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Express – how much difference can one little word make when it comes to hotel chains?
The differences between a Holiday Inn and a Holiday Inn Express are subtle, but they matter.
On the whole, you’ll get more services at a Holiday Inn. For example, a Holiday Inn will usually have an onsite restaurant and bar, whereas a Holiday Inn Express will simply have a breakfast area.
Find out more below.
Feature | Holiday Inn | Holiday Inn Express | Verdict |
---|---|---|---|
Where are its hotels? |
|
| There are no Holiday Inn Express hotels in New Zealand. |
Is there free breakfast? | No. | Yes. | Holiday Inn Express offers free breakfast. |
Is there a loyalty? Is it free to join? | IHG Rewards Club- free to join. | IHG Rewards Club- free to join. | They offer the same loyalty scheme. |
Is there free Wi-Fi? | At some hotels. | Yes. | Holiday Inn Express offers free Wi-Fi as standard. |
Is there an executive lounge? | In some hotels. | No. | Holiday Inn offers executive lounges. |
Are hotels pet friendly? | Some are. | Some are. | Both offer pet-friendly hotels. |
Is there online chat? | Yes | Yes. | Both offer chat. |
What are my payment options? |
|
| They offer the same ways to pay. |
Can I price match? | Yes | Yes | Both price match. |
Does it allow for cancellations/changes? | Cancellation depends on the booking and hotel. Many rooms can be cancelled at 24 hours notice. | Cancellation depends on the booking and hotel. Many rooms can be cancelled at 24 hours notice. | They offer similar cancellation policies. |
Does it have smoking rooms? | Yes | Yes | Both offer some smoking rooms. |
A room with a double bed at Holiday Inn Manchester City Centre, England, costs £95 (roughly $164). While a double room at Holiday Inn Express Manchester Oxford Road, which is a 10-minute walk from the Holiday Inn above, cost £92 (about $159).
In a like-for-like rate search, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express offered almost identical prices for a double room. Holiday Inn Express does include breakfast in its rate, unlike Holiday Inn.
However, the Holiday Inn property does have more facilities, including a gym and a restaurant.
Holiday Inn offers free stays and free meals for children at many hotels. There’s a little asterisk next to this policy on the company’s website, and there’s not really a catch. Hotels in different parts of the world specify the age for whom they class as a child, but many hotels offer free stays to young people up to the age of 18.
Both Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express offer deals like 10% off weekend breaks.
Offers are pretty similar.
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