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Holiday Inn has two very distinct types of hotels. The Holiday Inn Hotels and The Holiday Inn Resorts are the traditional type of hotels and motels that Holiday Inn built when they first started this national chain. These have full service restaurants. The Holiday Inn Express Hotels are a newer entry, and while they do not have a restaurant they provide a complimentary breakfast.

Unfortunately, Holiday Inn's original trademark hotels are showing their age. Thirty years ago, I took a trip driving from Texas to upstate New York, and every hotel we stopped at either for a room or for lunch, had at least average quality, and reasonable prices. So, when recently we had occasion to stay in a hotel in Muskegon, Michigan we stayed at the Holiday Inn, assuming that we would find that medium range quality that I had come to expect those many years earlier. There had clearly been a flood in the room at some earlier time. The walls in the bathroom had severe water damage to them, and ceiling tiles above the bed not only showed signs of water damage, but had also sprouted a crop of mold.

My advice to is that unless you know a Holiday Inn has been recently renovated, avoid it. Some years back, the Holiday Inn name was sold to a different corporation, and clearly they have not attached much importance to maintaining the quality of the brand. For the price, there are better places to stay.

Holiday Inn's budget entry into the field is a whole other story. The Holiday Inn
Express hotels are newer than their older sister hotels, and are generally quite pleasant. Not only are the rooms in much better shape, but they also serve a free continental breakfast. While I still check reviews, this is a name associate with a favorable price to quality ratio

Personally, while I would stay at any of the Holiday Inn Express hotels without hesitation, I would avoid the traditional Holiday Inn's unless I was able to inspect the room and hotel ahead of time. Not only is Holiday Inn a poor value, if you have any sensitivity to mold you may find yourself hacking all night long.

Learn more about this author, Frances Simon.
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