Our visit was in July '12. We booked on Priceline and were super-stoked about the crazy low price we got...until I read the reviews. Â So, I was warned about the sketch-area and the even sketchier "private garage". Â Our visit was in July '12.
We arrived super late and I went inside to check-in. Â Had to dodge some of the sketch dudes out there. Â They left me along and I ran in but apparently were trying to talk to my husband who was waiting in the car with an infant and two sleeping kids. Â I asked the front desk clerk about the safety of the garage and he assured me that it was private.
Fast forward to getting the kids awake and unpacking our car as quickly as we could...a man approaches us and starts asking for money. Â He told my husband that he'd be decent since he recognized that my husband was with his family. Â Ummmm...what? Â What would you do if he wasn't with his wife and kids?? Â Anyway...we somehow made it into the hotel and into our room. Â Our room was so nice but once thing we noticed as we got off the elevator...it was HOT. Â The room was no better and we thought it just needed time to cool off. Â Well, it never did and only got HOTTER. Â
I mentioned it at checkout and the front desk guy mentioned that it was broken. Â That's it...no apologies or anything. Â Ummmm...ok, so much for the Holiday Inn guarantee.
Definitely steer clear unless you don't care about sketch people and hot rooms and just want a cheap room
If you stay in this hotel, get back to your room before the sun gets down.
The hotel is located in bad part of town. The park across the street has a transient camp and the general downtown area has seen better days.
The hotel itself is very old. Although it was recently renovated and the rooms and lobby look new, the air conditioning in many rooms is terrible. The room does not have individual units, but are tied to one large duct for each floor. The entire 3rd floor A/C was broken and couldn't cool below 78 deg (some rooms are worse, as seen in the pictures)! After trying three different rooms on the 3rd floor, I finally got a room on the 6th floor, which was 72 deg.
The staff is the one positive. I did speak to a lot of them trying to move my room around and they were nothing but professional and helpful. The bartender was also great, allowing me to hang out at the bar while he cleaned up, so I could watch a hockey game which wasn't showing in my room. I also saw him take an order for dinner from another guest, even though the kitchen had already started to close down. Hopefully, they can renovate the hotel to bring it up to par with the 5 star staff.
Air conditioning did not work on three 90+ degree days. Â First night the front desk said "it was just fixed". Â Every time after that it was "we will have maintenance check your thermostat". Â I went from hopeful, to thinking maintenance was busy, to thinking they were lying to me.
I was at a convention and the area was very OK during the day but night was a bit creepy to walk around.
If the AC had worked the room might have been OK.
No decent places to eat anywhere close.
So many bad things to say about this place. Â Tried to write my thoughts as they occurred. Â Don't want to think about it anymore, but here is my rough draft. Â
Rooms.. Â 5 stars.
Staff.. 4 stars.
Location.. 3 stars.
Lobby.. 2 stars.
Restaurant.. 1 star( and THIS is because they are OPEN)
In the heart of Fresno. Â The hotel is nice enough. Â The surrounding area is ghettofabulous. Â The bar is nice. Â First bartender was attentive. Â Last night of my stay, the bartender was absolutely the worst. Â He was doing inventory at 5pm and this went on for an hour. I was lucky to get a beer and a menu, but no order taken! While he was doing inventory I sat at the bar!! Â No tv, no food, a cold beer in a cold bar. Â A woman came in at 533pm and told the bartender he could go ahead and put orders in. Â He said "ok. Thank you" and continued with his inventory. Â A customer came in and asked if the tv was working. Â The bartender said, "they're working on it". This has been the standard answer from staff about the 50 degree temp and lack of heat in the lobby since Monday, its now Friday. No happy hour specials. Â I ordered the Ruben sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries. Â There is a special "happy hour" for hotel priority club members so you get a free drink and these cheesy appetizers.
The staff has been very nice and the breakfast is good except that there's been some sort of issue with the 3 out of 4 times I've eaten here:
1)missing hostess, had to leave my money on the table, hoping she'd get it
2) the day before the buffet was included as part of the "comp-ed" meal, the next day I was charged the difference(they did end up comping it because I complained)
3) no avocado in my CA omelet. Then when they remade it the avocados were old and Brown, not green.
