Review or Cancel your Hotel Reservation Allure Hotels and Resorts Holiday Inn Express Seattle :: Accommodations and Attractions
Seattle Hotels Shopping Attractions Restaurants SeaTac Airport Hotels Washington Cities Travel Guide

Holiday Inn Express Seattle Guest Reviews

Hotel Review of the Holiday Inn Express Seattle

Mar 1, 2010
I don't know if this is good value for money because I paid for it with priceline - but I want to recommend this place. The only downside of this place is the roar of traffic from Aurora St - so bring earplugs. Otherwise it is a decent place with a great staff.

Hotel Review of the Holiday Inn Express Seattle
Feb 23, 2010
This hotel is a large, 5-story, 60s era Holiday Inn that has been rebranded as an HI Express. It is close to Seattle Center (Space Needle, Rock and Roll Museum) and sits right on Aurora Ave., a major North-South artery, so there is traffic noise. I did not explore the neighborhood but it did not look inviting for walkers or like there was much of interest within walking distance. As of Feb 2010 it has not yet gotten the full remodelling treatment that other Express hotels have and the interiors still have the old HI decor. My single king room was large and clean. Bed was comfortable and had a choice of firm and soft pillows. Lots of towels. Free internet and breakfast but no microwave or fridge, unlike other Express hotels I have recently stayed in. Parking is $10/night. The breakfast was the usual HIE selection of cereals, overcooked eggs, biscuits and gravy, pastries, and breads. The fitness room had five cardio machines but no strength training equipment at all. There is a small indoor pool. The hotel has a basic, utilitarian feel but represents very good value in a central location in a major city. Nothing fancy but it has everything you need for a comfortable overnight stay (except a weight machine in the gym).

Hotel Review of the Holiday Inn Express Seattle
Feb 15, 2010
First of all, I'd like to thank Chad for making it hassle free to refund a double charge that was wrongly made to my cc....just one phone call and one email. That is truly excellent after sales service!
Hotel location is quite near the space needle. However, if it was raining (which it was when we arrived) I'd advise against going to the needle as you can't really see anything from up there....$$ wasted.
The area looks pretty safe. We walked around the night with kids and didn't feel insecure (unlike in LA).
Parking was in a locked garage which opens when you insert the room key...took me a while to figure that out :{, but it was cool. Elevator in the garage goes straight to the room, which was excellent cos we've got lots of luggage with all the shopping at the premium outlet. Of course you'd have to go to the right garage to get to the right wing...we just happened to go into the correct one.
There's a Walgreen's nearby which made it convenient to buy supplies.
We had a room facing a wall, which was very quiet. No scenery from there.
Rented a car from Avis, and they have a service to drive us from the hotel to Avis nearby, which was nice.
Breakfast is a nice addition...enough to get us all going for the day.
All in all, an excellent place to stay!

Hotel Review of the Holiday Inn Express Seattle
Jan 23, 2010
(Family of 4. Two males, two females. Four nights stay.)
We have stayed at many HIE, but have never encountered such odd room setup: The bathroom sink was out in the bedroom hall (photos), leaving the bathroom without a sink, no mirror, no ventilation fan. We found this to be very inconvenient and it made every day an unnecessary challenge for everyone to shower and groom, etc. So much for privacy. When we requested to move to a room with a normal bathroom, we were told every 'standard room' had the same exhibitionistic setup.
We were paying for 4 people, but room service refused to provide us with 4 bath towels. Every day we had to call the desk to ask for the fourth towel. We found this to be very inconvenient.
The hotel's location - on the 'wrong side' of walled-in Aurora Ave - makes walking to Seattle Center a dangerous proposition. There are few attractions within a safe walking distance. If you plan to drive every place downtown, then the location is OK.
On the plus side, every staff member was friendly and the hotel was clean. The queen beds were very comfortable. Continental breakfast and robust coffee was good.
Overall, however, due to the poor room design (with the bathroom sink out in the bedroom hall), we would not return to this location.

Hotel Review of the Holiday Inn Express Seattle
Dec 14, 2009
I have stayed at this hotel a number of times for business and I find it to be an excellent hotel. Most of the rooms have been updated and many have a beautiful view of the Space Needle. It is located on the North end of downtown, within walking distance of the many belltown restaurants. The prices tend to vary a lot and can become quite expenisve in the summer. I would tend to shop around during the height of the summer tourist season. About the only downside is the wi-fi system which can be very slow at times. Also as an FYI parking is $10 per night, which isn't bad in a downtown area hotel. Overall it is a great place to stay.
 

