My family recently returned from a quick trip to Boise, Idaho, where we celebrated the high school graduation of our nephew Jake and our close family friend Justice.
I’ve written why IHG properties — especially Holiday Inns — are (generally) great for families. So, I was pretty happy when I discovered the Holiday Inn Boise Airport — a property just ten minutes away from my brother-in-law’s family.
How was the stay? My father-in-law will complain about it for the rest of his life. I thought it was fine — nothing spectacular. But the property has potential.
Where is the Holiday Inn Boise Airport?
The Holiday Inn Boise Airport is five minutes from Boise Airport / Gowen Field (BOI). Its address is 2970 W Elder St, Boise, ID 83705.
Booking the Holiday Inn Boise Airport
I was fresh out of anniversary night certificates from my IHG® Rewards Club Select Credit Card (no longer open for new applications) and card_name. I booked with points: the first night was 28,000, while the second ran me 30,000.
We reserved a king suite.
My in-laws reserved a queen suite; one of our nieces stayed with them.
Holiday Inn Boise Airport King Suite
The hallway to our room is a little treacherous. What appears to be broken floorboards lie underneath the carpet.
I wouldn’t be surprised if someone’s ankle hasn’t rolled and broken yet.
We liked our room. It’s not a genuine suite with a door separating the bedroom from the living room. (Certainly nothing like my Grand Suite upgrade at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C., a few weeks ago 😉 ).
Instead, there’s a walkway and moveable glass partition. Our daughter had a wonderful time playing McDonald’s drive-thru — taking our orders and money.
The living area features a sofa (and television, which I neglected to take a picture of. Sorry.)
This station also has a microwave, coffee maker, and small refrigerator.
IHG beds and pillows are almost always very comfortable. That streak continued here.
I slept so well during our two-night stay.
You’ll find plenty of power options on one side of the bed.
Meanwhile, the closet was right next to the bed. That puzzled me, considering the room’s size.
The bathroom was decent.
Pool Area
We received an email two or three days before our arrival — stating that the property’s indoor pool heating features were broken. Thankfully, they were back up and running when we checked in.
The water was still a little chilly — but not difficult to get used to.
The hot tub was, well, hot — and relaxing.
Food and Beverage
The hotel offers a $12.95 add-on for its daily breakfast buffet.
Is it worth it? Eh. The breakfast potatoes were quite good. The eggs? Not the best. The coffee was flat-out awful. (That’s the polite review. My father-in-law uttered several choice words not printable for this blog. Which says something.)
An Applebee’s restaurant and bar is next door — only a two or three-minute walk. We ordered food there on Friday and Saturday afternoons. That was kind of our saving grace. There’s not a whole lot of other options in the area.
The hotel’s bar and restaurant are open from 5 PM to 10 PM. We didn’t eat dinner there but my brother-in-law and I sat down for a couple of drinks.
I again failed you. I’m sorry. I didn’t get any pictures of the bar. We were busy enjoying a great time chatting with bartender Pam and a couple of other patrons. (If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by the bar for a drink and a few laughs with Pam. She’s fantastic.)
The Place Needs Work
You saw the photo of the broken floor. Like some Holiday Inns, the spirit of 1978 is alive and well in this place.
But we did some digging and learned it opened just 20 years ago.
Oh.
It features some great stack stone motifs and natural light in the lobby. We discovered the property is due for a remodel sometime in the next year or so. If the ownership company puts some money into it, the place could be a great Holiday Inn.
Final Approach
Overall, our stay at the Holiday Inn Boise Airport was decent. The breakfast buffet was a little grim. The hotel needs a remodel ASAP.
Its location worked great for us. The staff was great and the bed was comfortable. We hung out with Pam, one of my new all-time favorite bartenders (I’ve met a few in my day).
I’ll maybe stay there again once the property’s remodel is complete. Until then? I might try the Holiday Inn Express behind it — or venture somewhere else.
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Makes me crazy when hotels don’t optimize the counter space in the bathroom. Where do they expect everyone to put all their toiletries bags, etc? That vanity is stupid and should have gone all the way to the sides.
You were in Boise? Sorry to miss an opportunity to put a face to a name!
Local resident, I have been here and had better and worse experiences. I would recommended the Red Lion personally not the one downtown but the airport location. It unfortunately I asked some of the amenities notably the bar the service is excellent the rooms are great, always spotless in my experience. Glad you enjoyed Boise
That hotel originally opened as a Cambria Suites. They switched to HI when the very old original HI lost its flag. The same company that owns it pins the Express and the 4 hotels across the street.
Pam has been there forever. Used to work at the original HI.