The casino(card room) next door has a great sports bar and restaurant and a Starbucks. Â If you must stay in this hotel, o recommend meals at the casino.
when i booked the room i requested a quiet room away from elevators ice machines etc. Â i have a sleep disorder and i didn't feel that was a tall order to fill. Â i called to confirm my reservation the person on the phone acknowledged my special request. Â however when i finally checked in the room it was right by the elevator, ice machine and vending machines. Â i had to go downstairs to request again, blaw! Â
the hotel is also adjacent to a slimy 24 hour casino. Â i was woken up several times during my 2 night stay at all hours of the night and early morning by groups of loud drunk men. Â
i was woken again by the regular morning activity on my floor. Â
bed comfy, room clean but horrible view and all of the noise really bothered me. next time i will stay somewhere else for sure.
This place is a dump and needs a major renovation. And the fact that downtown Fresno is so dead give one no reason to put up with the dirt and the noise. My slider had no weatherstripping or seals of any kind and there is a major bus stop across the street. You can imagine how I slept. My room had a balcony, but it was filthy and covered with pigeon poo and feathers. This hotel should be imploded.
Review Source:Good rates, service, parking and free wifi can't make up for the constant noise outside, barely functional air conditioning, and insects flying around the rooms. Â The Holiday Inn Express Downtown Fresno tries hard, and does quite a bit right, but falls on a couple of essential points which really hurts it. Â It's so close to three or even four stars, but needs to correct key flaws before I can consider this a good choice.
The service at the restaurant was less than stellar. Â In their defense, my server was completely polite and courteous, and they suffered a critical cook loss, but had I not complained, I would never have found out my food was almost 45 minutes late for that reason. Â It's almost inexcusable.
Nothing exciting. Just your average Holiday Inn.
This place is rather sad. You can see they have tried, but it just doesn't work. There are so many things that just don't work or are mild irritants.
For instance, the elevators ALWAYS stop at the lobby level. Doesn't matter whether it is 9pm, 12 noon or 6am. Why would you have your elevators do that?
The "bar" can maybe seat 12 people. If you are a Priority member, they have some hot snacks. Was kind of sad, just some generic snacks in a chafing dish.
Couldn't get the heating/cooling to really work. Luckily the weather was average. Another person in the party reported that her first room was hot and the second room was cold.
Looked through the info binder and could not find any info for any type of in house gym. Evidently there is one but there is no written info on it is to be found.
But for the classic example of things just not working, the toilet paper roll is mounted on the wall at quite some distance from the toilet. Unless you are a professional basketball player, there is no way you can NOT reach the roll.
Had business in town for 4 days at the government center. Hotel very convenient to that location. Hotel staff at the front desk could use a little training and seasoning. Minor mix up with the reservation to 2 trips to the front desk to fix. WORST part of experience happened when I was startled by someone able to unlock my door late at night . Door opened but was caught by the security bar. I yelled and the person ran off down the hall. Called the front desk and reported it. They said they would check it out. An hour later I had heard nothing from hotel staff and called the desk again. They explained that a maintenance person had simply knocked on the door in error and they were sorry. I explained he did not knock and unlocked the door and when I screamed he ran off without a word. The desk person said he was sorry. This story is really strange.
Pros Â
     Location to the gov't center
     Parking was cheap
     Restaurant had super friendly breakfast staff, good food, and inexpensive.
     Room was very clean and spacious
     Bed quite comfortable
     Casino next door had some pretty darn good food and friendly staff
      Price was reasonable
Cons
     You would not want to walk the area at night
      Front desk staff
      Public areas not quite spotless
I would stay again if had to do work with the govt center becaus eof the convenience.
Just passing through. Stayed here for one night in early October. Â Looking for a 3-star hotel on Priceline, I used my "Name Your Own Price" bidding option on Priceline and blindly won this hotel at a significant reduction of price especially for a weekend night.
A few words about this location for starters. Â This is in the middle of lovely downtown Fresno. Â I think Fresno had sent out a memo that it was closed today (Saturday). Streets were empty, hardly anyone seen. Â At the turn of the century, 20th, not 21st, this must have been a well to do town. Some magnificent victorian mansions and ornate early 1900's buildings grace the center of town. Â But now, it has lost its luster, stigmatized by the small tent city and homeless refuge in the large public park and abandoned businesses' doorways that surround Holiday Inn. The economy has not been kind to Fresno over the years.
