Holiday Inn Express at Monterey Bay by IHG

The room had been remodeled, was very clean with no smell, and had bright lights with adjustable intensity. The bed and pillows were excellent, and there was a big desk. The heater worked pretty well too. Breakfast was a good value, with traditional American food.

The lakeside view and highest floor were good tips I found online. We heard a little noise from nearby rooms or floors, but it didn't affect our sleep. With Seaside's two busy roads, I imagine rooms on those sides could be louder. Monique was friendly and very helpful from my first phone call through check-in and getting extra things. She was working a major holiday too, which I appreciated. Breakfast was good, and the hotel worked well for our family. It's more budget-minded, so I wasn't expecting perfection. A few small things: the fridge was loud, though turning it up before bed and then down to a low setting seemed to help. The blackout curtains let light through, and the elevator button on the bottom floor didn't light up when pressed. I overheard the guest ahead of me say they'd booked a King room through booking.com, but the hotel had it as a standard room. It sounds like it may happen to others. I'd probably be upset, and hotels I've stayed at have usually been able to adjust that, but they couldn't this time. Booking directly with the hotel seems a safer bet, though we used Super.

Save your money and stay somewhere else. The Monterey location has major problems: mold and mildew in the bathrooms, smoky musty smells in rooms, dated carpets, and something or other not working, whether it's a light, fridge, or exhaust. The whole hotel needs a major renovation. It's an old mite conversion, and it's very obvious. I wouldn't stay here or recommend it to anyone. IHG members looking to use the chain could try the Holiday Inn in SALINAS. It's new, renovated, and well maintained, with free toiletries if you need them, excellent breakfast, and good service. It would mean a 30-minute trip back and forth to Monterey each day. This place was sold out when we needed a room, but a friend had stayed there and said it was night and day compared with our Monterey Holiday Inn at Del Monte. The lounge has a newly remodeled, well-kept extension to the building. There is a pool and hot tub, though the pool was cold. I was waiting to see what breakfast would be like.

We had to change rooms three times during our five-night stay, going through Rooms 309, 311, and 317 because of plumbing trouble, including clogged drains and a broken faucet. The staff were courteous, responsive, and did their best, but all those disruptions point to wider maintenance issues. The whirlpool was taped off and unusable all week, supplies for construction were kept in the fitness center, and the elevator was slow and squeaky. EV charging was blocked because the chargers weren't marked as EV-only parking. The lot looked over capacity, with cars in fire lanes. This property needs significant investment. For the price we paid, its condition was disappointing, especially when nearby hotels at similar rates are much better maintained.