Holiday Inn & Suites Ocean City by IHG

We’ve made this family holiday every year for 15 years, so I was especially disappointed by how things were handled. After driving four hours, we arrived at 10 PM on Friday, February 20th, and found the hotel closed for renovations. No one had told us in advance. If we’d known, we could have sorted things out weeks before our trip. When we called about our room, we were sent to the hotel next door. The replacement was a worse, much cheaper room than the corner suite with a jacuzzi that we’d booked, and we weren’t compensated for the price difference. On calling back, we were brushed off and told to speak to our third party because it wasn’t “their problem.” But the third party still needed the hotel’s authorization to refund us, and the staff kept putting us off. Thankfully, Hilton Ocean City Oceanfront Suites accommodated us with a comparable room and better service.

Pec made breakfast at Coral Reef in the Holiday Inn & Suites a great start to the day. She was quick, warm, and attentive, often taking care of things before we asked. She kept the table refreshed and checked in just enough. You could tell she takes pride in making guests feel welcome. Highly recommend her, she’s outstanding! At dinner in Coral Reef, Valerie made us feel cared for from the moment we sat down. Her recommendations were wonderful, and she anticipated what we needed without hovering. Her warm personality and professionalism made the whole meal memorable. Five stars without hesitation, and I’d recommend requesting her.

The staff were very nice overall, especially at the front desk, where they were friendly, helpful, and professional. The pool was also much cleaner than it was on my earlier visit, and it looks like they’ve kept up with maintenance. One cleaning staff member didn’t do their job properly, though, and that made part of my stay unpleasant. I won’t name them because I don’t want anyone in trouble, but it stood out. I first stayed at this Holiday Inn in Ocean City in 2014, when the rooms felt old and the pool was gross, full of hair and clearly unclean. I tried it again in 2025. They’ve updated the rooms and cleaned up the pool, so it looks better, but there’s still a musty old-hotel smell that doesn’t really go away. The beds aren’t very comfortable, and the pillows are super flat. It’s cleaner than before, but still not worth the price to me. Not my worst stay, but I probably wouldn’t return unless they make major improvements.

The oceanfront hotel has an indoor pool and two outdoor pools, including one with a lazy river. We didn’t use them this time, but I’d come back, hopefully when it’s warm enough to enjoy the pools. We stayed two days in the oceanfront corner king suite for my boyfriend’s birthday and got a great off-season rate. We used everything in the room, and it was clean and as expected. The spacious living room had a pull-out couch and dining area, plus a nearly full kitchen with a sink, oven, dishwasher, and fridge. The bedroom had a king bed, jacuzzi tub, and side chair. The ocean-facing wall was all windows, with a large sliding door onto a big balcony with a table and chairs. The bathroom had a two-person stand-up shower with three shower heads and the usual amenities. At night, I relaxed in the jacuzzi with the slider open to hear the waves.