Holiday Inn Express Hotels in Galveston

We were a guest who was fortunate enough to not stay in GRAND GALVEZ .But decided to dine in Monarch Restaurant after looking at the hotel review.The reservation was at 9 pm but we got there early about 8.45pm. We were greeted by a lady in the host stand. She offered a table option (banquet or a table) we took the banquet. We were seated there,I took a look around there was no one in the restaurant except us. It took 15 min for someone to comes to our table. My husband order for a bottle of rose wine. Which to my surprise the bottle was already open. I'm a hospitality professional too. So when the bottle was brought to me the label was already open. We were not even asked if we actually wanted still or sparking water. We were served two water. The rose was served to me as my husband was going drinking. My husband wanted lemon wedges which literally took 15min to get to table,Neither I was offered a taste before serving. Nevertheless the server asked if we need anything else. And we were ready to order. But she left and came back after a while. We order for the catch of day (Red Snapper for me and my husband opt for a grilled chicken). While we were waiting for the food to come. My husband noticed that the table was wobbling. We still ignore but the wobbling got worse. The server got our food we were so excited to try to food. The first bite I took what I saw was a prawn that was not deveined. I kept it aside. The grilled chicken was completely burnt out from the bottom and still it was served. We didn't wanted to make any scene so we started eating. The server came back to check if everything was fine. I did mention about the prawn. After a while she came back to two piece of prawn as complimentary. It so embarrassing as I expected at least a manager will come by so that I could asked for a table change as it was getting difficult to eat in a wobbling table. I never wanted a free or complimentary prawn. After a while the host came back to check we did mention about the table. To my surprise was she took a napkin asked my husband to push himself aside and stuffed a napkin underneath. It was so shocking that the whole restaurant was empty and we was not offered a alternative table. To my notice I could see that have set up the table for breakfast so I assume that any other was not available for us. It was so disappointing that we literally felt that the staff was treating us to be less capable of having to afford to eat the restaurant. To add up to all this we had flies in and around our table and fruit flies in and around our food too. To be honest I didn't wanted to take a single bite of the foot anymore. Myself and my husband left our food half done. After all this we wanted to just leave and asked for the check. The server did not even bother to check why we barely touch our food. The server and the lady who sat us brings us a cheese cake for my birthday and apologize for the inconvenience. It was evident that the restaurant close at 10.00p

The hotel was perfect for what we wanted apart from the dark & dreary decoration of the rooms... dark browns, mustard & dark orange colors were not what I expected at a seaside resort! I imagined walking into a light blue or light green room as you'd see in the condos to rent. These colors were just dark & desperately need renovating. The bathroom had seen better days for sure...the bath base looked slightly grubby but it had a raised anti slip mat which often retains a darker appearance & the shower doors were streaked & didn't fit together properly. Basically it was a bit messy & unappealing! However, the facilities were excellent. Balconies are great w/ wonderful views. Club ten level allows a child free zone, which makes it way quieter & offers a free delivered breakfast or a voucher to reduce your breakfast bill @ Blakes Bistro & I believe free valet parking (apart from tips of course!) The restaurants here at The San Luis are excellent. Everything we ate here was delicious but expensive. Service was excellent also & all staff were extremely attentive & friendly.

Big THANKS to Yen Major for helping us check in during our recent visit to Moody Gardens. She upgraded us to a suite and helped us track down a cart for our luggage to get all checked in. She made sure we received bracelets for all the attractions and Yen made our stay one that we will never forget. The room was huge with all the amenities we could have thought of. We visited all 3 pyramid exhibits plus the water park area. We ended our last evening by dining at Shearn's. My wife and son were both impressed with such a great experience. Thank you to Yen and all the staff at Moody Gardens. We look forward to returning soon!

Hotel location is good! Recommend everyone can come here to see! Parking is free! Especially for everyone, this restaurant, which is very close to the hotel, tastes quite good!

