Overview
Located just off Highway 385 in southeast Memphis, the Holiday Inn Express Memphis Southwind is geared towards business and vacation travellers who require a hotel with a free breakfast, easy highway access and an outdoor pool.
This hotel has 122 air-conditioned guest rooms and suites, each offering free Wi-Fi, cable TV, a coffeemaker, a mini-fridge, a mini-bar, a microwave, a desk, an iron and ironing board and a hair dryer. Rooms with a separate bedroom, a living area with a sofabed and a dining table are also available, as are wheelchair-accessible rooms. Smoking and non-smoking room types are both available.
Hotel amenities include an outdoor pool, a fitness room, business centre, meeting/banquet facilities, guest laundry, a free continental breakfast and free parking. A free airport and area shuttle are also offered (please contact the hotel for scheduling details). Pets are not permitted.
Cracker Barrel Restaurant is directly behind the hotel and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Hickory Ridge Mall is roughly a 15-minute drive westward. Downtown Memphis is about a 26-minute drive northwest of the hotel, and Memphis International Airport (MEM) is approximately a 20-minute drive west. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
Verified with a front desk agent: Free Wi-Fi, free parking, pets not permitted, wheelchair accessible. (Call Date: July 18, 2013)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with much praise going to the hotel's location, staff, rooms and breakfast.
The hotel's location was praised by many guests, who described it as easy to find, as well as close to restaurants, shopping, the airport, highway access, Cracker Barrel, the Memphis Zoo, soccer fields and a gas station. A few lodgers did find the hotel slightly far from the city centre, however.
Numerous reviewers were pleased with the level of customer service they received, characterizing the staff as friendly, helpful, efficient and professional.
Several lodgers complimented the hotel's accommodations. They described their rooms as clean, spacious, quiet and well equipped, with comfortable beds and pillows. It should be noted, however, that a few guests had complaints about their rooms (see below).
The hotel's breakfast was enjoyed by several patrons, who described it as great, plentiful, awesome and above average, with a good variety of hot and cold items and great staff.
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were a few common complaints about the rooms and noise transfer.
Although the majority of reviewers were pleased with their clean and well-equipped rooms, a few lodgers had complaints. They reported slow/intermittent Wi-Fi, difficulty with cellphone coverage, worn carpets and musty smells.
Noise disturbances were mentioned by a few guests, who reported noise from guests in adjacent rooms, the hallways and rooms overhead.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #23 out of 134 Memphis hotels with a 4 out of 5 average rating from 66 reviews.
Expedia.com guest reviews rated the hotel 4.3 out of 5 with a 93% recommendation rate from 41 reviews.
Hotels.com guest reviews rated the hotel 4.3 out of 5 from 38 reviews.
The author called the hotel on July 18, 2013 to verify some information.