Holiday Inn Express & Suites Santa Cruz

The Service received was less than average and also had some plumbing issues during my stay. I literally had to take cold showers during my stay there. I also had to switch rooms since there was a horrible odor. They most definitely did not go the extra mile in service.

The location was close to the beach. The facility was clean and well maintained. The facility backs up against houses which isn’t bad, but the view from our room was less then stellar but let’s be realistic, we didn’t pay or ask for an ocean view and we weren’t there to see Santa Cruz from our hotel window. Within 30 – 45 minutes of check in, the front seat called to make sure everything was satisfactory, it was unexpected but appreciated, as we felt like valued guests. The room was clean and there was a free breakfast with coffee a variety of juices, teas and hot chocolate. Cold and hot cereal a variety of breakfast pastries, eggs pancakes, sausage and biscuits and gravy. Other food included fresh fruit and yogurt. My only complaint was the shower curtains were too high and water leaked onto the bathroom floor. Other then that, we would stay there again.

A really poor hotel experience. First, the breakfast buffet (included). The quality of the food is as cheap as it gets. The eggs (precooked omelet) look like «soilent green» (apologies to the millennials that don’t know what «soilent green means»), the juices machine didn’t work, so no juice of any kind, management wasn’t gracious enough to buy a gallon of OJ and offered it to guests, there was not hot water for tea, the coffee tasted like colored water … and I can keep going on, but let’s pass to the room; The sink was clogged so it was unusable, the water from the shower spilled outside the bath tub even with the curtain extended, the hallways have a very disgusting smell. In brief, find another hotel, I guarantee is going to be better.

Absolutely loved it!!! Great breakfast selection! The cinnamon rolls are amazing! Our toilet seat had a crack in it but they were more than willing to fix it! Definitely recommend and will stay here again!

This hotel was unexpectedly good.
The price was reasonable… about average for the locale.
The staff was friendly.
The room was beautifully appointed: high end bathroom, high end bedding, high end chairs, etc.
The breakfast was great for a medium-​end buffet.
Oh… and there was a donut shop across the street.
My kids rated it 4-​stars… but they were comparing it to Four Seasons… so at an absolute level, this hotel was comparable to the best hotels around. Compared to a bunch of hotels in Santa Cruz, this place is great.

Staff was very friendly and accommodating with our needs! Our first time with my husband and 3 girls and we felt very comfortable. I think the Easter Egg Hunt was very thoughtful of them to do for the kids on Easter Sunday. The staff even recommended places for us to check out in Capitola and we took there advice. Great Job front desk
The Ataya Family

Horrible! We didnt even stay there and they charged us for cancelling when we were told we would not be charged all Kim could say was that it was concrete policy and there was nothing she could do. Please nothing is set in stone, beware!

I really enjoyed staying at this hotel. We had a very large room (206) that easily fit our family of five. There were two queen beds, a pullout sofa, and an office nook that was perfect for our pack-​n-​play and allowed our baby a little bit of quiet privacy. Also, there were two televisions, which allowed both the older kids to watch a different show without fighting. Really, if you have more than two/​three people — this is a perfect setup.
Breakfast — I can’t say enough about the expanded continental breakfast. They had the pancake maker, a nice selection of fresh fruits (bananas, apples, oranges), several oatmeal and pastry and bread options. There was also omelettes, turkey sausage, regular bacon, biscuits and gravy, hard boiled eggs, and yogurt. We have a very picky eater, a voracious eater, and a toddler — the breakfast easily met all our needs.
We were a little disappointed that the pool was out of commission until Feb 1 (we were there Jan 23 – 26) as a pool is always one of our requirements when staying at a hotel. However, it looked like a nice pool and had a chair for the disabled to get in and out with.
There’s a Denny’s within walking distance, across the street. Also a cute ice cream shop up the road. The area does seem a little sketchy but I suppose that’s more a reflection on Santa Cruz and not the hotel.
My only real complaint is that they tack on a $ 7 parking fee — we booked through
and I didn’t see anything about paying for parking. I always feel like they should just raise the price of the hotel room and call it good. But that wasn’t enough to make me not want to stay in this hotel (and specific room) again.

This is a first class hotel for Santa Cruz. Most likely the best value for the $ in this city of otherwise lesser hotels.
Our stay was made pleasant by the hotel’s Director of Sales, Ms Kristina Joseph, who greeted us warmly, made us feel at home, asked if there was anything else she could do to make our stay more comfortable. Kudos to her!
Clean and modern rooms/​bathrooms. Great lobby, Free wifi. Awesome underground parking. Breakfast was fine, nothing exceptional, but suitable.
Our expectations were met with this hotel. If we return, we will stay here again!

3 initial stars for the booking 2 days before Thanksgiving for a Thanksgiving stay. Check in was seemless and they offered me a cookie. Room is a Holiday Inn room. Décor is current and very clean. 2 queen beds but only 3 towel sets. On the second night, my room key did not work. Explained this to the front desk and she quickly made me two keys and deactivated the others. But a little too quick. She did not check for ID. I had to ask her to check it. So while Holiday inn was a very comfortable stay, it is not a 4 star and the security is a bit questionable. I will stay again.