Fresno also has the stigma of being really hot and dusty, and depressingly in the middle of nowhere (aka California's Central Valley). Â I can't exactly call her a "vacation magnet" unless you like getting good stone fruit right from the source, or maybe some good wines and ports from nearby Madera wineries, or even a great Basque meal from the genuinely Basque, Shepherd's Inn, a few blocks away. Hey, I just realized, that is why I stopped here! But only for a day.
So our room has the usual. Â You know. Â Floors, ceilings, walls, a nice,quiet, smooth moving elevator to get as high as the 9th floor. Then there is the King bed, nice and firm. No fridge, but a flat screen tv and coffee maker. Â Our room seemed a bit musty smelling at first, but not bad. Â It was clean. Â Actually, and I am telling the pinky-swear truth, this was a nice room overall, spacious and tastefully decorated with contemporary colors - beiges, browns, black, and dark wood. And the air conditioning worked.
Odd thing, the sliding glass door to balcony was locked to our balcony. Guess it was because we were on the eighth floor. Since there was no suicide watch needed here, nor were we on a drinking binge (yet) that would send us spiraling over the railing, I can only speculate it was to keep those crazy, rock climbing homeless from scaling the exterior and entering our 8th story room instead of pushing their shopping carts filled with equipment out to El Capitan in Yosemite.
Yes, like Vee Vee N said, there was a lot of late night noises coming from car and motorcyle exhausts down below, but that was the worst thing I could find. Â So take those 1 and 2 star ratings with a grain of salt. Â It's not bad at all. Bring ear plugs if you must.
I've never liked Holiday Inn. Â This Holiday Inn Fresno should lose their franchise agreement. Â It took too long for Nico to check me in (not his fault mis-managment).
The air did not work and apparently based on previous reviews owners DO NOT CARE because they are aware of problems. Â
I don't advise people where to stay but tomorrow morning their will be a company memo in everyone inbox that there will be no more charges on company credit card for Holiday Inn stays.
Let me start off be saying, that I have been part of customer service for many years, so I believe in providing great customer service. I do not always feel that the "customer is always right," but I do believe in trying to go above and beyond to see if there is any type of accomodations we can do to make sure our customers/clients are happy. I am usually never one to complain and always try to see the positive in everything and give those the benefit of the doubt... Now with all that said.....
I've stayed at multiple Holiday Inns and Crowne Plazas throughout the state of California, and have stayed in many different hotel companies throughout the world and I have never experienced such an unpleasant stay EVER before until I stayed at the Fresno Downtown Convention Center this past weekend.
My boyfriend arrived before I did, so he checked in (both of our names were on the reservation). When I came to the front desk the lady behind the counter was very rude and proceeded to tell me that I should just call my boyfriend to tell me what room we were at and to just go up the elevators since the floors/rooms are accessible without a key. RUDE. Then when I told her he was probably not in the hotel, she asked for my name and told me that I did not have a reservation. After giving her my confirmation number, she finally issues me a key to the room and goes about her tasks.
I was in town for a wedding that was being held at the same location and decided to stay here for the convenience. For a place that gets 100 degrees+ during the summer, you would think they would have a properly working AC unit for the building. Not only was it hot in the lobby, but it was hot in the elevator, hallways, room, and banquet room. Not only myself, but all the wedding guest, wedding party, and bride and groom were uncomfortably hot during the reception, but nothing was done to try to accomodate the situation. Towards the END of the reception, two fans were brought OUTSIDE of the banquet hall in the lobby area to provide some relief.
Also, not ONCE was our room lower than 80 degrees. Even trying to lower the tempature was a joke. How are we suppose to feel comfortable if outside was 106 degrees and inside was just as hot? There was no way I was going to open my window, especially since it would have made my room accessible to everyone else on that floor. Finally, after being so uncomfortable, front desk finally gave us a fan to put into the room to provide some help.
Also, there were was so much noise throughout the hotel and other hotel guest from another wedding being held on the 9th floor that were very unaware of their surrounding. Passed midnight there was music still playing very loud and hotel guests arguing in their rooms, yet nothing was done about it. To the point where the couple who we attended their wedding did not stay in their hotel room after their own wedding but instead packed up all their things and went home because of yelling from the room next door.
