OverviewLocated about a 1-minute from the nearest Interstate 69E and a 7-minute drive from Brownsville's city centre, the Holiday Inn-Brownsville is suitable for business or vacation travellers who require a well-priced hotel with easy highway access, a free airport shuttle and on-site dining near the downtown area.
This hotel has 141 air-conditioned guest rooms and suites, each offering free Wi-Fi, cable TV, a coffeemaker, an iron and ironing board, a hair dryer and a desk. Rooms with a microwave, a mini-fridge and a balcony are also available and the hotel provides wheelchair-accessible rooms upon request.
Hotel amenities include an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, a hot tub, a fitness room, a business centre, a bar/lounge, meeting/banquet facilities, guest laundry, free parking and on-site dining at Galleria, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. A free round-trip airport shuttle is also available (please contact the hotel for details), and pets are not permitted.
Gladys Porter Zoo is a 5-minute drive from the hotel, while shopping is available at Sunrise Mall, about a 15-minute walk away. The University of Texas at Brownsville is roughly 10 minutes away by car and Brownsville / South Padre Island Airport (BRO) is a 15-minute drive away. (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: September 2, 2013)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with praise going to the hotel's location, rates, staff and rooms.
Many lodgers praised the hotel's location. They described it as central, and close to the airport, highway access, the U.S. - Mexican border, Gladys Porter Zoo, shopping, restaurants and a grocery store.
Numerous guests were pleased with the hotel's rates, which they described as affordable, great and cheap.
The hotel's staff were the source of several compliments by reviewers. They were characterized as attentive, helpful, informative and friendly.
Some patrons enjoyed their accommodations at the hotel. They found their rooms to be clean, well equipped and spacious, with comfortable beds and pillows. It should be noted, however, that some guests had complaints about their lodgings (see below).
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were some common complaints about the rooms.
Although some guests enjoyed their clean and comfortable rooms, some lodgers were disappointed with their accommodations at the hotel. They reported musty/mouldy odours, dated decor, some housekeeping issues (like towels not being replaced), plumbing issues, traffic noise in rooms facing the highway and old TVs.
Expedia.ca guest reviews rated the hotel 3.9 out of 5 with an 85% recommendation rate from 73 reviews.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #10 of 26 Brownsville hotels with an average rating of 3 out of 5 from 26 reviews.
Booking.com guest reviews rated the hotel 7.5 out of 10 from 15 reviews.
The author called the hotel on September 2, 2013 to verify some information.
