Review of Holiday Inn Express Knoxville, TN, Strawberry Plains

I made a recent voyage with the family to Charleston, South Carolina for some much needed relaxation over spring break. The trip is a long one and covers about sixteen hours from Chicago to the Carolina coast. While planning our trip we decided it was best to make a stop about ten hours into our drive which put us in the Knoxville, Tennessee area off Interstate 40. I made an advanced reservation through Holiday Inn Express and selected the Strawberry Plains road location which jets east of interstate 40 a short ways heading out of Knoxville. The decision to stay at this particular hotel was attributed to the knowledge that most Holiday Inn Express locations will offer rooms that are considered "pet friendly" as we had our golden retriever making the vacation voyage with us.

Holiday Inn Express - Room Quality

The particular room we selected was a double queen bed with an ample room for our small crib and included plenty of floor space for our dog to rest. The beds were very comfortable and had numerous pillows that had different degrees of firmness so everyone made out well with the pillow of their choice. The room carpet and comforters appeared very clean as was the table, chairs and dresser. I was also appreciative of the refrigerator in the room that made it convenient to keep some of our traveling beverages cold. It was also very helpful keeping my youngest child's milk cold overnight. I was not expecting a refrigerator when booking the room, so this was a pleasant surprise.

The bathroom was extremely clean, with an immaculate shower/tub area and all fixtures polished bright. There weren't any traces of rust or leaking plumbing on any of the bathroom fixtures. The bathroom was either recently renovated or was maintained extremely well.

The one complaint I had with the room was the a/c unit that kept the room cold and was difficult to control as the switch appeared broken. I was able to knock the temperature up a few degrees at it was in the forties outside. The air conditioning/heating unit was also pretty loud which made getting to sleep immediately a difficult task though my kids were hyped up on sugar in the next bed which kept every one up for an hour or so anyway.

Holiday Inn Express - Amenities

This hotel is conveniently located a good half mile or so off interstate 40 so there was not any highway background noise. This budget hotel appears loaded with amenities. Upon check in at the front desk I was able to view the large lounge area that had several dining tables and a large comfortable couch positioned in front of a large flat screen television. This room was comfortable and became our breakfast hangout the next morning. The breakfast served by this particular Holiday Inn Express was what one would expect at most of these chains. There was the offering of a few hot items such as eggs, bacon, cinnamon rolls and biscuits which appeared to run out pretty quick. I settled in on an English muffin and tiny portion of eggs. The coffee was freshly brewed and tasted good.

Aside from the dining and lounge amenities, the hotel included a small fitness area which included a few weight machines and a treadmill. The fitness area looked like it could perhaps accommodate about four to five people at the most, which seems logical for a hotel of this size. Just down the main hall from the fitness center was a small indoor pool which was loaded with a few families. I don't have much to add about the pool since I didn't have time to take a dip.

Holiday Inn Express - Overall

I would stay at this hotel again given the cleanliness, amenities, and friendliness of the staff. The desk reception and the buffet server both had warm smiles and made sure our needs were met. I was a little taken back by the low amount of hot food available the next morning, but that shortcoming was attributed to the large rush of people that had filtered through the dining area just before we came down to eat. Aside from friendly service and comfortable rooms, we felt the price was fair at $148 for a family of five and a golden retriever. For the business traveler, family, or vacationer with pets looking for an overnight stop in Knoxville, I highly recommend a stay at the Holiday Inn Express Knoxville Strawberry Plains.