Pros:
The room was clean
Rooms were slightly modernized
Banquet Room bathrooms were kept clean
Cons:
Price was not worth the stay
A/C Did not work
Horrible Service
Not tentative workers
Elevators were the slowest things ever
Neighborhood was poor
Defintely dated
9th floor was very run down
Because of the experience here at the Holiday Inn in Fresno, I do not see myself doing business with this company again.
I booked this room on one of those discount websites and got a pretty good deal. I immediately went to YELP to check out the reviews and even though I saw some negative ones I was the girl that thought "it will be different for me'
Let me start with the Pros:
The price was right/cheap
And now the Cons:
A/C did not work
Sliding glass door to the balcony did not close all the way (despite their attempts to seal the dorr shut for safety purposes, I assume), so all night we got to listen to cars/people outside and our room warmed up even more w/ the A/C not working.
Wi-fi was crap, its a good thing there wasnt a charge for it, it did not work 1/4 of the time.
They allow pets (which as a dog owner, I am not against) but we had to listen to a barking dog next door everytime we would move in our room.
Check-in process: From the street it is not totally clear where to enter for the hotel, as there is a 'casino' next door and other businesses that use the same garage. There is also no sign saying 'Holiday Inn' on their door, and the lobby looks a little deceiving. The lady at the front desk did not have on a uniform or a name tag, she was just dressed in a regular shirt. She asked for my credit card for incidentals but at no time made any mention of a deposit being held. I understand that it is standard practice for most hotels to hold a deposit, but some dont, but they usually as a courtesy tell you there will be one held and for how much. I stood there waiting for my receipts/paperwork to sign and there was something 'wrong' with the printer and I never did get anything.
She also failed to mention parking fee's. As I drove down into the garage the armbar was up, as I exited the garage for dinner there was nobody at the cashier booth (it looked vacant/creepy) and the armbars there were also up. However on my way out this morning, I was stopped and asked for my ticket and to pay for parking.
We were not given a map, or told where ice machines, vending, food, pool ec were. I even asked my room number and she said 'its written in this card'
We also had some of the loudest neighbors. It didnt help that you could hear even a whisper from your room. We heard a lovers quarrel, which the hotel cannot help, and every other word was F- you.
There was only 1 out of 3 elevators working, and regardless of what floor you were headed to it would make a stop at the lobby.
If given the chance I will not spend my money to stay here again. I had already pre-paid for the room and did not want it to go to waste.
Very dated. The plumbing was so bad it took 10 minutes before we got some hot water. The tv isn't bad and the bed is ok. Nice big patio but oh you can't actually go out onto it. Lamp was broken. Very poor noise reduction glass thus you could hear everything going on outside all night long. Also we came here on the weekend expecting to use their pool and unfortunately it was closed until Monday which wasn't going to do us any good  Unlike many reviews the woman that checked us in was courteous and speedy.
Review Source:Booked the very beautiful Sky Room at the Holiday Inn for my wedding reception. Â Price per person for the wedding package is very reasonable and it includes several things: Â choice of two entrees, choice of starch for each entree, champagne toast, cake cut/serve, coffe/ice tea/water, 1 night stay for bride/groom in King room with complementary breakfast and price per person includes tax and gratuity.
Had food tasting approx. 1 month prior to event. Â Selected chicken picatta and New York steak entrees, and a few of their starches to sample. Â Chicken breast was very small (size of thigh) with lemon caper sauce, but there were no capers = taste was good, but nothing special. Â Steak was very large and looked good. Â Taste was better than I expected. Â Was told that some of the starches I chose to taste were not available and was provided samples of herb rice and roasted potato. Â Taste was fine.
Holiday Inn allows wine to be brought in at a reduced corkage fee of $5/bottle instead of the typical $8/bottle. Â However, BEWARE all other alcohol must be provided by Holiday Inn at inflated prices!!! Â I thought we would be able to bring our own kegs of beer and priced them at Liquor King: Domestic-$109, Import - $149. Â However, later found out that I had to purchase kegs through Holiday inn for $275-Domestic, $375-Import!!! Â Almost 300% markup!
