We received a call from the hotel shortly after we booked a room to advise us that the hotel was still under renovation. The bottom 2 floors still needed to be done and work would take place during the day. That worked for us as the hotel location was convenient for our purposes. At check-in the staff was super friendly. As a matter of fact they were very friendly during our whole stay. Our room was towards the back. The room was clearly updated and looked clean. What was annoying though was the noise of the A/C. It looked new, but every time it turned on I woke up by the sound and the blast of of cold air. Turning it down didn't help much. Beds slept well though. At wake-up time we attempted to make a cup of coffee with our in-room coffee machine. It didn't work, so I went downstairs and goths a cup of coffee. We left a note for the cleaning staff telling them the coffee machine didn't work. In the evening when we returned to our room the note was gone. Next morning we tried the machine once more but again it didn't work. Red light went on for about 15 seconds and then turned off. We gave up. What we also noticed is that the mirror in the bathroom fogged up fairly quickly which seems to indicate that the exhaust wasn't working that well. The bedroom also felt quite humid. TV picture quality was very poor.
Breakfast choices were the usual. I stuck to a cereal. It looks like there's still some work to be done. Maybe have a look at the carpets.

The hotel was exceptionally clean. Staff were very helpful. Didn't really use any of the amenities. In a convenient location to get to different areas of Sarasota. Holiday Inn Express never lets me down.