Hotel Review of the Holiday Inn Express Seattle
Nov 26, 2009
We really enjoyed our stay at this hotel- we were given complimentary upgrades to King suites on the top floor facing the space needle- it was super and the beds so comfortable!!
We basically had no complaints with the hotel and the free breakfast was VERY nice- not just bagels and yogurt, like most free hotel breakfasts.

The only complaint we had was the with the hotel restaurant. It was very expensive, the "special" that we ordered tasted like frozen ravioli with a canned spaghetti sauce and the dessert - a sliver of cheesecake for $7. The high prices did not in any way match the low quality of food, ambiance (we were seated in ear-shot of the bar- loud drunk guys swearing up a storm) or the service. Our dinner salad was just as pitiful. It's a disappointing since their are not any other restaurants in that block- and when you are really tired, have a baby along etc- it's nice to have the convenience of a nice restaurant at the hotel.
We would definitely stay here again- just will not eat at the restaurant.

Hotel Review of the Holiday Inn Express Seattle
Nov 14, 2009
I thought this motel was basically clean and comfy with pretty good service and basically "ok" to stay at ... BUT... you are paying for the LOCATION near downtown Seattle and the Seattle Center, not necessarily an exceptional place to stay. That is what you are paying for. The other hotels and motels in the downtown area are MUCH pricier, (believe me I've priced all of them), (and they do not have breakfast waiting for you either.) Sixth Avenue Inn is close by and they are near this price range but are somewhat scuzzy and don't offer free breakfast.
The parking is extra and is $10. a night, it is plentiful both in front of the motel and in an underground garage, the service at the front desk was helpful and friendly, the pool was clean and warm enough for comfort, the work out room only has 1 treadmill so you may need to wait your turn and there is/are NO gym (weight-s equipment) equipment of ANY kind, but they do have the single treadmill, elliptical, and stair-steppers. Shower and towels also right there next to work out area.
The place is next to a major road (Aurora Ave.) and the traffic is VERY loud on that side, (Space Needle view side) but they have earplugs at the front desk (which I found out AFTER I checked out). the breakfast was hot, plentiful, clean and good, and they do have the FREE internet PC in the room next to the lobby to check your e mail. Beware it seems on Saturday nights before Seahawk home games it can be quite loud and crowded in the halls, and there was no security of any kind that I noticed operating, elevators are pretty loud at night on the weekends and a party kind of atmosphere somewhat happens. The tv when you turn it on is VERY loud in the morning as the volume AUTOMATICALLY goes VERY HIGH and there is NO way to do anything about this even if you turn the volume all the way down before you go to bed the night before. The hot tubs flood their water out as they are poorly designed and the curtains do not go all the way across the tub/shower area, beware of water flooding down onto the bathroom floor.
Busses are free as long as you stay in the downtown area, downtown is also a walkable distance if you are in decent shape.

Hotel Review of the Holiday Inn Express Seattle
Oct 27, 2009
Nice hotel..good continental breakfast...parking should be free, but I guess Seattle is expensive for cars. No frills close to Space Needle and monorail to downtown area.

Hotel Review of the Holiday Inn Express Seattle
Sep 25, 2009
Just returned from a 2 night stay in Seattle and after reading the reviews on this site, decided to book the HI Express Downtown. We had planned this trip for our anniversary and wanted to experience "Teatro Zinzanni" again (previously visited on a trip to San Francisco a few years ago). The rooms are clean and bright, the air conditioning works perfect without being too noisy, the free breakfast buffet is awesome with lots of variety, including fresh hot scrambled eggs, fruit, yogurt etc. The bed was very comfortable with 2 pillows each, one "firm" and one "soft", as marked on the covers. Pool and gym were clean and not crowded. The hotel's own bar/restaurant offers 2 Happy Hours, one early and one late with great specials. Not too far to walk to the Space Needle and Pike Place Market. Overall, would highly recommend.

