Alpena, Michigan: Holiday Inn Express and more

December 2024, week night, one night

View from king suite 407 in Holiday Inn Express Alpena, Michigan
Sitting area in king suite 407 below

Holiday Inn Express, king suite 407

I reserved a basic king guestroom in this hotel.  As a platinum member, we received an upgrade to a suite. Although we did not have a river view, the extra sitting area in the room was great. I also received the opportunity to pick a gift from the Christmas tree in the lobby, and received an extra 250 points. Some of the gifts were worth 5,000 points, so I guess I was not so lucky on that draw. 😁

King suite 407 in Holiday Inn Express Alpena, Michigan

This Holiday Inn Express still had Keurig coffee machines in the guestroom. They did not have a fresh brew machine in the lobby, like the location in East Lansing. The guestroom was spacious, comfortable, and very clean. The bathroom shower had glass doors, and a safe was provided in the entry closet.

Breakfast in Holiday Inn Express Alpena, Michigan

Lansing, Michigan: Holiday Inn Express, Visitor Bureau and area

November 2024, weekend, one night 

View from guestroom 326 in Holiday Inn Express & Suites East Lansing

I am sharing a few photos and some basic information from our Lansing visit last month.

Guestroom 326 in Holiday Inn Express & Suites East Lansing

Holiday Inn Express East Lansing, king suite guestroom 326

I reserved a basic king guestroom in this hotel. As a platinum member, I received an upgrade to a king suite. The guestroom was clean and comfortable. 

Guestroom 326 in Holiday Inn Express & Suites East Lansing

Niles, Michigan: Holiday Inn Express

February 2024, weekday, one night

Platinum perks and arrival

I reserved a 2 queen bed suite at this location because the price was reasonable, and we wanted a room with a sitting area (there were no king suites available). We had an excellent arrival experience and received an upgrade to a family suite. Before the front desk agent gave us the upgrade, she asked if a room on the second floor was okay, since my profile request is for the top floor. 

Suite 213 in Holiday Inn Express in Niles, Michigan

Queen family suite #213

This guestroom is huge! We loved the sitting area, and the separate bedroom. The guestroom diagram, which shows that this guestroom has a connecting door is incorrect. This room does not have a connecting room door.

Suite 213 in Holiday Inn Express in Niles, Michigan

Berea, Kentucky: Holiday Inn Express

January 2024, Sunday & Monday, two nights

Arrival and platinum perks

Check-in was easy, and my bonus points posted to my account right away. I had reserved a suite when I made the reservation, as the cost was reasonable.

Holiday Inn Express guestroom 309 in Berea, Kentucky

King bed suite #309

This suite is spacious, although I wonder if it is really any larger than a basic guestroom. Looking at the guestroom diagram and external building photos, it looks like the guestrooms are all the same size (other than one wider room shown on the diagram near the elevator).

Holiday Inn Express guestroom 309 in Berea, Kentucky

Cuero, Texas: Holiday Inn Express and Suites

October 2023, weeknight, king studio guestroom 211

Reservations, arrival, platinum perks

The rates at this hotel were reasonable, and the check-in process went smoothly. Platinum bonus points posted to my account right away.

Holiday Inn Express guestroom 211 in Cuero, Texas 

Guestroom 211

This guestroom is located on the second floor of this three-story hotel. It is on the front side of the building overlooking the parking lot and pool.

Holiday Inn Express guestroom 211 in Cuero, Texas 

Warren, Ohio: Holiday Inn Express & Suites Youngstown North (Warren/Niles)

Weekday, one night, king guestroom #331

Fountain in outside courtyard in Holiday Inn Express & Suites Youngstown N (Warren/Niles)

Arrival and platinum perks

We received a great welcome and platinum perks at this hotel: upgraded room, bottled water, and snacks. 

King guestroom 331

Unfortunately, I did not take any photos of the guestroom. It was the usual Holiday Inn Express type room, except that it was by far, one of the cleanest, quietest, and most comfortable rooms I have ever had.

Whirlpool tub in Holiday Inn Express & Suites Youngstown N (Warren/Niles)

Rolla, Missouri: Holiday Inn Express

August 2023, Sunday night, king guestroom 322

View of Gateway Arch in St Louis from our car

We stayed at this hotel for just one night on our way south several weeks ago. I do not remember much about the stay, so it must have been okay, with no delightful or negative experiences. I have a few photos, so I am sharing those, along with the few things I do recall for sure. 

Guestroom 322 in Holiday Inn Express Rolla, Missouri

The hotel is next to I-44, with easy access to and from the expressway. It is about 1½ hours south of St Louis and Six Flags. I had also considered the Holiday Inn near Six Flags for our stop, but decided against that hotel because I thought it might have more families. I have nothing against families or children, although I do think traveling business guests tend to be quieter neighbors. The next morning, I was glad we had not chosen the Holiday Inn, because there was a fire at that hotel overnight. I do not think anyone got hurt; however, I imagine being displaced in the middle of the night must have been an ordeal for those guests.

