Holiday Inn Express. Soi B

[SlowlyMan]

Spent a week here. I classify it as ok. About on par with what I would expect from Express stateside.

The staff was very good, mostly. Good English spoken and understood. Housekeeping was timely and we'll done.

I don't like the policy by default they don't replace towels or linens unless you follow their guidelines. That was annoying because I usually forgot to follow the RULES.

Getting an extra towel so I don't need to sleep in a wet spot was a challenge. Even a 100 baht tip wouldn't pry an extra towel out of the cleaners. I had to go down to the front desk and give my room number then they sent a girl with a towel. 

The towels were frayed along the edge and thinner then they should be. After a shower the towel was totally saturated. The bed linens were ok.

The bed was comfortable by Thai standards, but not on par with Amber and some others. 

Something was wrong with the air and or water. My girl developed a rash and my eyes were swollen for the duration of stay. The water would alternate between smelly like swamp and smelling like chlorine.

Decent location. No balcony. 

I see why road warriors will like to use loyalty points. But other then that. Many other better options for the same money or less. 

[PR1977]

Thanks for the review. The rooms and storage space look really small here too on the various booking sites - did you find that?

[SlowlyMan]

The standard room was very small. Plenty of work space and storage though. Suprisingly the the AC struggled to overcome the heat of the day. The outside wall is all glass. Glass isn't a good insulator. 

[darpra]

On 02/03/2024 at 17:45, SlowlyMan said:

 

I don't like the policy by default they don't replace towels or linens unless you follow their guidelines. That was annoying because I usually forgot to follow the rules.

Getting an extra towel so I don't need to sleep in a wet spot was a challenge. Even a 100 baht tip wouldn't pry an extra towel out of the cleaners. I had to go down to the front desk and give my room number then they sent a girl with a towel. 

Can anyone else comment on this. Is it that hard to get some extra towels? Thinking about staying there for a week.

Also seems like the lift is keycard operated. Do they allow joiners to come straight to the room or do I have to come down to pick them up?

[dayo202]

Did you have the breakfast ?

[bgtp]

On 02/06/2024 at 16:02, darpra said:

Can anyone else comment on this. Is it that hard to get some extra towels? Thinking about staying there for a week.

Also seems like the lift is keycard operated. Do they allow joiners to come straight to the room or do I have to come down to pick them up?

Staying here now. It’s my fourth time and I never had a problem getting an extra bath towel. Placing the card on my bed when I wanted my linens changed worked fine, too. One wall is glass, so I just close the curtains during the time of day the sun would be shining into the room and never had a problem keeping the it cold. Yes the elevator is keycard  operated, so you’d have to meet your guest in the lobby. They don’t check/hold ID’s.

Towels need to be replaced as mentioned, but this is typical of a lot of places in this price range unless the hotel is new. If paying cash, there’s probably better options, but I use points and the nights spent here go towards status which makes it fine for me. Honestly, I much prefer the Holiday Inn on Soi 2 as a hotel. I just prefer this location so much more.

[dearjb]

Agree heavily with the comments about the aircon.

I'm here at the moment and my first room was facing on the the Soi buakho side and the air con just could not cool the room down below 24 degrees no matter how long it was left on for.

Asked to be moved room and got a room on the other side which was better, only problem was the air con started leaking after a few days. It was fixed quick enough though.

Staff are good, and as a late riser I really like that the housekeeping staff work later in the day than is usual at most hotels.

 

[bgtp]

13 hours ago, dearjb said:

Agree heavily with the comments about the aircon.

I'm here at the moment and my first room was facing on the the Soi buakho side and the air con just could not cool the room down below 24 degrees no matter how long it was left on for.

Asked to be moved room and got a room on the other side which was better, only problem was the air con started leaking after a few days. It was fixed quick enough though.

Staff are good, and as a late riser I really like that the housekeeping staff work later in the day than is usual at most hotels.

