Do you have doubts about which Holiday Inn hotel to choose? In this article, we show you the differences between HOLIDAY INN, HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS, HOLIDAY INN RESORT, and HOLIDAY INN CLUB VACATIONS to clear your doubts and make it easier for you to choose between any of these prestigious brands synonymous with quality.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is a global hospitality organization whose main objective is to provide exceptional hospitality services. With a family of 17 different hotel brands and IHG One Rewards, this company is one of the world’s largest hotel loyalty programs.
IHG has opened more than 6,000 open hotels in about 100 countries and more than 1,800 hotels in the development pipeline. InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is also a major employer, with over 325,000 people employed across the company’s corporate offices and hotels globally.
Some of IHG’s most popular brands, in addition to the HOLIDAY INN division, include SIX SENSE, REGENT, INTERCONTINENTAL, VIGNETTE, KIMPTON, INDIGO, VOCO, HUALUXE, EVEN HOTELS, CROWNE PLAZA, AVID, ATWELL SUITES, STAYBRIDGE SUITES, or CANDLEWOOD.
When booking a room at any of these brands, you will receive many amazing perks and benefits as a member of IHG Rewards. In this article, we will take a closer look at each of these IHG brands and discuss the major differences and similarities among them so that you can make an informed decision on which hotel brand is best suited for you during your next trip.
Differences between Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Resort, and Holiday Inn Club Vacations.
The notable difference between each of the four types of Holiday inn is their level of service. For example, Holiday Inn offers full service, while Holiday Inn Express offers limited services.
Holiday Inn is best suited for families looking for a comfortable and family-friendly joint to relax and have fun together. At the same time, Holiday Inn Express is the perfect spot for short-stay business travelers. The following are some of the general differences among Holiday Inn Types:
- Amenities: Holiday Inn is fitted with standard leisure facilities such as fitness centers, spas, and swimming pools, while Holiday Inn Express does not have any leisure facilities.
- Level of Service: The Holiday Inn can be described as a full-service hotel that offers on-site bars and restaurants, conference rooms and catering services, bell staff, and room service. On the other hand, Holiday Inn Express does not offer any of these services.
- Breakfast: Holiday Inn Express offers a complimentary buffet-style breakfast, while Holiday Inn offers room service, or you can try out the on-site restaurants.
- Availability: Intercontinental Hotel Groups offer more than 3,000 Holiday Inn Express Locations, nearly three times the availability of Holiday Inn locations.
Leaving aside their differences, at this point we want to say that the Holiday Inn brand, in its four variants, will always be a good option for family travel or for groups of friends, because many of its hotels offer adjoining and connecting rooms; and also for all members of the family, since many hotels of the Holiday Inn division are Pet-Friendly.
Holiday Inn Express
Countries where we can find them: Thailand, Spain, Australia, Italy, Japan, France, and all across the United States.
Nearly half of the InterContinental Hotel Group’s 6,000 locations are Holiday Inn Express hotels, and you can choose from the 2,900-plus Holiday Inn Express locations around the globe.
Holiday Inn Express is part of the InterContinental Hotel Group’s major brands and is a budget-friendly hotel chain. As the name suggests, it is an ‘express’ hotel that mainly focuses on offering the smallest number of services at an affordable cost.
While new Holiday Inn Express destinations are being included regularly, travelers can find Holiday Inn Express locations in six different locations. For instance, Holiday Inn Express recently added several new destinations in China, such as Holiday Inn Express Zhuhai City Center, Holiday Inn Express Linzhi Airport, and Holiday Inn Express Baoding Downtown.
Each location is fitted with standard amenities that attract many clients to short-term business trips focused on functionality and convenience. Business travelers also enjoy the services offered in the business centers in all Express hotels, which entails fax machines, printers, and computers.
Additionally, all Holiday Inn Express rooms situated within the United States offer free Wi-Fi internet and local calls. The initial Express hotels were similar to luxury hotels but lacked a pool, meeting facilities, room services, restaurants, bars, and other leisure facilities. Few modifications have been made to these rooms, and they now offer a wide variety of amenities in the premium Holiday Inn brand.
Holiday Inn
Countries where we can find them: Switzerland, Hong Kong, Germany, Aruba, Fiji, and across the United States.