The $40 plus tax park and cruise, and round trip shuttle to the cruise port sounded like an amazing deal after comparing parking at the port. Shuttle from the hotel to the port went smooth. Returning was terrible. On disembark day, I called the hotel at 7:30 AM to make sure we knew where pickup was and the shuttle bus number. We arrived at the pickup place at 9:45 am and confirmed with port staff we were in the right location. At 10:19, I called the hotel to check on the shuttle’s route. I was told the driver was at the hotel picking up passengers and headed our way in about 10 minutes. At 11:00, I called the hotel again to check on the shuttle as we had seen several other shuttles come and go repeatedly. She said we had been waiting way too long and he should be there shortly and if he didn’t arrive in a few minutes to call back. I called back around 11:30- was told they would personally talk to the driver and they would call me back. I missed the call but called back promptly and was told a driver was on the way. Just before noon, a Mercedes’ shuttle #405 van pulled into the designated parking spot. He said he would take us to Holiday Inn Express and I told him we needed the resort and he said he would take us. He was not a charter bus that had dropped us off and he definitely was not bus number 803 as the hotel had told us . He said he was normally a private shuttle but he was filling in and helping out and would take us. He was confused as how we had waited so long but overall was apologetic and friendly given we had sat in the sun waiting for a ride for over 2 hours at that point. We arrived back at the hotel and I stopped at the front desk. The staff apologized and said that this driver wasn’t even their driver and was just a nice driver to bring us back and was not affiliated with the hotel. The manager I believe apologized and thanked me for the feedback and said she would get with the shuttle company to improve their service. She also said they would get us taken care of at check in and all set up for our stay. When I told her we were only there to pick up our vehicle and head out on our 7 hour drive, she just said oh ok I thought y’all were staying not leaving. She made no attempt to compensate us for the trouble or the terrible experience of sitting out in the sun for two hours. Won’t stay here again or recommend it. If you’re cruising, just pay the extra money and park at the port so you can leave in a timely manner!

We chose this hotel due to their offer of a stay and cruise package where you leave your vehicle and they provide transportation to the cruise dock and then pick you up. The hotel is very charming and in a great location. When you arrive, assuming via car, you are met with the valet. I told them I was using the stay and cruise package. Valet and Front desk were extremely helpful The hotel has a bar and restaurant and although we didn't use it, they booth looked very nice. The public areas in the hotel are spacious and comfy. We loved our room! It must have had 20 foot ceilings! The room has a refrigerator and a coffee maker. There was an ice machine down the hall. We opted to Uber to the seawall to do some sight seeing. Should cost you about $8 to do that and I highly recommend it. Plenty of places to eat near the hotel and the seawall. Back to the room-it was quiet and comfortable and I gotta say-just cool with the retro decor. Getting the ride to the cruise dock was easy. Put your name on the list and get on board (please tip your driver-I think I was the only one who did). The driver took us to the cruise dock where a porter took our bags! Returning was equally easy. You get on the shuttle right where he dropped you off. We had to wait a bit but not a problem. Using the link they provided, my vehicle was waiting for me when we got to the hotel. Couldn't have been easier and was stress free.

Had only an overnight stay for an early appt at Shriner's the next morning. No complaints whatsoever. We loved the indoor pool and hot tub. Our room was spacious and comfortable. We had a 2 double bed suite with fold out couch. Everything was clean. Staff was friendly and checked with us to ask if our room was ok. The breakfast was plentiful and had a variety of choices. I don't usually eat oatmeal but I could not pass up the oatmeal bar with all its toppings and fruits and nuts. There was 3 types of juices, eggs that were scrambled and boiled, jalapeño mini-quiches, sausage, cereals, various breads, milk, yogurt, waffles, fruit and coffee. I had read someone else complaining about the smallness of the pool. I think some people forget that Galveston is an island with very limited space. The island has had to be built up several times to remain above the tide. The city has weathered many storms, and things are not going to stay pristine in that harsh sun and salt-spray environment. Target is right across the highway via an underpass, so easy access. There is a view of the bay but again, it's not pristine. It's a port city, thus it looks like one. We will definitely stay again.

Very nice. Especially for the price. Not far from the seawall and customer service is awesome.