Holiday Inn Express Pensacola Beach by IHG — Hotel in Santa Rosa Island

This is our third year staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Florida, and somehow, it keeps getting better. I don't know if they're putting something in the air or if the place is just run by wizards, but every time we come back, it feels like they've leveled up. Tess, who runs the breakfast game, is fantastic. Friendly, efficient, and she makes you feel like you're the only guest in the place, even when she's juggling 50 things and the pancake machine, l'a trust her to run a small country, or at least a really successful diner on Mars. The maitnence men are the people who just get it done. You won't hear a word, but everything's spotless and humming along. If I had a dollar for every hotel where something's broken, I could buy a small town in Missouri, But not here. Everything works, and it's clean enough to pass a NASA inspection.

The front desk crew? Awesome. They're quick, polite, and genuinely helpful. None of that "blank stare followed by confusion" routine you get at other hotels. These people actually know what's going on. It's like they've done this before. Let's talk about these new coffee machines. Fresh ground coffee, all day long. I mean that's not just hospitality, that's civilization. That's how societies are built. You walk in, push a button, and out comes the nectar of the gods. I don't know who decided to upgrade the coffee setup, but that person deserves a medal. Or at least a lifetime supply of biscotti. Rooms? Super clean, quiet, and comfortable. No weird carpet smells, no flickering lights. It's the kind of place where you sleep well and don't have to spend 20 minutes figuring out the shower handle. In other words, functional, which is wildly underrated these days.

As the famous late football Coach Mike Leach once said, "If you're going to have a pirate ship, you've got to give it cannons." Well, this hotel has the cannons. Breakfast, coffee, service, comfort...they're all firing. We'll be back next year. And if it gets any better,...

From the moment we got to the hotel we were accommodated immediately. Our check in was scheduled for 4pm and the front desk was able to get us a room at 11:30am! Once we got to our room we noticed our balcony door was tough to unlock and open. I called the front desk and they informed me maintenance would be up to fix the issue. Less than 5 minutes went by and they were knocking on our door. The older gentleman spent 3-5 minutes trying to get the door unlocked and then contacted another gentleman to assist. While working on our door he made friendly conversation with us and gave us many recommendations for my mom’s birthday dinner. Additionally, he mentioned some areas to check out and entertainment that would be in the area. He was extremely polite and kind. The view from our balcony was absolutely out of a dream. The hotel room itself was very clean, neat, and had beach vibes (which I personally love). Every single time we encountered a staff member they were helpful, kind, and polite (southern hospitality is VERY real). The beach was beautiful and had zero trash and the seashell hunting went very well. The comfort of the room was good along with the beds (slept like a baby). The only negative comment I would make is the bathroom was a bit small and crammed for a room with two queen beds but we made due because it too was a beautiful bathroom. The complimentary breakfast had many options and the food was delicious. The staff that was working to replace the food and items in the buffet were exceptionally kind and provided good service. Overall our experience is a 10/10 and if we make it back to Pensacola (I suspect in the next year) we will definitely be staying at this...

My wife and I stayed here to visit our daughter, who studies at PSC. When I booked the hotel, there were no offers for a King sized bed which is silly, after asking for it getting there we were told we can have one but with an upcharge. Why was this not offered on the website ?? The rooms are clean and nice and quiet so no complaints there. Breakfast is very mediocre, mostly are cooked omelettes and either pork or turkey patties. Instead of having two patties you could serve sausage or bacon as a second choice. Things ran out fast and took a while to restock. People are friendly and it is a nice place to sit. When trying to go to the ocean to lay on the beach you are faced with no beach towels ???? Beach front property, really ??? The towels at the pools are told not to take to the beach ... Befuddled ?? ... I am a platinum member and one of the perks is to have a late checkout on the last day. Well when asking it the night before, they said they cannot tell until the next morning, which is silly as you cannot plan on anything not knowing. Upon calling in the morning, I asked for a 2 PM checkout and the girl said, as did the two people the night before, we don't do 2 PM checkouts. That is an insult to all Platinum members .. so what you are not participating in the holiday Inn program ??? After arguing for 5 minutes I got a 1 PM which is fine but I didn't know until the morning and I hate to fight for it ... Really ??? This could be a perfect little gem if you fix a few things ... Beach towels would make the top of the...