Holiday Inn Express & Suites Sylva - Western Carolina Area by IHG

For traveling or visiting, this was a perfect stop and better than I expected. In the Cherokee NC area, options seemed more expensive than private beach houses, and a lot of places looked scary. This Holiday Inn was a pleasant surprise. The complimentary breakfast included a pancake machine that dispenses only 2x at a time, which seems to have solved the pancake waste problem. Next up, the “Egg-on-izer,” where one egg at a time pops out, just kidding. The indoor pool is kind of small, but perfect for small families. The hot tub was down, though it was a round one for about 5 or 6 people. The room was clean. They leave codes so you can text tips to staff for cleaning. They don’t service the room unless you ask, which seems to be the hotel standard now, so trash and towels pile up and eventually run out. The TVs didn’t have smart apps, which feels behind the tech curve in 2026, and they couldn’t connect to smartphones for screen mirroring.

The only nuisance was a couple of dogs left alone in a guest room. They barked all evening, and staff tried several times to reach their owners but couldn’t. The location was great, with easy access to downtown and its historic attractions, and there was plenty of parking on the premises. Breakfast was the usual Holiday Inn buffet.

The only real downsides were having just one elevator, rough towels, and finding that the price was cheaper if you DID NOT use the IHG app to book. We stayed on 7/16/25. The property was easy to find and looked clean outside. Parking was nice and fairly well lit, but I didn’t see security cameras along the side of the building, so I parked in front. Check-in was efficient, and everyone we met was friendly and polite. The lobby was small, clean, nicely appointed, and pleasant. Room 222 was large, very clean, and seemed recently refurbished. Checkout was seamless, with very nice staff again. Special kudos to the friendly woman preparing breakfast.

We booked through booking dot com, and I had expected both a heated indoor pool and a hot tub. We had a family of five counting on enjoying them, so it was disappointing to find the hot tub broken and completely empty. A paper in the pool room said it had been permanently closed for two years because parts weren’t available, but I hadn’t seen that posted anywhere before booking. It doesn’t seem to be displayed where it would discourage business, and I would have booked somewhere else if I’d known. I won’t book through them again. The full hotel charge hit my account a few minutes before check-in. At least the hotel smelled clean and looked clean. In December, the pool water wasn’t warm enough, even with about two warming pads at the bottom.