Called 3 days before event to make arrangements to delivery 3 cases of wine. Â Was told to bring them the next day. Â Unfortunately for me, the next day was Veterans Day and found out that the street in front of Holiday Inn was blocked off for parade. Â Not Holiday Inn's fault. Â I called the front desk as I circled around trying to find a way to deliver my wine. Â Told her that I was trying to deliver wine for my reception to be held the following day but street was blocked for parade. Â Asked if there was any other way to get it to them i.e. back door/alley?, etc. Â Girl replied "sorry" and suggested I try later. Â I told her I could not come back later as my wedding rehearsal was later. Â Asked her if she knew how long the parade lasts and she replied, "well they're going strong so maybe 3pm?" Â
Day of wedding my brother delivered 3 cases of wine to the Holiday Inn. Â All 3 cases were clearly marked on multiple sides of the cases as to which wedding they were for, the date of the wedding, that they were for the Sky Room, and which ones were to be served at room temp, and which ones were to be chilled.
When my guests arrived to my reception the Holiday Inn staff could not get the kegs working for quite some time. Â When guests ordered the wines listed on my "Hosted Bar Beverages" card that were placed on each side of the bar, my guests were told that they (Holiday Inn) didn't have that wine. Â Guest had to point out that it was listed on the bar beverage card. Â Holiday Inn staff then realized that my wine was still sitting in the room they placed it in after my brother delivered it. Â
Appetizers were placed in the room, but guests didn't even know they were there. Â Set up was around the corner (room shaped like "L"). Â Appetizers were cold and there were no plates. Â Guests used napkins and their coffee cup saucers.
Dinner service.  I was very pleasantly surprised by the chicken when it arrived on my plate.  Huge, very moist chicken breast with tasty lemon caper sauce with several capers, herb rice and yummy veggies.  Unfortunately, those that chose the steak (including my husband) were greatly disappointed.  My husbands steak looked grey and had no flavor.  Several guests reported the same, or that their steaks were very rare.  Heard from some that there was some jelly-like substance on top of the steak as well.  My dad said his plate did not contain any of the starch we selected for the steak.  Heard later that several guests that ordered the steak left the reception and went out to dinner afterwards.  Also during dinner service, I believe that there were 3 instances when  wait staff dropped something on the tile floor which created a very loud disturbance each time.  Very startling and disruptive.
Days prior to the reception, my dad specifically went to the Holiday Inn in person to make sure they had his credit card info on file so he would get charged for the corkage fees, additional bar tab, etc. Â Day after wedding, I realized there were additional charges on my bank account by the Holiday Inn that caused me to be overdrawn. Â Called Holiday Inn to inquire about charges. Â They mistakenly charged me for additional charges instead of my father. Â Accounting reversed charges, but I am still waiting (almost a week later) for it to show in my account. Â Was told it would take 7-10 days.
If that wasn't enough, my dad then realizes that he had a $5700 charge (in error) on his credit card. Â He went down to Holiday Inn in person again, to handle the situation. Â THEY CHARGED HIS CARD $5500 IN ERROR!!! Â He had to explain that the $5500 had already been paid. TBC
I had a really good experience here last summer! Yes, the casino next store, garage, and exterior are all crummy but considering the neighborhood, what do you expect?
This place was seriously the nicest place in the area. Â At first, they put me at the top floor where the ice machines are and that was a creepy floor that smelled smoky. Â The room was nice but I asked to be moved because of it and ended up with a much nicer room. Â I was kind of bummed that they couldn't put my room next to my friends room in the first place but it wasn't a really big deal. Â There was a coffee maker in the room and good body wash and shampoo. Â Also, the rooms were very clean and updated plus the beds were so comfortable!
The breakfast was really, really great! Â They have a full restaurant and separate bar that I will totally use for all my meals next time I'm in town for a grizzly game (every other place in the area left much to be desired). Â The pool area and gym are pretty decent but nothing too fancy.
I don't think anyone should come here thinking they're going to get spoiled or whatnot but it's definitely a good option if you're visiting this ghost town.
I'm surprised by all the negative reviews as we've never seen anything like this. My boyfriend has stayed at the hotel 3 times as I'm from fresno.
Coming from my perspective, I hate that it's downtown (you know, desert lands), across the street from where all the city buses stop. Â Right next to club one casino.
My bf is picky about service, but he's never complained when he checks in. Checking out is really simple, just call the front desk (if you've paid when you checked in) and you just check out that way. Call, leave your keys in the room, and go! Parking is free on weekends i think (free either weekdays or weekends). The parking garage is a little sketchy though, but aren't they all?
