Fultondale, Alabama / Holiday Inn Express & Suites Birmingham North -

November, Weekend, 1-night, Extended king guestroom 519

Sunset from guestroom 519

Platinum perks and check-in

The morning of our arrival, I noticed that the AAA rate for a king guestroom had dropped $5. Rather than redoing our reservation to save the $5, I decided to call the hotel to see if we could secure an upgrade instead. The person I spoke with said she would change our reservation to a suite right then. When we arrived, we were not able to get the suite (guestroom 430, I think it was) that the agent had assigned us because another staff member told her the A/C unit in that guestroom was not working. That must have been the only suite guestroom left, because we were then reassigned a different guestroom type. I think the original guestroom was a larger corner suite; however, I forgot to take a photo of the guestroom diagram when we got to our room, and now I do not recall the exact details. I chose 500 bonus points for my Platinum perk.

View from entrance guestroom 519

Guestroom 519

Although the agent had referred to this guestroom as a suite also, it looked like an extended guestroom, to me. I would not be too happy, if I had booked and paid for a suite, and then received this type of guestroom. As far as a regular guestroom goes though, this one was fabulous. It was almost exactly the same as the one I'd had at the Holiday Inn Express in Evansville two days prior (except this is a king guestroom, rather than two queen beds). 

Again, I loved the following:

• Comfortable bed with excellent quality pillows and linens. The bedding at this property was even nicer than the bedding had been in Evansville, and I thought the comfort there was amazing.
• Many charging outlets; for USB and electrical plugs.
• Excellent lighting in the entire guestroom.
• Spacious and comfortable work desk area.
• Large suitcase bench with hooks above for hanging clothes/jackets.
• Spacious entrance area with a counter for keys, and dry bar area with Keurig coffeemaker, microwave, and fridge.
• Super clean!  

One thing missing in this guestroom that I had appreciated in Evansville was the soundproof guestroom door. Although this door had gaps around the edges and on the bottom, we were not disturbed by any noise from other guests.

Shower in guestroom 519

The vanity in the bathroom was not as large as the one had been in Evansville; however, it still met our needs. I prefer a shower to a tub, and we loved the large shower with plenty of shelves for shampoos and soap. Bath amenities were provided, and the towels were good quality.

Food & Beverage

Breakfast at this hotel was excellent. Everything was fresh tasting, hot, and the area was immaculate and well maintained just like the guestroom.

Misc. and overall

The entrance drive for this hotel is directly in front of the hotel from the main road; 120/Walker Chapel Road. My GPS seemed to think I needed to turn at the intersection west of the hotel (Chevron and Applebees signs) and come in the back way. You can get to the hotel either way, and there is parking in the back, if you end up with a room there; however, it is not necessary to drive around back if you do not want to.

I have been impressed with the recent improvements to Holiday Inn Express hotels. The fabulous sleep quality and work areas, along with the built in suitcase benches, which offer plenty of room for personal items. This may well become my new favorite hotel brand when traveling for work. My husband likes hotels with a whirlpool tub, which this hotel did not have. When I am traveling for work though, it is just about perfect!