Holiday Inn Express Old Town, San Diego

I booked three nights in advance at a 'special rate' for a savings of $28.00/night, for a total savings of $84.00. Unfortunately I found out last minute I was unable to make the trip and when I called to cancel they said they would not refund my $444.90 (CDN) as I had received a special rate. Apparently if you receive a special rate and you book in advance you're out the money whether you go or not so the lesson here is to pay the extra $84.00 when you're there rather than $444.90 for nothing...I consider that cancellation insurance! Even the airline refunded my money 100%! It's too bad...I had planned to reschedule the trip in the New Year but I certainly won't stay here.

The girl who checked us in was friendly, but when we went to check out another girl first took another customer before me while I was waiting there for several minutes without being acknowledged, then she refused to give me a receipt (which I needed so I can be reimbursed by my job). She had a really bad attitude and treated me like she just wanted me to accept it and leave. She said because I paid with a credit card in advance that she had no receipt to give me. She said the print out from the booking was all I would get. She just gave me a receipt for their over priced parking. I went back with the booking paper I printed and had in my car. It clearly says on it that its an estimate and not an actual receipt. She finally left and asked a manager that was in the back and then came back and printed the receipt. No apology. On top of all that, the room wasn't very clean. There was alot of hairs on the walls and door of the bathroom. The underground parking seems very secure but don't plan on using it if you have a lifted or tall vehicle. The ceiling height has only 6' clearance. On the plus side the location is pretty good and old town SD is always a good time.

you know when you watch a scarry movie how they say dont go in there ,Well Dont go in there ,ps the management dont care and the maintenence is to dumb to fix it

I loved the location..right in Old Town with all the restuarants, shopping, and close to the trolley (so you can take the trolley downtown easily and it is a short ride). The rooms are great, modeled well, and with lots of room. The front desk service is great, there is room service, and the hotel is beautiful. There is a lot of walking up stairs but you get access to balcony/tier seating so it is worth it. Love it so much I recommend it to friends and would stay there again!

Likes: -Its got great location. -There is breakfast. Dislikes: -They used all styrofoam and plastic plates and utensils -They don't smile - They put you in a room surrounded by remodeling in process. Hallway smells and there are loud machine noises - Paper thin walls: you can hear hallway door slamming which wakes you up in the middle of the night and early mornings - Door key card keep getting de-magnetized even when it is stored separately from credit cards. So you have to walk back to the front desk every day to get it fixed. They insisted its my fault. - Pool is too cold

It is close to everything in Old Town. We were fortunate to park on the street across from check in and Old Town is walking distance. We had a room with a balcony. The hotel staff was very friendly, helpful and laid back. We missed breakfast so I can't comment on that. Would stay here again because of the location.

I stayed here at the end of September, 2006. The hotel is located in the heart of Old Town San Diego, and is an easy walk to the restaurants and shops of Old Town on San Diego Avenue. It also located adjacent to the San Diego County Sheriff's Museum (free admission). I stayed on a Monday night after the summer season, and paid $209 for one night! The hotel was full, with lots of foreign tour groups, cruise ship passengers, and conventioneers. The hotel is nice, but it was the most I've ever paid to stay at a Holiday Inn Express. The hotel itself is old, but seems to be maintained nicely. It is also a smoke-free hotel, which I think is great. You sign a document when you check-in that if you smoke in your room, you will be charged a $250 cleaning fee. If you REALLY must smoke, you can go outside to their interior courtyard. The front desk staff is very friendly, and gives you a walking map of Old Town when you check in. There are also lots of brochures and tourist guides on a table across from the check-in area. The free breakfast is nice, and has the usual types of food that all Holiday Inn Express hotels have. However, the eating area is extremely small. There are only six tables that hold four people each, and there are only three tables that hold two people each. They should make the eating area larger, by placing tables and chairs outside the door in their courtyard area---it's only a few feet away---and since the weather here is nice year around, tourists would probably enjoy eating outside (and it would lessen the very large crowd inside). If you're trying to make reservations at this hotel and it's booked, there are several other similar hotels within walking distance of this location. Courtyard by Marriott is just down the street, as is the La Quinta Inn. They both looked very nice and offer similar items (free breakfast, free internet, etc). The San Diego Trolley (which isn't really a trolley, it's a modern light rail system) is a 10 minute walk from the hotel at the Old Town transit center. The Coaster commuter trains also stop here, but Amtrak does not.

Upon check-in, they answered all our questions about the surrounding area, gave directions and suggestions for dining. Confortable room with microwave and refrigirator that you can use for an extended stay. Walking distance to tour trolley, rail trolleys to stadium, malls, etc and plenty to do in Old Town. Only negative was the $10 per night parking in their garage, but there is plenty of free street parking around the hotel. I will stay here every trip to San Diego!

It was great, the service was excellent, the people were helpful, the pool was great and breakfast was wonderful.

We stayed here through Priceline. The room cost $40/night. It was VERY clean & in a great neighborhood. It was close to the Sherrif's museum & to great restaurants. The complimentary breakfast was very well stocked too. We used the underground parking and had no problems there as well.