We visited Niagara Falls as the last stop on our road trip and ended up staying at the Holiday Inn Niagara Falls – Scenic Downtown. While the location was perfect, the rest of our stay left a lot to be desired. Here’s my review of the Holiday Inn Niagara Falls.
Booking the Holiday Inn Niagara Falls with Points
The Holiday Inn Niagara Falls is an IHG property. We booked one night for 22,500 IHG points worth $243.67. Even though we visited in the summer when Niagara Falls is busy, we had no problem getting a Rewards Night room. However, this may be due to the fact that we were traveling during COVID-19.
Holiday Inn Niagara Falls Location
The Holiday Inn Niagara Falls is located about a quarter mile from Niagara Falls State Park. It’s easy to walk or drive over to the falls. Niagara Falls, New York isn’t the nicest city we’ve stayed in. It’s somewhat old and rundown. Aside from the falls, you can still walk to a few restaurants in the area.
Dining and Amenities
The Holiday Inn Niagara Falls has an on-site restaurant called the Anchor Bar and Restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Anchor Bar claims to be the Home of the Original Buffalo Wing, but no clue if that’s true!
The hotel has an indoor pool that’s open from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm and a 24/7 fitness center. There is also a business center with copying, scanning, and printing available. While the website noted complimentary coffee in the lobby, we didn’t see this the morning that we checked out.
Lastly, despite the huge parking lot, parking costs $16 per night. When researching hotels, paid parking seemed to be the norm for Niagara Falls.
Lobby
The lobby was a decent size and felt like it had been recently redecorated.
However, I was shocked by how busy it was. Niagara Falls is a busy attraction, but we hadn’t seen a hotel so full during the rest of our road trip. I was also surprised by how cavalier other guests were about wearing masks and sharing elevators.
Aside from that, the check-in process was efficient. As IHG Platinum members, we were offered the choice of a welcome drink at the Anchor Bar or points. Since this was earlier on in the pandemic, we weren’t really comfortable having a drink indoors and opted for the points.
Holiday Inn Niagara Falls King Room
The hallways leading to the guest rooms were somewhat modern like the lobby. Upon entering the room, the decor immediately felt dated.
Upon entering, the bathroom was located to the left followed by a full-length mirror.
The king bed was comfortable but I didn’t like how disheveled it looked when we arrived. I don’t know if I was biased by the fact that the bed looked slept in, but I couldn’t help but think the bed felt unclean.
To the right of the bed was a nightstand and loveseat. The drawer of the nightstand wouldn’t stay closed.
In front of the bed was a small desk and a TV with a coffee maker and two drawers. The TV was small and dated.
Underneath the TV was a mini fridge and freezer.
Next to the TV was a large armoire that served as the closet.
The bathroom was a little bit small but had a vanity with plenty of counter space. The toilet worked, but it wouldn’t stop running. It definitely had something to do with the position of the handle because we could occasionally jiggle it and get it to stop. The morning that we left, the entire toilet handle fell off!
I don’t love tub/shower combos because the shower curtain can get quite nasty. Unfortunately that was the case with this hotel.
Toiletries were provided by Bath & Body Works and included shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, and a bar of soap.
Final Thoughts
On our road trip, we stayed at three Holiday Inn Expresses including the Holiday Inn Express Mount Rushmore. I was expecting our stay at the Holiday Inn Niagara Falls to be a step up since it was a regular Holiday Inn rather than an Express. Due to the excessive noise of guests, a toilet that wouldn’t stop running, and an overall rundown feel, our stay at the Holiday Inn Niagara Falls fell short of our expectations. Next time, I think I’ll check out the Hyatt Place or Sheraton.
