Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Orlando East – UCF Area

The exterior of this Holiday Inn doesn’t look like anything special, but inside it’s well-designed and a breath of fresh air compared to other blander chain hotels. The lighting, seating, floor and wall tiles are all well-chosen in a modern style and funky colors like lime green and electric blue that feel right at home in Florida. The breakfast area is especially nice, with a choice of seating and a contemporary fireplace set into the wall. It’s a fairly quiet hotel, and tends to attract more business guests than tourists. For this price point, the atmosphere is surprisingly polished and modern. 

This Holiday Inn Express is set just off a busy expressway, but the surrounding area is pretty sparse. It's set back enough from the road so that there isn't any traffic noise in the rooms. The Central Florida Research Park and the University of Central Florida are just a few minutes from the hotel, so many guests here are visiting one of those two spots. The Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium and Amway Arena are both a 15-minute drive away. The nearest amenities are a five-minute drive away at the Waterford Lakes Town Center where there are restaurants, shops, and a cinema. Those here for Orlando’s theme parks can drive to Disney World, Universal, and SeaWorld in 30 minutes. The beautiful Cocoa Beach is a 45-minute drive. 

The 91 rooms at the Holiday Inn Express Orlando East have identical smart and modern decor in bright and spacious rooms. They have contemporary, striped carpets and a fresh turquoise and beige color scheme. There's dark wood furniture and modern artwork on the walls to add a further splash of color. Every room has free Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, a desk with comfortable work chair, and a flat-screen TV with satellite channels. There's also the bonus of a small kitchen area which has a fridge, microwave, and coffeemaker. The bathrooms are unremarkable, but are clean and a fair size.

There's no restaurant or bar here, but there are some good amenities that add to the convenience of the hotel, such as a laundry room and small convenience store that sells snacks. Past guests have raved about the free breakfast, which has a great variety of hot and cold foods, including cereal, fruit, eggs, and pastries. There's a good business center for corporate guests, and a smart meeting room that seats up to 90 people. The 24-hour fitness center is small but has some good, modern equipment, and other items like yoga mats can be borrowed from the front desk. There's a small outdoor pool, which is a nice touch. It's usually quiet and there are plenty of comfortable sun loungers. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, and there's free car parking on-site too.