Since I said I never had any issues with the ac keeping the room cool, I’ll add that I never stayed facing Soi Buakhao. I always request a quiet room in the back when making a reservation. That must have helped. The shower curtains they’ve added since my last visit should fix people’s problems with the bathroom floors getting wet from showering.

[1992]

Have stayed there for about 4 weeks total. 

Service is great, any extra towels, pillows etc are delivered immediately. 

They've listened to feedback about the bathrooms and fixed them. 

Breakfast is ok for free I guess, probably used it on about 30% of my time there. Would be nice if they had more of a cafe and room service but they don't. 

The tv channels are awful, it's that weird streaming tv and it's always buffering. Not that it matters because there's never anything good on anyway. 

Never had an issue with the air con. I leave a card in and never turn it off. 

No balcony in any room unfortunately.

ID at the front desk is not mandatory but I'd recommend it. They have a form that they fill out and keep the card, they phone you to check if everything is ok when she goes to pick it up. No joiner fee.

Location is one of the best in all of Pattaya. Close to the carnage but far enough away to be quiet. Baht bus at the front door. 

I like the area and would stay again. There are 'nicer' hotels for the same money but holiday inn's location is just too good. Samran massage (legit massage) 20m from the front door is great value and the staff are cool. 

For a bit more money and a nicer hotel you can stay at amethyst which is just up the street but if you have a strict budget holiday inn express is good. 

[derguti]

Very friendly stuff, nice and clean rooms, no joiner fee, good bf, very good cappucino

[Dalef65]

No balcony is a deal breaker for me.

[Dragooner]

I am a IHG member and this hotel is often my "points and status earner" compared to anything else in Thailand.

I agree with others, get a room that faces away from Buakhao. It helps with both the heat and noise. Also try to be further from the elevators, as some of the others guests have been loud or drunk.

I used to hate the free breakfast, but in Oct the food has improved. The Thai and Indian dishes have been good and the eggs are now made to order (they used to just sit in a bin). Coffee is descent, but gets a plus for being able to take multiple cups back to your room. I even saw one guy get a full to go meal after clearly finishing his real breakfast.

I'd say it is a good stay if you are on your own. But, if you have a lady over the entire time it can feel cramped. I can't even imagine how families could share one room.

[ATL]

Is there a decent buffet breakfast or lunch for a reasonable price available to others? If so how much?

Or do you have to be staying there for the "free" breakfast buffet?

[bgtp]

2 hours ago, ATL said:

Is there a decent buffet breakfast or lunch for a reasonable price available to others? If so how much?

Or do you have to be staying there for the "free" breakfast buffet?

I’ve had no problem with a ‘guest’ joining me at the complimentary breakfast buffet.

[aa17981]

So what is the current status of this hotel ?? Any recent reviews. ? 

[freedom42]

Stayed there Feb 16 and two nights back in November. Clean rooms, comfy beds (Queen is the largest bed they have, no king size). Good underground parking. Quiet if you are not near the lift. No bathtubs. TV channels are shit. Internet wifi is 40 Mbps or so. Didn't have the breakfast and didnt check out the pool. 

Will stay again when the rates drop for low season. 

[aa17981]

I love everything about this hotel .. just 1 major flaw I find is the lack of balcony in all the rooms .. and this is the only reason why I am considering debua over it … otherwise in every other aspect I like this hotel for a short stay of 5 nights ..

[1992]

I really like this hotel and would stay here every trip but yeah the lack of balconies is a big negative so I stay elsewhere. 

[aa17981]

Are there any late night food joints very close to the hotel ( say max near Amytheist  hotel ) which is easily walkable from HI ? A place where we can eat at around 4 am post party and before going to the room ( as Thai girls have this habit of eating before going to the room ) ??

[bgtp]

2 hours ago, aa17981 said:

Are there any late night food joints very close to the hotel ( say max near Amytheist  hotel ) which is easily walkable from HI ? A place where we can eat at around 4 am post party and before going to the room ( as Thai girls have this habit of eating before going to the room ) ??

Not really at that hour. I just take them to the nearby 7/11 and they get something they’re happy with to bring back to the room.