I have probably mentioned a time or two (okay probably lots more than that) that I love to travel. I love to visit new places: See new things. Eat new foods. Meet new people. And my all time favorite: Stay in new hotels. No two hotels are the same, even if they are the same brand. You have different staff, different decor, different options. That makes each location you visit fun. A new place to discover and a new place to rest your hat for the night.

I have stayed in a variety of hotels and a lot of little B&B's and motels along the way. I liked them all for different reasons. They all brought something new and unique, but one of the things I never had the chance to do, was stay in a NEW hotel. Meaning it was just built. First person in the room type of deal.  This was a "new" I wanted to experience.

A few weeks ago I went on a trip with my boyfriend and we checked into a Holiday Inn Express. We always seem to find them when we are traveling. Come to think of it we have stayed in 4 Holiday Inn branded hotels since May... Apparently we have a thing for them! Anyways, when we went to check into our room a few weeks ago, the hotel looked immaculate. It smelt like fresh paint and new carpet. Heck, even the front desk person looked shiny and new.

This sparked the question, "We didn't see any reviews of this place, yet it looks great. When did you guys open?" The response left me giddy; "Thursday! We've been open 5 days." I had a little mini happy dance moment. I was FINALLY getting to stay in a brand spanking new hotel! My boyfriend warned me not to get to excited, as most new hotels this early on were still working on little kinks and such in the operations. I didn't care. This was a new place.


So what if the elevator sounded like a hamster wheel squeaking.... No one had thrown up in the bed yet, or in the hallways, or ANYWHERE. I'd take the squeaking over that any day! There also were no mystery stains, smells, or sounds. Everything in the bathroom worked and was still a sparkling white color. The decor was modern, yet very neutral. It brought a very relaxed feeling to the room. It was perfect.


I woke up the next morning and was excited to use the big shower with the rainfall shower head. It was a great shower. That lead to the continental breakfast, which is one of the things I love so much about Holiday Inn Express locations. Their breakfast is always fulfilling with healthy alternatives. I was happily surprised to be greeted with full size Chobani yogurts. They also had a great variety of cereals and fruits. It totally made my day and lived up to my expectation of experiencing a brand new hotel. Thank you Holiday Inn Express for helping me check that off my list! I love your hotels!



Have you ever stayed in a new hotel? What was your experience? Leave me your thoughts in the comments!