Holiday Inn Express Merida Centro by IHG

This was a handy base for exploring Merida on foot and visiting nearby tourist spots by rental car. There’s an independent garage a one-minute walk from the entrance, where parking costs 180 pesos per day. So many great restaurants are within a 12-minute walk, more than you could try in a week.

The employees here deserve credit. They were friendly, very helpful, and did what they could to ease the stress when water was shut off from 11-5 on two different days. They sent buckets of water to rooms when asked. The location is right in the middle of this beautiful city. The owner seems to have put little into upkeep. The mini fridges had been removed without replacements. On the 9th floor we had no hot water. Maintenance came after the front desk sent them, replaced the shower head (?) and checked the temperature again. It was 98.7°, which they considered satisfactory. I don’t know if lower floors had hot water. With the bathroom door closed, it smelled like a sewer. The staff deserve commendation for their work, the owner much less so.

The rooms were simple and very clean, though I wish there’d been a mini fridge. The staff impressed us, kind and attentive even with the language barrier.

Our New Year's Eve 2025 stay in Merida was spoiled by a small front desk issue. We needed two keys so my family could split into groups and come back to the room at different times, but they refused to give us another one. The staff’s attitude was impolite, and they challenged us to complain as much as we wanted. As an IHG member, I’d hoped for better service for myself and the other guests. What a disappointment over such a little detail.