Holiday Inn Express in Watertown, New York

The Holiday Inn Express in Watertown, New York is a new hotel and a great addition to the area.

The rooms
The rooms in this hotel appear to be larger than the average hotel room. The room I stayed in was decorated with green carpeting and beige walls. The bed had a beige spread and dust ruffle and the curtains were green with a floral print. The room had a large entertainment center with a TV inside of closed doors.

The room I stayed in was considered a suite and it had a king sized bed with a sleeper sofa in a separate area but not a fully separate room. In addition, there is a desk with an office chair plus a table with two chairs and also a plush chair for relaxing. The suite also featured a "kitchenette area." This area had a small sink and a small, dorm sized refrigerator and microwave oven. All of these things were clean and in perfect working order.

The Bathroom

The bathroom in the Holiday Inn Express was very large. There was a huge counter area around the sink for all the stuff travelers generally unpack for daily use. There were shelves for storing stuff out of the way as well.

The tub was on the small side but more than functional. The shower produced a wonderful shower with water at the perfect temperature. When I first entered the bathroom, it was immaculately clean. There is a pretty floral wallpaper and white tile floor and white fixtures.

Supplies
The hotel room was supplied with thick fluffy towels. These towels seemed to be much larger than the towels you find in most hotels of this caliber. There was also shampoo, conditioner, mouthwash and lotion supplied to guests.

A coffeemaker is available in the room for use however brewed coffee is available in the great room/lobby of this hotel 24 hours per day so that unless you just don't feel like getting dressed, you don't even need to make your own coffee.

An iron and ironing board are available for use in each room. I actually used the iron and found it to be more than adequate. There is a hairdryer for use in the bathroom as well. In the room I stayed in, there were 3 telephones in different parts of the room: on the desk, on the nightstand, and on an end table next to the sofa.

Services
Free wireless internet access is available for use if you bring your own laptop. You can use wireless if you are WiFi compatible or you can borrow a cable from the front desk to use the hardwired service. Both are free but I have to say that the wireless service is somewhat fickle, working sometimes and not working as well at other times. I had my service fluctuate from Excellent to very good, to good to low to unavailable over the course of my work session. Late in the evening, the service seems less reliable than during the day and I did have to borrow a cable to work online without disruption.

The hotel offers some business services such as fax and copy services, including free incoming faxes and 10 free copies per day. The hotel also offers safe deposit boxes for guest use.

Facilities & Staff
The hotel has a lovely indoor pool. It is 3.5 to 4.5 feet deep thus an adult can stand in any part of the pool. The water was cool when we first got in but I was able to get used to it quickly so it wasn't too cold. There is no lifeguard on duty at the pool thus you swim at your own risk. There were plenty of chairs and a few lounge chairs available around the pool area. Towels are provided at the pool but they are small and thin. The pool was never crowded during my stay with only a maximum of 3-5 people in it at any given time.

There is a small fitness room available for guests. There is a TV set in the fitness area. The equipment ranges from stair climber to stationary bike to treadmills. In addition, there is a sauna room for relaxing after your workout.

There is a great room at this hotel with tables and chairs throughout. There is a large flat screened television that appears to be on most of the time. Coffee is available here 24 hours per day. A continental breakfast if served here daily (6:30 to 9:30 weekdays and 7-10 on weekends. It is a very nice spread including bagels and muffins, fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, hard boiled eggs, spreads such as cream cheese, peanut butter, etc) and of course coffee and juices. And, they have the yummiest cinnamon rolls available and these are kept warm under warmers so they are gooey and delicious!

Staff
The staff at this facility is friendly and very helpful. There is an attendant at the breakfast area who initiated conversation with guests and made sure that they had everything they needed. The front desk staff was also very friendly and accommodating. Housekeeping staff keeps the rooms immaculately clean and when I had my "Do no disturb sign" up, they called to make sure there wasn't anything they could get for me or if I wanted them to come in and fix up our room.

The area
The HIE is within walking distance to a small shopping center and several restaurants including Ruby Tuesday and Ponderosa. More is being built in the direct area so expect more in the future. Conceivably, the hotel is within walking distance to the Salmon Run Mall but there are no real sidewalks for walking on to get there and you would have to walk on a major highway.

The hotel is located about 15 minutes from the army base of Ft Drum and is also close to many attractions including fishing, white water rafting, and snow attractions. The weather can include snow from November through May so do be aware of that.

Recommendation
I would recommend a stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Watertown, NY (also called the Thousand Islands Region) if you happen to be passing through the area. I don't know that the area itself warrants a special stop but the hotel is worthwhile if you are there!