in (after an 8-hour drive), we were told half our rooms were not ready yet, and were still being cleaned. This was at 4:30 p.m., after the official check-in time of 4:00 p.m. Many other groups (who had come from even farther away) had the same experience. The hotel was not very apologetic, and did not offer any explanations. Secondly, the first two nights we were there, the piped-in music the hotel played in the lobby and public spaces was so loud I could feel the bass reverberating in my room and was actually awakened by it at 4:00 a.m. (a colleague reported the same experience). I thought it was a student party, until I poked my head out the door and realized it was the hotel’s music. Thirdly, when we arrived, we paid in advance by check; when we checked out, we had a credit due to us of $234. More than a month and several phone calls and messages later, we are still waiting to receive our refund. If we owed them money, I’m sure they would not be as patient as we have been. Lastly, I wonder if anyone at this hotel actually returns voice mail messages. In dealing with them before and after the conference, I left several voice mail messages with both Sales and Catering and Accounts Payable, and none of my calls were ever returned. I had to continue calling until I got through to a live person. There were some other minor things, too, such as the conference room where the temperature was stuck at 57 degrees, the conference room that clearly did not get vacuumed after the previous night’s event, and the fact that the regular online rate is actually cheaper than the group conference rate we were offered. The only positive things I can say are that the rooms are comfortable and nice and the restaurant staff is very pleasant and helpful.

The front desk staff was courteous and very helpful. The beds in the room were rock hard and left us with terrible back aches after every nights sleep. The a/c in the room was great, but there seemed to be no air conditioning in any other part of the hotel.

I have stayed at this Holiday Inn quite a few times over the years. For a period of time it was going down hill fast, they have since renovated the hotel with a major makeover. I love the new resaurant, better pool area and probably one of the friendliest staff I have ever encountered. If i ever forget anything or need anything it arrives within 10 mins. I did have a toliet that was running i called and they had a maintenance man up to my room in three minutes. I usually am in Lawrence for business and this time I brought my kids and husband with me. My kids loved the pool, I could hardly get them out of it. I have read some of the reviews on here and I encourage you to give the hotel a second chance. Its turned around 100% Hope you enjoy the place as we have!

I recently stayed at this hotel over springbreak with my family and kids. I have lived in Lawrence for 10+ years and its nice to see new renovations and an updated look. The pool area was great for our kids, and the king bed my wife and I stayed in was one of the best hotel beds I have slept on. The staff was very friendly at check in. It overall was a very nice experience.

We wanted to take our kids swimming for the evening, but the pool was too cold - they were out after 10 mins. The hot tub was too dirty to enter. Our "pool view" room was behind a wall. The mini golf took about 10 mins. When we tried to eat in their restaurant, the bar side was full because of a game and they had no plans to open the other section. When we decided to leave at 7 pm and told the desk clerk why, she just said "Oh, ok".