I have no idea how General manager Joel Koper still has a job!
We were coming over the hill for a wedding and were told when i called i needed to book the room reserved for this particular wedding through him. I called at least 3 times and left him a message to call me back (although his Vm says he will return the call within 24 hrs) he never did. So my husband and I stopped in one day, he was off, but the front desk was very apologetic that he never returned my phone calls so they asked me to write him a note and they would make sure he got it. And I still never heard from him. Now my sister that had canceled a room that she had booked for us because we decided not to give him our business and it was not the rate he had stated, she has the cancel confirmation, has been charged anyway. And surprise surprise he is not taking her phone calls, tells her he will call back and does not.
My son lives in Santa Cruz and warned me about the shady motels over there and now I know why.
Like I said before can’t believe this guy has a job!

Rooms doesn’t have a fridge, towels are very old and ripped, no ice bucket, bed is too soft and sunken, the Dry Sauna is not working, a lousy gym, nobody Monitors the 1^st floor parking lot! I notified the front desk that a non-​handicap car was parked in a handicap space and parked wrong at 11:30am. We got back to the hotel at 6:30pm and that car was still parked there and a red pickup truck not parked in a space but blocking the wall so it’s near impossible to turn around in the garage. Overall, not a good hotel for the avg $ 225 a night! Wouldn’t come back!

The overnight receptionist, Rose was so helpful when I had an awful migraine. She got me an ice pack and offered to open up the steam shower for me at 1 am. I was so exhausted I could hardly stand so I just took the ice pack and thanked her but I felt it was necessary to leave a review for her

Nice clean hotel. When I reserved it I thought it was closer to the beach but it’s close enough. It’s also right off the freeway and for me that’s a good thing. I’m in Santa Cruz for work and need close fwy access. The downs are the sauna was broken and the ice machine in my floor was broken as well. Parking in the upper garage is always full but they do have an underground garage. I would come back but I think I’ll check out another hotel chain across the street because I usually stay for more than a day and I really need a refrigerator and like to have a microwave. I also like hotels that have 24 hour stores because I tend to wanna snack late.

They are going through construction it’s very noisy and uncomfortable too many ppl talking just in ur ears … They changed the wifi password every day if u go out you have to log in again … Weird… My key didn’t open every time i go to the beach i came back with my kids sleeping and i have to make new keys cause he said the magnetic thing in the kys got effected by the cell phone… Very weird too … So every time although the problem from there side and and it happened 2 times in 3 days they have to ask to see my id … Too far from attraction and u have to drive… The lady receptionist is smoking out sid all night shift lol… I almost forgot no refrigerator no microwave… If u have kids that will be a big hassle…

This is one of the worst hotel experiences I’ve ever had. The staff goes out of their way to make you feel like you’re intruding upon their space, rather than welcoming you as a guest of their hotel.
We arrived at 2:40pm and were told that we couldn’t check in until 3:00pm. We walked around and returned at 2:55pm. We then had to wait 25 minutes to check in because there was such a long line of people now waiting to check in.
– Although my receipt showed a zero balance, they later tacked on a parking fee, one that was never mentioned to me.
–They started cleaning up breakfast well before the 10:00 am stated time that breakfast ended. And just for the added touch of hospitality, they locked the refrigerator that held a few tiny milks and yogurts.
I am embarrassed to say how much I paid for this miserable experience. Steer clear.

Very disappointed in their cancellation policy. Tried to cancel my reservation with an 8 day notice and was told due to the type of purchase made (IBAB), I would not be able to. It is my fault for not reading the fine print and no exception was offered. With options like AirB&B and their very upfront policies about cancelations, I would find it hard to ever stay at a Hilton Inn Express again.

This is one of the best Holiday Inn Expresses I’ve stayed at. I’m down here in Santa Cruz for a mini vaca getaway with my BF. The location is super convenient to travel any direction on the freeways north or south or back over the hill to the Bay Area. I like it has underground parking, so the car doesn’t get all heated up by the sun and not covered in dew in the mornings. The great thing about this stay of 2 nights was the price … it was free using my Holiday Inn Rewards points! I earn a ton of points just through my business travels and expenses, so this really pays off.
The staff was super friendly and took care of my special request no problems. Being Platinum Level with Holiday Inn has it’s perks. I requested a room on the first floor as close to the front area as possible. We ended up with a room just a 5 second walk to the front breakfast buffet area. You don’t realize how much time and walking this saves over the course of your stay, coming and going for daily activities and hauling all your stuff from the car to the room. The best thing is you can easily make multiple trips to the buffet area for drinks like coffee and hot chocolate, and carrying plates of breakfast food for breakfast in bed for your sweetie! Try that up on the 3^rd floor all the way at the end of the hall!
Speaking of breakfast, the buffet is included in your stay. It’s decent as far as free hotel breakfasts go, I ought to know, staying in so many hotels per year. Coffee and hot water are available 24 hrs. The breakfast is served at 6am weekdays and 7am on weekends till 10 am. The food selection varies, but usually includes scrambled eggs, pork sausages, turkey sausage patties, biscuits and gravy and potatoes. Breads and muffins are out as well as the famous cinnamon rolls! Yummers!
The rooms on the first floor is the best. Nice solid high ceilings, good sized bathroom and work area. Every room has a small fridge and microwave. The WiFi is free and worked just fine. The bed was a bit bouncy, but you don’t notice it when you’re doin’ the bouncing! The shower worked well, no running out of hot water, even though we were in it for a whole hour! I’d love to stay here again!