Holiday Inn is an American chain of hotels in Atlanta, one of the main IHG Hotels & Resorts brands. While founded as a United States motel chain, it has developed to become one of the world’s largest hotel chains, with more than 1,100 active hotels and about 214,000 rentable rooms as of 2018.
Compared to Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn has a much smaller footprint, but it is available in most major nations that travelers often visit. IHG is also planning to increase the footprint of Holiday Inn by opening new hotels in destinations such as India and China, where they have opened Holiday Inn Jiuzhai Jarpo and Holiday Inn & Suites Wuhan New City.
Holiday Inn usually has two major types of full-service hotels, low-rise hotels, and high-rise plazas, that offer full-customer service. Since Holiday Inns are popular for their reliability, value, and comfort worldwide, it has been estimated that they receive more than 100 million visitors yearly.
The two major Holiday Inn hotels are fitted with standard leisure facilities such as fitness centers, pools at high-traffic places, room service, restaurants, and pubs. Compared to Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn offers speedy internet, fitness centers, room service spas, and more customer-friendly accommodations. They also make the perfect locations to have a great time with your family, and you also get to enjoy a few perks, such as children getting to eat for free.
So, what is the difference? Below are some of the main distinctions between the Holiday Inn Express and Holiday Inn:
- Locations and availability: Holiday Inn Express hotels can be found across six different continents, with main tourist destinations like France, Italy, Japan, Spain, Thailand, Australia, and all over the U.S.
- Food Service: Holiday Inn guests can order room service or dine in the available restaurants, while Holiday Inn Express provides a complimentary buffet service.
- Quality of Service: Holiday Inn features standard amenities such as fitness centers, on-site restaurants, and bars and offers prompt service in rooms such as catering or meeting rooms. Holiday Inn Express does not offer any of the above amenities, nor does it have the ability to provide prompt service in rooms. They are also referred to as a hotel with limited services.
- IHG Rewards: As an InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) Rewards member, you will enjoy extra perks and benefits while renting a room in a Holiday Inn or Holiday Inn Express. If you accumulate enough points, you can use them to book a room within any IHG hotel without blackout dates or time limits.
- Family Travel and Business Travel: Holiday Inn are the perfect choice for family trips and vacations since children are allowed to eat for free. Holiday Inn caters to families looking for a good location to relax, while Holiday Inn Express caters to short-stay business travelers.
Holiday Inn Club Vacations Hotel
Locations: Apple Mountain Resort (Clarkesville, GA), Galveston Beach Resort (Galveston, TX), Cape Canaveral Beach Resort (Cape Canaveral, FL), Fox River Resort (Sheridan, IL), David Walley’s Resort (Genoa, Nevada), Desert Club Resort (Las Vegas, NV) Hill Country Resort (Canyon Lake, TX), Holiday Hills Resort (Branson, MO), Holly Lake Resort (Holly Lake Ranch, TX), Lake Geneva Resort (Lake Geneva, WI)
With the mission of becoming the most preferred brand in family travel, Holiday Inn Vacations Club Hotel is fully committed to providing its guests with exceptional vacation experiences that you will love and trust.
From relaxing beaches and exciting theme parks to dynamic sceneries and gorgeous mountainside vistas. Holiday Inn Vacations Club Hotel helps create amazing vacation experiences that all their guests can enjoy.
Holiday Inn Vacations originated from Kemmons Wilson’s dream of ushering in a new era in the hospitality industry. Today, they have grown to become the third largest vacation club globally, with several resorts and partnerships across the United States.
While the Holiday Inn Club program and Holiday Inn Club Vacations resorts are owned, managed, and marketed independently and are not operated or marketed by the owner of the Holiday Inn brands, the owner of the IHG Rewards program is not linked with the owner of the Holiday Inn Club program and therefore, reserve the right to alter, modify, limit or cancel the IHG Rewards program terms and conditions. Currently, Holiday Hospitality Franchising, Inc., is the owner of the Holiday Inn Club Vacations and Holiday Inn names and trademarks.