Petoskey, Michigan: Holiday Inn Express & Suites

October 2022, Sunday, one night, suite guestroom 507

Valley view from suite 507 in Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Petoskey, Michigan

Arrival and platinum perks

A front desk agent called me the day of check-in just after 2:00 PM to ask what time we were going to check-in. Check-in is 3:00 PM, so I hesitated briefly, as I considered why she would be calling to ask me this. She did not really say, and I did not directly ask. I initially told her that we were in the area, and that we could check in any time between now and this evening. It sounded like maybe they were behind on cleaning rooms, and that she wanted us to arrive later. I then told her that we were not in a rush to get to the room, so it would be an hour or two. After this conversation, I inquired about a suite upgrade. We had booked a king valley view guestroom. She said they would be able to upgrade us to a high floor suite, and I said great. 

Sunset view from hall in Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Petoskey
Non-valley view guest rooms have sunset views

We arrived around 4:30 PM, and our room had not been pre-assigned. As the agent was preparing our keys, I asked if our room was a suite. I said that someone had called me a few hours ago, and said she could give us a suite upgrade. We then waited several minutes while he did something on the computer, and then he looked at some information in another area behind the counter against the wall. During this time, another employee arrived behind the counter and asked if we needed help. I told her I thought he was getting our room keys. He had not said anything to us after the initial greeting, so I was not actually sure what was going on! The first employee provided our keys a short time later, and we headed to the room (with no information from him about what kind of guestroom we had been assigned).

Guestroom diagram in Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Petoskey, Michigan

Suite 507

This guestroom is on the top floor across from the elevator. The guestroom was spacious and comfortable for the most part. The bedroom is located up front near the entrance, so we could easily hear hallway noise while in the bedroom. According to the guestroom diagram, the only top floor suite (other than the larger suites) with the bedroom located away from the hall is guestroom 509.

Suite 507 in Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Petoskey, Michigan

Troy, Ohio: Holiday Inn Express, Greenville Falls, Moeller Brew Barn

August 2022, weekdays, 2-nights

View from guestroom 333 in Holiday Inn Express Troy, Ohio

Holiday Inn Express, king guestroom 333

This is an extended guestroom near the center of the hall, overlooking the hotel entrance. 

King guestroom 333 in Holiday Inn Express Troy, Ohio

The guestroom was comfortable, spacious, and clean. 

King guestroom 333 in Holiday Inn Express Troy, Ohio

Magnolia, Arkansas: Holiday Inn Express-Lake Columbia, area and dining

August 2022, weekdays, 2-nights

Sunrise from guestroom 304 in Holiday Inn Express in Magnolia, Arkansas

Holiday Inn Express, king extended guestroom 304

Guestroom 304 is on the top floor near the end of the hall. The bed was comfy with good quality pillows and bedding.

Guestroom 304 in Holiday Inn Express in Magnolia, Arkansas

The guestroom was spacious, comfortable, and clean. 

Guestroom 304 in Holiday Inn Express in Magnolia, Arkansas

The beverage center contained a microwave, K-cup machine with supplies, and a good size fridge. The well-lit bathroom contained a long vanity and bath amenities.

Howell, Michigan: Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Breweries

 March 2022, 1 night, Friday-Saturday, king whirlpool suite 322?

Reservations, platinum perks, check-in

I do not remember our guestroom number for sure, and I do not have a bill to check it because we used points for this stay. We made the reservation online the day before our stay using only 17,600 points. I previously stayed in this hotel 10 years ago in January 2012. 

Before we arrived, I noticed on the IHG app that our room had been upgraded to a whirlpool suite. The agent also informed me of this during check-in. She provided efficient and professional assistance.

Howell, Michigan Holiday Inn Express whirlpool fireplace suite

King whirlpool suite

This spacious guestroom is located on the top floor next to the elevator. We did not hear any noise from the elevators during our stay. There is a large window in the bedroom and in the living room. Both windows could be opened a few inches, and they both faced toward Tanger Outlet Mall and the expressway.

Howell, Michigan Holiday Inn Express whirlpool fireplace suite

Alpena, Michigan: Holiday Inn Express & Suites Downtown

October 2021, weekend, one-night, queen river view guestroom 320

Alpena Holiday Inn Express from across the river

Arrival and platinum perks

I redeemed points for a river view room with two queen beds, because king river view rooms were not available with points. This hotel was very full, and apparently sold out the night of our stay. I had requested a top floor room in a quiet area, and the agent did not acknowledge my request nor recognize my status. She merely said the hotel was full, after I asked if she had been able to give us a room in a quiet area. Bonus points must be automatic, because I received an email right after check-in from IHG for my 500 bonus points.

Sunrise from guestroom 320 in Alpena Holiday Inn Express

Guestroom 320

This room is a nice size, and it was comfortable. The parking lot is between the hotel and river at this end of the hotel. The windows are soundproof, although there is a gap under the entrance door from the hallway. There was a lot of ruckus the night of our stay from kids running up and down the halls. Fortunately, the guests above us were relatively quiet. 

Guestroom 320 in Alpena, Michigan Holiday Inn Express

The bedsheets were silky soft, and the pillows were good quality. The bed seemed smaller than our queen size bed at home. I was actually surprised that hotel staff did not switch our room out for a single king bed, since there were so many families the night of our stay. I did not ask about this at check-in, although I had written in my reservation comments that we only needed one bed.

There is a work desk with chair in this room, and a single soft chair. A suitcase bench is located at the foot of the bed next to the armoire and TV.

Guestroom 320 in Alpena, Michigan Holiday Inn Express