Holiday Inn Express & Suites Alpena - Downtown

This new hotel in downtown Alpena is awesome. So bright, clean, and cheery...within walking distance of some very nice galleries, bars, and restaurants. It's situated on the Thunder Bay River and half the rooms have a river view. The beds were thick and comfortable. The shower and bathroom were immaculate. Staff was friendly and helpful. The breakfast buffet was great. Eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, cereal and all the usual continental breakfast items. You can't beat the location and the modern appeal of this hotel.
7 years ago (30-09-2017)

The modern architecture might not fit everyone's taste but I loved it. Great location right next to a river with a nice walking trail and bridges so you can get some fresh air without getting in the car. There was a screw up with our reservation but the staff straightened out and we wound up with a better situation than we would have if there hadn't been a snafu. I highly recommend this hotel and would stay here again.
7 years ago (23-11-2017)

Very new hotel - you can still smell new carpet in the hallways. Big rooms have very nice layouts with great bathrooms. If you have a river view, it's a very nice view. I would definitely recommend staying here.
7 years ago (28-11-2017)

We are longtime visitors to the Alpena area, but this was our first time staying at this new, downtown, riverfront, national chain-affiliated express hotel. First, let me start by saying that although the hotel is conveniently located downtown, there are, at present, few walkable restaurant or shopping options after 5pm. Hopefully, this situation will improve in the future. Secondly, the facility's on-site parking is grossly insufficient during peak occupancy, especially as regards those spaces reserved for handicapped guests. On two of the three nights of our stay the number of handicap licensed vehicles exceeded the number of available reserved parking spots, necessitating the use of normal parking spots by such vehicles; including wheelchair accessible vehicles that each required the use of two normal parking spots. What on-site parking is available is designed to maximize the number of supposedly available spots, resulting in close quarters between parked vehicles and some difficulty for larger vehicles. Moreover, during our stay there were multiple commercial vehicles parked in the lot, exacerbating an already inconvenient situation. There is municipal parking near the facility, but one does not expect to have to park off-property at such lodging facilities. In short, we found the parking situation both frustrating and inconvenient. As regards the room accommodations, we stayed in what was termed a King suite, however, the suite designation appears to only mean that the room contains a pullout couch separated from the bed by a two foot wide half wall. Much of the room is wasted space and would be best used by an armchair or a table and chairs. Being a new facility, the furnishings are new, clean, and in excellent condition although somewhat spartan. The bathroom features a large, glass-enclosed shower, however, it lacks a seat and the water pressure is terribly low. Otherwise, its features are rather standard fair for its hotel class. The complementary breakfast options are both plentiful and of good quality and a nice feature. The on-site pool and 24 hour fitness center are similarly nice features of the property. In short, while we found the hotel's location and features generally acceptable, the aforementioned parking and water pressure issues tarnished an otherwise pleasant extended weekend stay.
7 years ago (22-10-2017)

Recommend this hotel hands down! They were extremely accommodating. We had a wedding that began early afternoon an hour away from the hotel was able to get checked in early. The rooms were very clean, modern/up to date, beds comfy, and staff were very helpful with suggestions around town. Also the view of it right on the water was a added bonus!
7 years ago (28-08-2017)