The rooms are very nice for the price he's paid (priceline bids for $45-50, plus tax). They provide you with complimentary coffee, body wash and soap from BATH AND BODY WORKS! haha it's pretty awesome. And they'll provide you with complimentary simple toiletries if you have forgotten (or so they claim with a card they leave in the bathrooms). the rooms are spacious, and have always been clean. everything presented nicely. they have a downstairs bar and a pretty decent-priced dining menu (i'm a cheap ass and I think the prices arent that bad for the most part).
only one bad experience as there was an event on Van Ness that took up the whole block so you could not enter through the original entrance. we had to go through alleys before finding our way. and the event was extremely loud up until midnight he said. it was some stupid fake beach party with pools and sand and crap. we got stuck with a room facing the street, so the sound was optimal. everything else was booked on the other side apparently. THAT was distracting, but club one didn't work with the hotel on that one. i kind of wished there was some compensation for having to deal with that bullshit.
i never knew about the pool and exercise room until now. disappointment ): ...
Overall, the interior of the hotel is very nice, the outside sucks though. But that's why you go up north to river park or something.
boyfriend hasn't had an issue, and actually likes the place.
We traveled 1200 miles 2 states to come to a family wedding.. The hotel was hot air conditioner was broken the room service was ok, the man at the front dest was so not personable and welcoming, they charge you 5 dollars to open a bottle of wine that we brought. The view from the hotel was horrible. Parking was worse because the height in the garage was not tall enough.. There is NO continental breakfast. Shall I keep going? We ourselves had 8 rooms and they were not treating us like we just made their quota for the year. I would not stay here again!!!! If you stay here be prepared to pay high prices and get horrible service. And if you do stay here request that your room payment goes to training the staff to be more polite.
Review Source:Hmmm, where to start? Â I know: don't stay at this hotel!
Why you ask? Â From check in to check out, this stay was a disaster and I owe it all to the unprofessional staff of this Holiday Inn. Â When we checked in, the front desk clerk advised us that our reservations were not the days we booked. Â We explained that we did book the stay for those particular days and handed her the priceline itinerary to prove and hopefully settle the issue. Â Unfortunately, the clerk explained that we would have to contact Priceline to work it out. Â I informed her kindly that we had the reservation correct, Priceline had it correct, and the Holiday Inn did not so she should recitfy the issue. Â That was the first minor bump.
Moving on to other bumps...
Our room was located in a hallway right off another hallway that contained a very noisy ice machine. Â When I say noisy, it was was extremely noisy. Â I felt worse for the room that was closer to it than we were. Â As we walked in our room, I was surprised. Â The decor was nice and the bed was comfortable. Â
It was a little warm, so we lowered the thermostat to 70 F and left to go out. When we arrived back in the early evening, we noticed the a/c had not come on and the temperature was the same. Â I called the front desk to notify them of the problem and the clerk advised that there was a HVAC issue and that he would have maintenance come as soon as possible. Â After two hours, no maintenance guy so a second call was made and we were told that he would be there shortly. Â It was now getting late and it was warm in the room, so my boyfriend went down to the front desk to get some answers. Â The clerk acted surprised that the maintenence guy had not shown up and then another employee informed him that he had already clocked out. Â The employee then gave my boyfriend a key to another room and when my boyfriend checked out that room, the a/c did not come on either. Â Frustrated, my boyfriend went back down to notify him of the a/c issue for that room. Â The clerk then left to go find a room without another word. Â My boyfriend told the other employee that he was going back up to his room and to call when they found a suitable one.
The call never came. Â We restlessly slept with a thin sheet. Â Around 6 a.m. the next morning, we received a wrongly routed call from the front desk from another guest's significant other. Â Awkward! Â A couple hours later we got a knock on the door from the maid who was about to come in. Â She quickly apologized because she thought the room was vacant (guess the clerk had never changed our reservations!) Â Wanting to leave that morning a day early due to the incompetence of the staff, we made reservations at the Courtyard Marriott. Â Before we left though, we explained our situation to the manager who had not been briefed about any of the issues. Â He listened and then offered us free breakfast. Â We declined, but asked him to retrain his staff and waive our parking fees. Â
We are frequent travelers and understand when issues arise, but the way this hotel handled them made me quite determined to write this review to warn others.
Do not stay at this hotel!!
The hotel is in a weird area in middle of downtown, but as a pit stop it was a nice place. Â In a city like Fresno with not much going on, being in downtown has the advantage that during the day it's pretty busy, as well as at night there is a casino next door that is always open.
