Holiday Inn Express Madrid Airport by IHG

The common areas were clean, and breakfast was very good, probably among the top three hot breakfasts I’ve had at a Holiday Inn Express. But the shuttle situation undermined the main reason we booked this place. The IHG app and hotel website say there’s a shuttle, yet it only runs a few times a day, several hours apart. A taxi from the airport terminal cost 45 Euro, and the morning service didn’t fit our schedule, so an UBER cost 25 Euro. We had a 12-hour layover and would have stayed at a hotel in or actually at the airport if we’d known. This didn’t feel like an Airport Hotel, and it made me question my IHG loyalty, even though I usually have good things to say about Holiday Inn Express and IHG hotels. The towels had obvious stains and should have been taken out of use. The bed was just okay and seemed close to needing replacement.

The staff were friendly and helpful, which was the one good part of my stay. The room was very small and missing basics like a fridge and slippers. Breakfast was extremely basic, with the same limited options every day, and charging guests for parking was disappointing. This was the worst Holiday Inn branch I’ve stayed at, despite having visited many.

I booked this hotel expecting convenient transport to and from the airport. The shuttle usually is free at other places, but here there was a charge and advance booking was required, so I reserved it. My elderly aunt was stranded on her own after a canceled flight, and I told her to wait at the bus stop at 9 pm. Her phone died. The shuttle never came, leaving her out in the cold for 30 minutes, and she ended up sleeping at the airport while I lost the hotel money. Management hasn’t helped or refunded me. Go somewhere else.

The restaurant prices are way too high for ordinary food. For 16€, I got two fried eggs, a pile of chips, and a few little sausage pieces. Couldn't they at least add salad or something? The beer is cheap, though. Are they trying to get guests drunk? 😆