We stayed here from August 3^rd through the 5^th, and had a pleasant stay.
The hotel staff was pleasant, the hotel was clean. We stayed in room 322, and the only problems in that room were the handset on the phone didn’t work, so ALL incoming calls or calls to the front desk were on speaker phone, the A/​C cover was missing, and it needed a good dusting.
Check in was easy, as we pre-​paid, they took my card for «incidentals» which as always, I’ve never had at a hotel. I’d asked for a room over looking the pool on the third floor, I got the freeway side of the hotel, overlooking some dumpy hotel next door, but, it was QUIET!!! So quiet that my Granddaughter slept until 9 a.m. both days!
They serve a decent breakfast of steamed or microwaved foods, ham, sausage, powdered eggs, cheese omelets, apples, bananas, yogurt, a few muffins, cinnamon rolls, cold cereals, oatmeal, pancakes, weak coffee, a variety of tea, hot cocoa (if you get there before 7 a.m.) and several watery juices, of which we enjoyed the mango/​orange the best. They have hot watered down coffee available in the lobby ²⁴⁄₇!
The pool is very small, and unfortunately during our stay, most people with children did not enforce the no diving or jumping rules as posted, which made for a great teachable moment or thirty for my Granddaughter about adults who are more obsessed with their cell phones than the children they’re tending to. We used the fitness center both days, as well as the sauna, but we never, ever found a hot tub, and staff wasn’t aware of one on premises (another reviewer mentioned a hot tub)
The free WIFI was AWFUL! They change the password every day at noon, but I could hardly ever connect, so I used the Comfort Inn’s free non-​password protected WIFI as my Verizon cell phone DATA wasn’t working. They also have a small «business» center downstairs in the lobby for guests to use.
When I called to find out about staying another night, I was told they had no rooms available, yet as we went to the pool, there was a gentleman at the counter who was asking to stay another night, and they booked his room. Later in the afternoon upon arriving back from the Boardwalk, a couple was at the front desk asking to stay the next day, and they were booked a room. When we went for our afternoon swim, I was chatting with a gentleman who mentioned they decided to stay and he’d just added an extra night for $ 100.00! When I looked online, there were rooms available for $ 220.00. That would be my biggest complaint about this hotel, is that when I called to book another night, for ANY room, I was told they were booked through the week and the gentleman who answered my call also told me that they don’t offer ANY discounts during peak season, and I did notify AAA of that little tidbit.
If you don’t mind tight parking spaces, they have a nice underground lot, as well as another lot for about twelve disabled people to park, of course, that lot was often filled with cars that didn’t have disabled placards or plates. These lots really cannot accommodate the larger vehicles of today, they seem to have made these spots for super-​compact cars, SMART cars, and anorexic drivers.
Upon checking out, the woman at the front desk told me if I needed anything else that day to let them know. After five hours at the beach, I needed to charge my cell phone, and, they not only allowed me to do so, but I got to have free coffee while waiting.
Would I stay again? You bet I would, but not ever for more than $ 130.00 a night!

One of the best places to stay in Santa Cruz. In the process of moving here (and having family come visit subsequently) I’ve stayed a number of times.
I was really happy to find a very clean, professional, chain hotel. The rates are very reasonable for the area (which is incredibly inflated), and when you take into account the space and cleanliness of the rooms, the modernity of the bathroom, the amenities, and free on-​site garage parking, it’s a great deal all-​around.
The location is easy to find and easy to get to. Right off of HWY 1 and close to downtown Santa Cruz/​River Street.
They have free wifi in-​suite and out, and it’s pretty fast! I was able to stream video with no problems.
If you’re not familiar with Bay Area California, you should know that many buildings (even nice ones) do not have AC. Each room in this hotel is climate controlled with both heat and AC.
The downsides: no hotel restaurant, so additionally no room service. A free continental breakfast is provided, but it’s nothing special.
Location perks: Gas station/​convenience store across the street. Ferrell’s Donuts is right across the street too, and is open 24 hours for a great donut and decent coffee (the best blueberry cake donut I’ve ever had). An airport shuttle picks-​up here.