Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Brainerd-Baxter by IHG

We still had an amazing time and came away with a great memory, but there are a few things to know. The showers in the room were incredibly slippery, so be careful. The walls were paper thin, so bring earplugs. For almost $300 a night, I expected a decent breakfast, but it was egg patties with no pancakes or waffles, and the juice tasted funny. The shower amenities were below subpar, unless the water was just super hard. My biggest concern was the Waterpark lifeguards. A 2-year-old fell in headfirst, and none of the three guards on duty noticed. Thankfully, someone I know saw her and she was okay. I understand the parents were mainly at fault, though.

We were in room 346 from Thursday, October 16, 2025, to Sunday, October 19, 2025. The rooms are nice, but the price isn't worth it if you're there mainly for the indoor waterpark. This was our second visit. The first time, in spring 2025, the waterpark heaters were broken. We let that go and gave it another try for an MEA break mini getaway. This time, the waterpark might have been warm if staff hadn't propped the outside doors open all day, letting warm air out and cold air in. The kiddie area with the kids' slide and water spouts was freezing, and the pool water was cold. My daughter was an icicle after going down the kiddie slide a couple of times. It's hard to enjoy the waterpark when you're trying to stay warm, so we won't be back. I raised the issue with the front desk on two occasions, and they were dismissive both times. They only offered excuses about preventing overheating, which apparently happened in the past. I can see that being a concern in the middle of summer when it's 80-90 degrees outside, but it was in the 50s outside and barely 70 degrees inside. The heaters weren't likely to overheat, and the doors didn't need to be propped open all day. They'd been open since 10 a.m. and weren't closed until I and others found the pool manager around 1:30 p.m. The response was “ok have a good day,” with no apology. The front desk staff said they prop the doors open so staff can cool off. The staff were in shorts and T-shirts while guests sat comfortably in sweatshirts and long pants. How much cooling off did they need? Who wants to visit an indoor waterpark with freezing water and cold air? It feels like the hotel puts staff comfort ahead of guests trying to enjoy the waterpark. The service was very poor, and we'll spend our money somewhere with a warm indoor waterpark we can enjoy.

We all slept really well, and the beds were comfortable. But the waterpark doesn't open until 9 a.m., and the slides wait until 10. With checkout at 11, our family of four had to shower off the chlorine after swimming, so there was barely any time to use the amenities we paid for. This is a very expensive hotel, presumably because of the waterpark, which was our main reason for choosing it, but we hardly got to use it.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn for Run the Lakes. The waterpark was nice, and breakfast was okay but pretty small. The room was nice, though we could hear a guest snoring and neighbors' party voices at 2 a.m. The walls are thin.