The first time I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express was in the fall of 2008. We were flying out of Pittsburgh to Disney, and since our flight was so early, we decided to find a place to stay near the airport. Not only did the Holiday Inn Express there let us park our car there during our trip, they also provided a shuttle to and from the airport.
Since then, we've visited two more hotels of the chain. We stayed at one in Savannah, which was okay, and we recently stayed in one located in St. Augustine, Florida. We left after work to head to Miami and decided to stop about halfway there.
When we pulled up after midnight, I was relieved to see that the hotel was well lit with ample parking. We actually found a spot right near the doors. It's important to feel safe when you're leaving your vehicle alone over night, especially since we were leaving some of our stuff in it. The clean parking area and well lit outside were in line with the experiences we had previously had with Holiday Inn Express.
If you arrive after a certain time, they have to buzz you in or you use your room key to open the door. It's additional security that probably doesn't really do much, but it makes you feel better. The lobby area was even nicer than the outside of the hotel.* The gentleman that checked us in was a bit odd, but then, so are we. He was really nice and made the process quick and easy.
After we found our room, we went back out to the car to bring a few things in.
So much space!
As we were walking through, the attendant gave us some Famous Amos cookies. They had a little area with food that they were selling them from, but he gave us two bags at no charge. It was a small thing, but it was very kind of him. I think he heard me talking about being hungry.
It turns out that it was a good thing they had a little market section, as Mark and I were starving. After getting settled in the room, we went down to find something to eat. Since there was a microwave in the room, as well as a fridge, they had both cold and frozen options, in addition to the dry type goods.
Amazingly, we didn't forget anything in the fridge.
Mark picked out chicken salad and crackers, while I got some Campbell's soup. The attendant was kind enough to let us in the breakfast room so we could get silverware and napkins.
After a bit of snacking, we showered and got ready for bed. The first time I saw one of those curved shower curtain rods was at the Holiday Inn Express in Pittsburgh, and I fell in love with it. I'm happy to see those in all the hotels of that chain.
Maybe the colors aren't remarkable, but
it is still welcoming.
The bathroom was also very nice; it didn't look like a generic hotel bathroom. They utilize unique shelving units and fixtures to set themselves apart.
The bed was very comfortable. The pillows were not up to our standards, but we're a bit spoiled. We usually carry our own pillows, so that's not a make or break factor in my love for the Holiday Inn Express brand. The bed was clean and didn't look like I should be afraid to sit on it.**
We slept well. Some hotels limit your access to climate control, but we were able to set the air where we wanted it to be. I was able to burrow into the blankets and blast the air conditioning, just the way Mark and I like!
Perhaps the highlight of the Holiday Inn Express experience is the free breakfast. Now, I'm not a huge fan of that particular meal, but that doesn't make it any less important. At the complimentary breakfast, you could have the following:
- Pancakes - They came out of a machine! It was amazing!
- Scrambled Eggs
- Cereal
- Sausage
- Milk
- Biscuits
- Sausage Gravy
- Toast
- Bagels
- Muffins
- Yogurt
- Sweet Rolls
- Orange Juice
There was probably even more food, but I think that gives you a pretty good idea. You don't just get just dried out pastries and orange juice. You get a real breakfast. There was a young lady monitoring the buffet that was kind enough to get the door for me. She was super friendly, even though it was early.
I had to bring breakfast back to the room
for Mr. Sleepy Head.
If I am travelling and don't have access to a Disney hotel, I will opt to stay at a Holiday Inn Express. We usually get a pretty good deal on the room, which is important, and we can count on a pretty nice experience. The rooms have consistently been nice, and that is important. When we're travelling, the last thing I want is to have to worry about where we're sleeping.
*I really liked the big light fixture, but I didn't take a picture of it. I didn't want to look crazy.
**I don't think I am brave enough to take a black light to it, but I don't think I could do that in any hotel.
No comments:
Post a Comment