OverviewThe Holiday Inn Express Blue Mtn is located in Ontario's cottage country in the town of Collingwood and is approximately a 15 minute drive to the Blue Mountain Ski Resort. Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) is 143km from the hotel and the nearest train station is Barrie South GO Rail Station in the city of Barrie, which is approximately 64.4km from this hotel.
Several tourist attractions are within close proximity to the hotel, including Scenic Caves Nature Adventure (8.4km), Blue Mountain Village (8.7km), Wasaga Beach (21.9km), Elmvale Jungle Zoo (40km), Island boat Cruises (63.4km) and Tobermory Ferry Service to Manitoulin Island (60.6km). All distances: Google Maps.
The hotel has 2 floors, 73 rooms and 27 suites. Room type options include, single, double, queen and king size beds, and some suites feature a sitting area with sofa bed, a kitchenette and a Jacuzzi hot tub. There is one handicapped room available for physically challenged guests. All rooms are equipped with a hair dryer, a coffee maker, a 27-inch cable television set, pay per view movies and free WiFi.
Among the amenities are an indoor heated swimming pool, free parking, free local calls, and a complimentary hot and cold breakfast bar. The breakfast bar is open from 6:30am to 9:30am.
Guests have access to a business centre which includes a work desk, a fax machine, a PC with High-speed Internet and a courier service.
Check in time is 3pm while check out is 11am. The hotel was contacted directly to confirm both the hours of breakfast service and also the free WiFi in all rooms.
The GoodGuest reviews of this hotel that were positive typically focused on convenience of location, the complimentary breakfast bar, the clean and comfortable rooms and the friendly staff.
Most guests felt that this hotel was a good choice for location purposes, saying it was convenient for accessing the Blue Mountain ski resort, tourist attractions, restaurants and shops. Several guests felt their rooms were clean and comfortable and what they would expect from a Holiday Inn hotel.
Numerous guests spoke positively about the complimentary hot and cold breakfast bar, saying there was a good selection and that it added to the value for money spent on their room rates. Free parking was an added bonus in some guest's opinions.
Several guests found the front desk staff friendly and mentioned that check in and check out was quick and easy.
The Bad
Guest complaints were generally focused on the crowded breakfast area, "dated" television sets, housekeeping issues and not having access to the swimming pool.
Several guests mentioned that although the complimentary breakfast had many good options, it was also very crowded and many found it difficult to find a seat. A few guests noted that the plastic dinnerware was "tacky" and not the best environmental choice.
A number of guests felt their television sets needed to be upgraded from the older tube models to the more commonly used flat screen models.
Some guests complained that their rooms were not ready at check in time, and that they had to wait too long for housekeeping to clean them before they could check in.
Other guests were disappointed to find the swimming pool closed during their stay at the hotel. Some also mentioned the pool was over-chlorinated when it was open.
The author contacted this hotel directly to confirm breakfast hours and the free WiFi in all rooms.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked this hotel #3 out of 10 hotels in Collingwood and scored it 3.5 out of 5 from 56 guest reviews.
Expedia.com guest reviewers scored this hotel 4.1 out of 5 with 89% of reviewers recommending it from 64 guest reviews.
Booking.com guest reviews scored this hotel 7.8 out of 10 from 20 reviews.
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Analyzed by Tania P.
Tania is a writer and world traveler with a passion for living life to the fullest.
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