The casino's food next door is definitely a big bonus!
Nighttime in downtown Fresno is very similar to the backdrop in the movie I am Legend, dark, desolate and creepy. Â But there is a safe haven for the weary traveler. Â The newly renovated Holiday Inn makes its guests feel removed from the forlorn landscape outside. Â The rooms are well appointed and modern, with amenities like flat screen tvs and pillow concierge. Â Yet there is a slight lack of attention to detail. Â For instance, the bath tub stopper was sitting on the side of the tub and no one had thought to replace it. Â Otherwise, it is a very comfortable place to stay and the front desk staff was very friendly and helpful.
Review Source:I spent a night on my way back from Yosemite.
Our tour dropped us with a fast check-in ... around 8PM for 50 people or so.
Hotel looked pretty new to me. Room is typical but in a new condition.
Comfort bed with choice of pillows [soft/ firm].
Bath and Body Work products in the bathroom.
Overall I had a good time and actually had a good night too!
I can't comment about hotel location....it's in downtown Fresno but it's a small town and we didn't spend time in Fresno at all : )
This place was exactly as advertised, clean and modern rooms. A safe underground parking garage and a friendly staff. I got the room off Hotwire and its was a real bargain. You almost can't go wrong booking a here.
Now come "why almost"; the hotel is located in DT Fresno, while some DT are full of life this only was a wasteland at night and not much better in the daytime. So if you just want a nice place to sleep over in Fresno, check this place out.
When my company said I had to go to Fresno, I going "geeze" rolling eyes....But you know its not as bad as I thought. Maybe I thought it was going to be like going to Elko, NV. or something. Yep, been there done that. This hotel was actually bigger then I thought, but on the old side. The room was clean and not scary with creepy crawly things. Its not like I'm gonna be spending a lot of time here. Internet works fine, so I'm a happy camper. This may be a boring trip, but I'd rather have boring then a pain in the you know what trip...lost reservations, noisy room, clients that don't show up...etc. Its a-OK and if I ever have to come to Fresno again, I suppose I would stay here. Front desk people were fine. Now lets see what this town has to eat!
Review Source:*This review is based on their banquet facilities and not their hotel rooms.
This hotel has gone through several name changes but I have a feeling this one will stick. Holiday Inn spent millions to remodel the hotel and it shows. The underground parking was a breeze and they had Holiday Inn elevators that rushed you up. I was really excited thinking the wedding reception was going to be in the Skyroom Lounge but it wasn't. I'd heard nice things about it and the views but apparently it was too small for this event. Oh well.
Instead we were in the Sierra Grand Ballroom. The facilities were larger, updated and looked great. The setup for the wedding was also very nice.
Then the service began.
For starters the servers looked sloppy and acted it. Â From what I could tell they lacked experience. I won't go into detail but the service left much to be desired. The food itself also left much to be desired. I understand the bride and groom maybe didn't go all out on the sit down menu options but the food was really bland. As my wife put it "I've had better food in a hospital". I don't expect banquet foods to be up to Michelin standards, but did the chef taste any of this cardboard!?
The bar area outside the banquet room lacked many alcoholic options (yes we had to pay) and they served wine in small plastic cups! Both of the bartenders lacked organizational skills while the line grew longer and longer. They were having issues using the touch screen register.
A trip to the restroom outside the ballroom and I saw large, clean, and modern facilities. Out front huge windows give you nice views of the County Plaza and beyond.
Overall a nice option but they need to tweak the food in banquets and customer service if they want to be competitive.
The staff here saved my life, and they must think I'm the stupidest person on the planet. I drove here Sunday night for Monday court. Unknown to me, I forgot two very important things on my way here: (1) my wallet; and (2) my tie.
The amazing staff let me check in without ID and without any form of payment, and also let me sign for dinner so I didn't starve to death. I will definitely stay here again.
One of the nicest hotels in the Downtown Fresno Area. And sadly to say, this is the "only" hotel in the area.
For $79.00 a night, I get a one bedroom with a shower/bathroom and a little corner with a chair and High-definition television.  The room is nice and every items are  updated including the fluffy pillows.
The staff were nice and accomodated my needs for my stay.
The hotel has a bar and a small casino located in the hotel lobby.
