Holiday Inn Express Amarillo: a very “Texas” roadside hotel (it’s good btw)

I wasn’t sure exactly where I would be staying in Amarillo as I rolled into town on route 60 from New Mexico, but the Holiday Inn Express in South Amarillo looked to be a really decent option (as far as I could tell from the road).

I took the exit so that I could scope it out, and it didn’t take long to convince me that this would be a fine place to stay for the night. It looked like a brand new build, and it was in a decent area with easy access to the freeway, so I parked the car and booked a room.

A full review of my 1 night stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Amarillo, TX

This was my first experience with a Holiday Inn Express, and I’ve got to say that I was quite impressed. The words “Holiday Inn” never meant much to me, and the only memories I have of this chain are the quick overnight stays with my family that we made during our annual spring drive to Florida from Michigan while I was growing up.

The Holiday Inn’s of that era (1980’s) had a much cheaper feel than this brand new Holiday Inn Express did. They have certainly matured over the years (as have I).

Holiday Inn Express Amarillo — Yup. That’s a Holiday Inn Express alright.

I splurged on a suite, which was only $20 more than a regular room. That ended up being a bargain, because the suite was actually really nice and I found it to be quite stylish and comfortable. It was large and bright, with a full kitchenette and a “lounge” area with a couch and coffee table.

My first impressions

Holiday Inn Express Amarillo 3rd floor hallway — Hallway on the 3rd floor leading to my room. A little orange, but so far so good.

Holiday Inn Express Amarillo room 317 door — The door to my room for the evening: number 317. Better than ‘666’ I suppose.

The room

Holiday Inn Express Amarillo room decor — Overall I liked the orange and brown tones – it felt very “southwest” and “Texas” to me. Yeehaw! (Sorry)

Holiday Inn Express Amarillo room overview — View from the main part of the suite looking towards the lounge area and bathroom. Compared to the Holiday Inn Express in Maumelle Arkansas, the decor was extremely…*orange*.

Holiday Inn Express Amarillo room furniture — To be honest, it seemed like the dresser and TV were really small and didn’t fit with the scale of the room

Holiday Inn Express Amarillo suite couch — Swanky red couch and tiny coffee table. It’s almost funny how the decor of this room is basically the 100% opposite of the decor in the Bellingham, WA Holiday Inn Express. FYI, there is zero design consistency from property to property.

Holiday Inn Express Amarillo couch in room — The couch was actually pretty comfortable though, and it was a nice place to sit and have dinner after a long day of driving

Holiday Inn Express Amarillo kitchenette — There was another small table with chairs and the kitchenette on the other side close to the door

Holiday Inn Express Amarillo microwave and refrigerator — Closer look at the kitchenette. I was very thankful that the cabinets were stocked with paper towels and paper plates with forks. Very convenient!

The bathroom

Holiday Inn Express Amarillo bathroom vanity — The bathroom was in much better condition than the one in the the hotel I stayed in the night before (Comfort Inn, Deming New Mexico)

Holiday Inn Express Amarillo bathroom sink — The other side of the bathroom vanity

Holiday Inn Express Amarillo bathroom amenities — Bathroom amenities

Holiday Inn Express Amarillo toilet — The throne.

Holiday Inn Express Amarillo shower and tub — I’m ashamed to admit that it took me over 5 minutes to figure out how to get water to come out of the shower head. Then I noticed the instructions on the wall…

Holiday Inn Express Amarillo shower instructions — If it weren’t for this diagram on the wall, I never would have figured out how to get water to come out of the shower head!

The view

I had an easterly facing room, with views of the airport way off in the distance. The large awning blocking the view of the ground was a bit distracting, but hey – that was pretty much the only thing I could complain about this room considering the price I paid ($114).

Holiday Inn Express Amarillo view from room — The view from my room, which could have been really nice if it weren’t for that awning.

Final thoughts

Because this room had the nice kitchenette, I decided that I would skip the hotel restaurant and try to find a grocery store for a healthy dinner and to stock up on things for breakfast. The nearest one ended up being 10 miles away (which seemed like a million considering I had already spent the entire day driving), but it was a good decision to seek out a healthy food option.

This Holiday Inn Express in South Amarillo impressed me, and I’d stay here again if I were looking for a place to stay in this area.

Holiday Inn Express Amarillo: a very “Texas” roadside hotel (it’s good btw)