Hotel Review of the Holiday Inn Express Seattle

Sep 14, 2009
We (2 adults and 1 baby) stayed here for a week and found things to be generally fine. I had booked a room at the back of the hotel given that the road at the front is really busy – the downside of this is that you get a view of the Holiday Inn on the other side of the alley out the back, rather than the Space Needle, but this isn’t such a big deal. However, as mentioned by others, there seem to be trucks going down the road at the back of the hotel in the early hours of the morning which woke us up a couple of times.

I would describe the location of the hotel as being just beyond the edge of downtown – it is close to the Seattle Centre/Space Needle and quite easy to walk into the city centre in about 20 minutes and it isn’t far from the edge of the “free ride” bus zone. A tip for others staying here is that the route 99 bus is free all day (not just peak hours) and is also free along the length of its route rather than just in the “free ride” area – it goes past many of the sights and isn’t too long a walk from the hotel.

The taxi ride from the airport cost about $45 and the check-in was quick and easy (even got some water and cookies for being a Priority Club member!). The hotel is quite modern, and we had a one bedroom suite (with a completely separate bedroom) which was fine for our needs as it allowed us to be in one room and the baby to sleep in the other. The bed was comfortable and the bedroom was clean. It was also great that free wifi was available. The only downside was that the kitchenette wasn’t really sufficient to prepare any food for our baby – there were no utensils provided beyond plastic knives/forks/plates, although the fridge came in handy for storing her food.

Talking of food, the breakfast buffet was the standard Holiday Inn Express fare, which I happen to like! It was good that fruit was provided as well as the less healthy options. The breakfast room is quite small given the size of the hotel, but although it was always busy we never had to wait. The staff there did a great job in ensuring that everything was kept stocked.

We chose the Holiday Inn Express rather than the Holiday Inn next door as the Express had a swimming pool – we ended up only using this once (too much to see in Seattle!) but it was a great facility to have and the temperature was lovely.

We got a great rate of $140 per night through the Intercontinental “Friends and Family” scheme as one of my friends works for them in the UK – if you know someone who works for the hotel chain you get a good discount (I shouldn’t say that you could google “intercontinental hotels friends and family” but.....)

Car parking is an extra $10 per night, but we only picked up the rental car towards the end of our stay from the nearby Avis given how easy it is to get around Seattle on foot/by public transport. We had read about the problems using the underground carpark so we parked at street level – there seemed to be a few spare spaces.

The restaurant in the Holiday Inn (Emerald Grill) wasn’t so good – we tried it once as Priority Club members get a discount. We stood there for 5 minutes as 3 staff walked by without even acknowledging that we were standing there. When we sat down we weren’t given menus and were given a broken baby seat. The food was mediocre on top of this, so I wouldn’t recommend the restaurant.

All in all we would definitely consider staying there if we visited Seattle again.

Hotel Review of the Holiday Inn Express Seattle

Aug 8, 2009
The Holiday Inn Express Seattle City Center is just a few blocks away from downtown and the Seattle Center (Space Needle). It's within easy walking distance of the Needle (maybe 6 blocks) and near good public transportation that can get you easily around to tourist sights in central Seattle.

We spent 2 nights here. The hotel is modern and the rooms were clean and everything worked OK. No complaints. Our room fronted busy Aurora Avenue which can get a little noisy, so if you are sensitive to noise ask for a room in the back. On the other hand, we had a very nice view of the Space Needle.

The breakfast buffet was up to Holiday Inn Express standards, a big selection that fills you up well into the afternoon. However it got a little crowded in the breakfast room at peak times, we had to wait for a table one morning.

I didn't realize until we checked out that there are actually TWO hotels here - the HI Express and a "full service" Holiday Inn right next door (I thought it was just one hotel!)

If you don't mind staying a little ways from downtown (it's just a few blocks!) or want to be near the Space Needle, you can't beat this hotel! We paid about $150/night for very nice rooms in summer season!!

Hotel Review of the Holiday Inn Express Seattle

June 12, 2009
We had a 2-room suite on the fifth floor facing the Space Needle. The view was great although we didn’t spend much time enjoying it. I’ve read people complaining about traffic noise but we didn’t find it to be a problem at all. The room was spacious and the beds very comfortable, although the sofa bed left something to be desired but it is a sofa bed so what can one expect? Probably the first time I've had more pillows than I knew what to do with. The check-in process was quick and painless and we even got a little welcome package with bottled water and popcorn. The room had everything we needed and then some, I am particularly appreciative of the fridge.