Around the area, there's not much to do. The area is haunted. But the ballpark is located a block away from the hotel. The Fresno Grizzlies (minor league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants) plays there. When baseball season starts, the area is revitalize and the hotel gets all the business.
I like this hotel a lot. They have free WIFI that runs at 5Mb per second.  The room was clean.  They have conveniently located power outlets. However, the AC did not work.  After I complained  to the front desk, they called maintenance and quickly fixed it within 40 minutes. I was very happy with my stay. Â
They provide complimentary coffee and decaf coffee in the room.
Holiday Inn's are usually three star hotels, but this one was definitely a four star performer. Â Its one of the renovated Holiday Inns, and the rooms are modern and sleek. Â Flat screen TV, well sized rooms, modern decor, my room had a balcony too, and cheap parking. Â The kicker: Â SUPER COMFORTABLE BEDS! Â And they have hard and soft pillows, labeled with a ribbon around them. Â Super cool and I slept like a baby. Â Now there's a reason to stop by Fresno.
Review Source:We found the hotel pretty easily, but just as luck would have it, before I could park and check-in, two tour buses full of Japanese tourists pulled up and startig checking in. Â Lawd have mercy!
So after we checked in, we were pleasantly surprised at how nice the room was...VERY surprised. Â Bed was super comfortable as well. Â Thing that sucked....they only have an ice machine on ONE floor. Â And here 's an IMPORTANT tip....don't take the stairs to go down to a different floor. Â Once the door shuts behind you, you can't get back in!!!
Got the room on hotwire for about $50 so I was pleased with the stay. But why are there so many damn weirdos in living in Fresno? Â Just walking around downtown gave me the creeps.
Oh the Holiday Inn. I spent 2 plus weeks a year here. It is right across the street from the auditorium that holds the roller figure  skating regional championships.
It is a great place and the bar is super cheap (well compared to where I live).
Its also the first place I got completely tore up, fell asleep outside in the grass with the sprinklers going off, and then awoke in someone elses room in the bathroom, on the floor, wrapped like a burrito in blankets.
I couldn't even get out of it and started screaming.
Oh and the bar never would card us roller skaters so yay for that, actually the kudos goes to Eric, who has been the bartender there for at least 10 years.
He is a great guy even though he slept with my sleezy ex skating partner.
You'll never get lost finding this place - it's the green glowing thing. Â
I was actually very surprised at how nice this hotel was. Â Interiors look modern and attractive but are really comfortable at the same time. Â In the rooms, beds and pillows were supreme; towels were thick and fluffy. Â The whole place was clean and staff were super friendly. Â The food was gross but almost worth the sacrifice considering you get to fall asleep to a warm neon green glow outside your window.
Yeah, this place rocks for Fresno. I stayed with the bf here the night before Thanksgiving and was really impressed. The Hotel is not what I was expecting. This Holiday Inn is very modern, clean and welcoming. We got in late and gentleman at the front desk was very quick and helpful. We had no reservation but they had lots of room. I looked on line and they were running a special of $110.00 a night which i thought was pretty good. But, when we check in they gave us a discount, and only charged us $89.00 for the night! The room was very nice and very much like that of the Starwood Hotels. I did not have breakfast but they do have validated parking in the garage below the hotel. Next time I spend the night in Fresno, I'll be staying here for sure!
Review Source:You know, all things considered, I really enjoyed my stay here at this particular hotel. For starters, the interior of the hotel is really sharp. I read that something like $6 million dollars was spent on redoing this hotel and it shows. The aesthetic inside almost invokes the W. They just need the mood lighting and techno music. The lobby is bright, airy, and friendly. There are a lot of seating areas, which um, came in handy during the 2am fire alarm. (Hotel staff handled it smoothly, though.)
The restaurant staff was also super friendly during my Sunday morning breakfast. Two servers kept coming by to fill my glass with water or my mug with coffee. (They also give you a whole carafe of coffee - must be some sort of Holiday Inn corporate standard or something.) I got food from the buffet, but next time I'd order from the menu.
Our room... ohmygod, it was pretty awesome, especially for the price. The bed was incredibly comfortable. Holiday Inn has this dapper pillow system where you can call up a different type of pillow if you don't like the one in the room. There is, indeed, a 32-inch flat panel TV, a comfy couch to read, in-room wireless internet, and a spacious bathroom.
Oh yes, and it's next door to this casino which was pretty amusing too.
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