Holiday Inn Express Williamsbrg Busch Gardens Area by IHG

The hotel is only a few minutes from Busch Gardens Williamsburg, which was convenient after spending the day at Christmas Town on a Saturday in late November 2025. We arrived just after 10 p.m. rather than drive all the way home. Our room was clean, though smaller than we’re used to. We had two queen beds in room 333, and liked that the sink was outside the toilet and shower area. The window was probably the smallest we’ve seen at a Holiday Inn Express. The outdoor pool was closed for the season. There was only one elevator, so waits to go up and down were slow. I imagine plenty of other guests had the same idea after a long day at the park. We had just three towels and had to ask for more. They were among the crunchiest towels I’ve used in more than two dozen Holiday Inn Express stays. The mini fridge barely cooled, but the shower had hot water and strong pressure. Breakfast fell short compared with most Holiday Inn Express hotels we’ve visited. The potatoes tasted reheated and stale, and the vegetable omelets had hard, chewy tops, as if overcooked or reheated. The two kinds of precooked sausage, pork and turkey, weren’t labeled. The pancake machine wasn’t working around 7:30, though it was running by the time we left around 8. This was definitely at the lower end of our Holiday Inn Express stays. My sister checked us in, so I didn’t really interact with the staff. They should improve breakfast and replace the older towels.

We’ve tried several Williamsburg hotels over the years, and this is our favorite by far. The 24-hour coffee bar in the lobby is a big plus, and it’s hard to beat the location near shopping, restaurants, and Busch Gardens. The rooms are clean, the beds are comfortable, and the customer service is exceptional. It’s our go-to hotel whenever we visit Williamsburg.

My girlfriend picked this place for my birthday and spent a lot on tickets to things around town. I booked through the vacation club and paid for the room in advance, but the room was supposed to have a king bed and we got two queens instead. I also found an extra $200 charge on my bank account. When I asked the front desk about it, the young woman rudely and condescendingly said it was for incidentals. I said that seemed excessive, and she replied that it wasn’t her problem and that it was what it was. I brought it up with the manager at checkout, and he embarrassed me in front of a full lobby of people eating breakfast. That was completely uncalled for. My family and I won’t use this place again.

The room was clean, which mattered most, and the location is handy, just off the highway and near Busch Gardens. The layout was odd, with the sink beside the door instead of in the bathroom. The beds were average, not the worst I’ve slept on, but nothing special. There was no complimentary water in the room, so you had to buy it in the lobby, and there was a coffee machine but no water for that either. After a long day of travel, finding that our keys wouldn’t open the door was frustrating.