OverviewThe Holiday Inn Express Edmonton Downtown is located on the west side of 104 Street and north of 100 Avenue in Edmonton, Alberta.
Facilities at the pet-friendly hotel ($30 per stay up to one week) include a health and fitness centre, an indoor lap pool, a whirlpool, and a steam room. The hotel also offers a 24-hour business centre, on-site coin laundry, six banquet and meeting rooms, and limited self parking at a cost of $10 per night. The parking for the hotel is an IMPARK lot located right next door and guests who stay at the hotel are advised to bypass the lot's kiosk, record their license plate, and pay for their parking directly at the front desk.
The 100% non-smoking hotel offers a free buffet breakfast that is served in the lobby and other meals can be enjoyed at an attached restaurant known as the Free Press Bistro. That restaurant which features Continental cuisine is open Monday to Friday from 11am to 8pm, however it is closed on weekends.
The eight-storey hotel has an elevator and 140 guest rooms. Common amenities include free wireless and wired Internet (in-room and lobby) and free local calls. Additionally all rooms include coffee maker, cable and satellite television, hairdryer, individually controlled air conditioning, iron, ironing board and work desk with lamp. There are also some upgraded rooms at the hotel that include mini-fridge, microwave oven, and Jacuzzi.
The hotel is directly attached to the Red Arrow motor coach service, a bus line that provides transportation between Lethbridge, Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton, and Fort McMurray; and the Light Rail Transit can be accessed within 500m.
Shopping at Edmonton's City Centre Mall is a short walk from the hotel at a distance of about 850m. The Alberta Legislature grounds and the Citadel Theatre are approximately a 13 minute walk away at about 1km in distance.The Rexall Place Stadium, the Telus World of Science Museum, and the West Edmonton Mall are all within a half hour's drive away (distances and estimated walking and driving times: Google Maps).
Check in time at this hotel is at 4pm while check out time is at noon.
Verified with a Front Desk Agent May 2012: local calls are free, restaurant is closed on weekends, free breakfast served in lobby, free wired and wireless Internet, and parking is shared with Impark.
The GoodGuests that stayed at this hotel were generally quite happy with the property. Several guests paid the hotel compliments that touched on many different areas of the hotel.
First, the location of the property received a lot of compliments. Numerous guests liked that they were downtown in Edmonton and many patrons mentioned that the hotel was near shopping, restaurants, and public transportation.
Many guests "enjoyed" the hotel's free breakfast which was called "decent" and "hot". One guest called it "fantastic" and another described a meal that offered good selection with an "assortment of breads, pastries, fruits, pancakes, yogurt, scrambled eggs and either sausages or bacon".
The staff at the hotel received their fair share of compliments for being friendly, helpful, and courteous and for going out of their way to provide excellent service. Additionally this was a hotel that met guest expectations in regard to cleanliness and comfort with praise for the beds and linens.
Someone mentioned that they have a "great pool and hot tub area" and that the rooms were "clean and comfortable" and that the "parking was very convenient" being "right next door". Another person praised the "free business centre" which enabled him to work from overseas without having brought a laptop.
The Bad
Guests that did not like this hotel were in the minority however there were some areas where a few guests expressed disappointment.
Some guests felt that this hotel was on the noisy side. The sources of the noise varied but some guests mentioned either thin walls, the elevator, or ice machines.
While several guests liked the hotel's downtown location, there was some mention that the neighbourhood felt unsafe. One guest, for example, said that it was "not the best neighbourhood" while another guest claimed she "would not like to be by (herself) at night walking in the area".
A couple of guests felt that the hotel's parking was limited or quick to fill up. One of these guests said "your second choice" for parking was "a lot a block away in a not-so-nice looking dark spot". (The hotel offers an escort to and from the second lot if the first one is full should anyone so desire.)
There were some random complaints such as "the steam room could use more steam", "the pool closes too early" (at 10pm), the TV reception for a paid movie was "terrible" and a few did not like having a coffee maker located in the bathroom.
TripAdvisor.com ranked the hotel 21st of 84 properties and the site had 70 reviews.
Priceline.com guest ratings averaged to 7.9 out of 10 based on 18 reviews.
Booking.com guest ratings averaged to 7.9 out of 10 and the site had 5 reviews.
Front Desk Agent May 2012: local calls are free, restaurant is closed on weekends, free breakfast served in lobby, free wired and wireless Internet, and parking is shared with Impark.
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Analyzed by Shane L.
With ample personal travel experience and years of professional hotel work experience, Shane is prepared and determined to help travelers find what they want when booking Canadian hotels.
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