Since the First Holiday Inn hotel was opened in the early 1950s, the brand continued to grow until 2015, when Holiday Inn Club Vacations acquired Silverleaf Resorts. As the company continues to expand, the Club offers more accommodating options to its growing number of members. The Holiday Inn Vacations Club hotel has more than 4,000 employees who will help you create memorable vacation experiences and help you get the most out of your trip. Additionally, the club has invested in a well-experienced and customer-oriented leadership team who embrace our values and focus on innovation, customer satisfaction, and fueling the club’s growth.
Holiday Inn Vacations Club Hotel has also recently launched Safe Travels, a program that ensures they provide higher safety standards than customers expect.
The Club is best-suited for family travel with its spacious villas and many amenities designed with families in mind. Another notable feature of Holiday Inn Vacations Club is that they offer points-based vacation ownership, where you buy a real estate interest that earns you yearly points. You will then use these earned points for exchanges in partner brands or member resorts for incredible VIP Experiences and many other amazing perks.
Holiday Inn Resort
Locations: These resorts can be found in major tourist destinations around the world.
Holiday Inn Resort was previously known as Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort from 1991 to 2007. The services and amenities offered in Holiday Inn Resorts are similar to those offered in a full-service Holiday Inn. However, Holiday Inn Resorts are considered more of an advertising brand than a completely different IHG brand.
Most Holiday Inn Resorts are situated in high-leisure tourism locations, and each resort is fitted with special activities, live entertainment, and many other luxury amenities. Whether with your family, co-workers, or friends, Holiday Inn Resorts are the perfect locations to make the most of your trips or vacations. Not only do Holiday Inn Resorts offer memorable vacation experiences through their warm and welcoming service, but they are also considered a favorite due to their contemporary design that delivers a sense of comfort and tranquillity.
With thousands of locations across the globe, Holiday Inn Resorts makes it easy and convenient for travelers to meet together to share any moment, whether big or small.
Your stay at Holiday Inn Resorts will be more enjoyable, with plenty of standard amenities such as full-service eateries where kids eat for free, bright swimming pools, business and meeting facilities, ample public spaces, Wi-Fi connectivity, a fitness center, and many more.
They also make the perfect family vacation locations with their spacious rooms, lush lawns for outdoor play, and plenty of room to stretch out and have a great play time. There are also plenty of fun activities to keep you happy, relaxed, and entertained, from live shows, golf, and group recreation activities that are very engaging for teens.
So, to sum up…:
– Holiday Inn Express: Choose the brand for short stays and tight budgets. They are low-cost hotels. Your stay will be comfortable but without great luxuries.
– Holiday Inn: Choose this brand for longer stays, for business, or with your family and friends. High quality, many amenities, good prices.
– Holiday Inn Club Vacations: The perfect vacation at a good price, but locations are limited to the US.
– Holiday Inn Resorts: Choose a Resort for your dream vacation in the world’s top tourist destinations, and at the best price. Choose this brand for special trips, such as a honeymoon.
What Are the Benefits of Being a Member of IHG Rewards?
InterContinental Hotels Group currently offers two co-branded credit cards via Chase; they include; the IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card and the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card. These credit cards allow you to get more rewards from your stays at any IHG brand. You earn points with each paid stay, where you will earn 10x points for being an IHG Rewards member and receive a 100% bonus on your elite membership status. Below are some of the various amazing perks of being an IHG Rewards Member:
- Automatic IHG Platinum Elite Membership status.
- Up to 26x points per dollar spent at IHG Hotels and Resorts.
- The fourth night is free when redeeming credit card points.
- Members with more than 40,000 points get one free night each year.
To conclude the article, InterContinental Hotel Brand is a hospitality company that comprises 17 hotel brands that, include; EVEN Hotels, Atwell Suites, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Candlewood Suites, Crowne Plaza Hotels, Holiday Inn Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn, and many others. IHG is well-known worldwide due to its vast workforce and expansive global scale. Its notable rankings can also be attributed to their dedications to personalization, where they create unique hospitality experiences for every client. Before choosing a location for your trip, make sure to check for any restrictions by your destination’s government before booking the trip, and also be aware of any additional requirements.
If you wish to continue browsing our website, we invite you to read our ranking of the best hotel price comparison websites or our ranking of the best hotel booking websites. We hope they will help you with your next reservation.
