I wasn’t sure exactly where I would be staying in Amarillo as I rolled into town on route 60 from New Mexico, but the Holiday Inn Express in South Amarillo looked to be a really decent option (as far as I could tell from the road).
I took the exit so that I could scope it out, and it didn’t take long to convince me that this would be a fine place to stay for the night. It looked like a brand new build, and it was in a decent area with easy access to the freeway, so I parked the car and booked a room.
A full review of my 1 night stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Amarillo, TX
This was my first experience with a Holiday Inn Express, and I’ve got to say that I was quite impressed. The words “Holiday Inn” never meant much to me, and the only memories I have of this chain are the quick overnight stays with my family that we made during our annual spring drive to Florida from Michigan while I was growing up.
The Holiday Inn’s of that era (1980’s) had a much cheaper feel than this brand new Holiday Inn Express did. They have certainly matured over the years (as have I).
Yup. That’s a Holiday Inn Express alright.
I splurged on a suite, which was only $20 more than a regular room. That ended up being a bargain, because the suite was actually really nice and I found it to be quite stylish and comfortable. It was large and bright, with a full kitchenette and a “lounge” area with a couch and coffee table.
My first impressions
Hallway on the 3rd floor leading to my room. A little orange, but so far so good.
The door to my room for the evening: number 317. Better than ‘666’ I suppose.
The room
Overall I liked the orange and brown tones – it felt very “southwest” and “Texas” to me. Yeehaw! (Sorry)
View from the main part of the suite looking towards the lounge area and bathroom. Compared to the Holiday Inn Express in Maumelle Arkansas, the decor was extremely…orange.
To be honest, it seemed like the dresser and TV were really small and didn’t fit with the scale of the room
Swanky red couch and tiny coffee table. It’s almost funny how the decor of this room is basically the 100% opposite of the decor in the Bellingham, WA Holiday Inn Express. FYI, there is zero design consistency from property to property.
The couch was actually pretty comfortable though, and it was a nice place to sit and have dinner after a long day of driving
There was another small table with chairs and the kitchenette on the other side close to the door
Closer look at the kitchenette. I was very thankful that the cabinets were stocked with paper towels and paper plates with forks. Very convenient!
The bathroom
The bathroom was in much better condition than the one in the the hotel I stayed in the night before (Comfort Inn, Deming New Mexico)
The other side of the bathroom vanity
Bathroom amenities
The throne.
I’m ashamed to admit that it took me over 5 minutes to figure out how to get water to come out of the shower head. Then I noticed the instructions on the wall…
If it weren’t for this diagram on the wall, I never would have figured out how to get water to come out of the shower head!
The view
I had an easterly facing room, with views of the airport way off in the distance. The large awning blocking the view of the ground was a bit distracting, but hey – that was pretty much the only thing I could complain about this room considering the price I paid ($114).
The view from my room, which could have been really nice if it weren’t for that awning.
Final thoughts
Because this room had the nice kitchenette, I decided that I would skip the hotel restaurant and try to find a grocery store for a healthy dinner and to stock up on things for breakfast. The nearest one ended up being 10 miles away (which seemed like a million considering I had already spent the entire day driving), but it was a good decision to seek out a healthy food option.
This Holiday Inn Express in South Amarillo impressed me, and I’d stay here again if I were looking for a place to stay in this area.