My nearly 2-year-old came along for the trip and he seemed to enjoy the room; it gave him room to play and was reasonably child safe - and a decent selection of channels including cartoons helped.

The indoor pool isn’t very big and is rather simple so we didn’t bother actually trying it out. The TVs in the rooms are good size with decent quality although the power button didn’t work on one of our remotes. Getting up and running on the internet did require a call for some technical support but they walked us through the process quickly enough. The water pressure in the shower was impressive and refreshing – the provided shampoo smelled like cinnamon oatmeal and the conditioner almost had a custard aroma (you'll likely come out of the shower feeling hungry). They even provided cotton swabs which I always forget to pack.

Hotel Review of the Holiday Inn Express Seattle

June 8, 2009
As mentioned in other reviews the parking is incredibly tight, that really would be my only criticism of this property. I’ve stayed in a few hotels in Seattle and the surrounding area like Everett and I have to say this is the first one that I would not only stay at again but look forward to the opportunity. It does cost a bit more but the Seattle market for accommodations is a little tricky so given what’s available it’s worth putting out a little extra green for. I am very impressed with the Holiday Inn Express brand based on this experience and will probably start my next hotel search with them in mind.

Hotel Review of the Holiday Inn Express Seattle

May 6, 2009
This hotel is just north of downtown and within walking distance of the Space Needle. Room was clean and bed was comfortable. Busy road right in front of the hotel, A little noisy during rush hour traffic but you really don't notice it to much. Neighbour hood is going over a change (Lofts Etc). Not really much to eat around the hotel but getting to downtown and and Pikes Market is really easy. Even during rush hour. Front desk staff was great with information and directions. We walked to the Space Needle during the early evening. Not sure if I would do this after dark. Breakfast was your typical Holiday Inn Express meal. $10.00 parking fee per night. We were aware of this but used to free parking. There is outside parking and underground parking. I would stay at this site again. It's a good value and location is good

Hotel Review of the Holiday Inn Express Seattle

Apr 27, 2009
We stayed in this hotel for four nights in April 2009 while exploring Seattle. It's conveniently located within walking distance of the Space Needle and other City Center attractions (including a monorail that will take you to other parts of the city).

This hotel has all of my favorite things about Holiday Inn Express -- clean, fresh linens; a great breakfast; and free wireless Internet access. The room was clean, comfortable and reasonably priced, and the staff were friendly and helpful.

My only hesitation is the location; there weren't very many restaurants within walking distance. It might be better to stay near Pike Place or Pioneer Square instead.

Hotel Review of the Holiday Inn Express Seattle

Apr 12, 2009
This was the second time I have stayed at this hotel (first time was 2004). As Holiday Inn Expresses go, it's fine. The neighbourhood isn't great (not a lot of amenities) but it's far cheaper than staying downtown in Seattle. You can walk easily to the Space Needle and the Music Experience and hop onto the Monorail to downtown. My only gripe is the parking lot is really small. I drive a small car, and I found getting in and out of the parking spots difficult. The hotel is very clean and comfortable, and I would stay here again.

Hotel Review of the Holiday Inn Express Seattle

Apr 3, 2009
This is one of the best hotels I have ever been. The room is big, clean, everything is in good condition. The mattress is super comfortable, the best compared with all previous hotels I stayed in! The staff is very friendly and helpful. The price is unbelievably cheap with no extra charge for more than 2 people. And finally the complimentary breakfast is unbeatable with so many selections. This hotel is amazing. We will definitely come back!

Hotel Review of the Holiday Inn Express Seattle

Mar 20, 2009
I was pleasantly surprised by this hotel. My room was spacious and clean. The hotel was within walking distance to several big attractions and some really great neighborhood restaurants. The only downfall was I heard the hum of traffic at night. However, for the price I got on the hotel, I would gladly bring along earplugs to drown out the noise.

Also they don't have wireless internet so if you are planning on using the internet you should bring your own cable or you can lease one from the front desk.

Holiday Inn Express Seattle

226 Aurora Avenue
North Seattle Washington

Holiday Inn Express Seattle City Center

Hotels in Seattle Discount Reservation Center promo code 8857
Seattle Hotel Reviews
Days Inn Downtown Seattle