Holiday Inn & Suites Clearwater Beach by IHG

The location is great, and we had water views. The pool was nice, and the restaurants had live music, though it got pretty loud in that tower. The hotel feels a little dated, and customer service could use an attitude adjustment.

The room was especially comfortable for traveling with a senior family member: lots of space and a fully working kitchen made meals easy. We loved Jimmy’s Fish House, too. The seafood was fresh, the music gave it a fun atmosphere, and the nightly sunset countdown was a lovely tradition. We booked an Ocean View Room, and those Gulf views were stunning, well worth the extra cost. The hotel is easy to get around on foot, with the beach steps away and Salty’s and The Taco House a short walk. A great fit for families or anyone traveling with older relatives. We’ll be back.

Jimmy's Fish house served great food, and the laundry was reasonably priced. We stayed two nights and had a balcony overlooking the water, with plenty of dolphin sightings. Hearing live music both evenings was a nice bonus.

We couldn't relax on the balcony, read, or sit outside because the music played everywhere, all day and until 11:00 p.m. There were different stations in different areas: loud speakers in the lobby, another station in the restaurant that made it hard to talk to our server, music inside the bar while a band played outside, and country music at the pool bar at the same time. Even breakfast had party music instead of anything soft or soothing. It was so annoying. At 10:00 I called the front desk and asked if they could turn it down or off. I was emphatically told no, even though it was freezing and nobody had been outside since nightfall. I asked to speak with a manager and was told they don't allow that. The person who took my call was rude. The rest of the staff were very good, but I won't be back.