We recently stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Times Square, booking three rooms for our family. Overall, the experience was average.
The location is excellent—close to major attractions and a great value if you’re traveling with a big family needing multiple rooms. However, several aspects of the hotel are overdue for an update. The key cards stopped working multiple times, and we had to keep getting them reset. The locks, furniture, and fittings in the rooms all felt worn. Common areas like the elevators, carpets, and ice machines would also benefit greatly from a refresh.
Check-in was delayed, but not unreasonably so. Though check-in time is listed as 4 p.m., we were only fully accommodated by around 5:30 p.m. Thankfully, we got one room early and had a waiting area. However, I can imagine anything beyond a two-hour delay would have been frustrating.
One downside was the additional charges after checkout, which we hadn’t been informed about during check-in. I had seen another reviewer mention this, and I agree—transparent communication upfront would help.
On the positive side, breakfast was excellent, and the staff at the front desk, bellman, and breakfast area were all courteous and helpful. Room service was consistently great—our rooms were cleaned well each day, and we had no issues with the bathrooms or showers.
However, I would probably look at other hotels nearby for a future visit—there are many in the area that might offer a more updated experience.