Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Ennis By Ihg

“In good condition overall - a very good value”

I’ve been fairly loyal to the brand for decades now, but as the lodging business has changed, I’m not exactly sure what the “express” label defines, other than no food and beverage, as we knew it when the company was young. Hardly any inn is doing that today, simply from a need to survive. This o… more

I’ve been fairly loyal to the brand for decades now, but as the lodging business has changed, I’m not exactly sure what the “express” label defines, other than no food and beverage, as we knew it when the company was young. Hardly any inn is doing that today, simply from a need to survive. This one looks as good as any express location, and they have renewed the building back to new in 2023. It would be unusual for me to spend the night in this city since I live about 60 minutes away. I was just too tired to continue the drive safely, and that’s how I ended up here. Upon arrival the desk agent was extremely professional and courteous. The property looks good, and inviting and both the building and grounds well cared for. Upon getting into my sleeping room I found the same problem I do with all lodging properties in that the TV is very complicated to operate, and there’s no standards in the remotes from one TV to the next. To simply find the local news and weather involves a trial and error learning process which takes up too much time. If someone could come up with a standard in this part of our lives it would be much appreciated. The bathroom in this place was sparkling clean, without a speck of mold, and all the fixtures working correctly. The bathtub drain flowed well, which is sometimes a problem in other properties. All of the outdoor lighting including the green flood lights up the outside of the building were working properly, and the landscaping beautiful. The towels, sheets, mattresses, furniture, and other room features were in new condition. I must applaud the switches in the room with pilot lights in them as those things are worth whatever they pay for them helping a guest find the lights in a strange room that’s totally dark. Every hotel room should have these, but they are still pretty rare. I’d love to know why table lamps in lodging properties put the switch on the base, rather than on the socket where they are found everywhere else in our lives. Their elevator was of the hydraulic variety as it was very loud but works correctly. ALL of the outside entry locks opened without resistance, which is greatly appreciated. The same for the room key – it worked without a hassle. There are lots of access control systems that don’t work very well across the industry. The free breakfast was typical, and I wouldn’t eat it because I don’t like cheese in my scrambled eggs/omelets. I had one of their cinnamon rolls which was hot, fresh and tasty. The sausage was cooked in the oven, and I just don’t like those either. They had plenty of cold cereal, in-season fruits, and all the coffee, milk, and juice one might want. It was typical, and as good as any; it’s just that I don’t like those food items. I’ve never been willing to try pancakes made by automation, but they had one of those machines. Denny’s is across the road, and that’s where I went to get some breakfast. The parking situation requires the guest register their car with some web site, but that nice lady at the desk told me she’d register it for me. The back of the building barely has room to park only because of the length of my SUV. Overall, I didn’t find anything wrong with this property, and I would stay there again, and recommend them to others. They are doing a good job of maintaining standards, and presenting a good value.

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