Holiday Inn Express Cardiff Bay by IHG

Reviews

• MG

  Mr Garrison

  1 day ago
  5.0
  Holiday Inn by IHG is an American chain of hotels based in Atlanta, Georgia and a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain was founded in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson (1913–2003), who opened the first location in Memphis, Tennessee. The chain was a division of Bass Brewery from 1988 to 2000, Six Continents from 2000 to 2003, and IHG Hotels & Resorts since 2003. It operates hotels under the names Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, and Holiday Inn Resorts. As of 2018, Holiday Inn has hotels at over 1,100 locations.
• TI

  Teena Intoronto

  3 days ago
  1.0
  We spent last week at the Holiday Inn Express Cardiff Bay and I would not recommend this hotel. We booked and paid for our vacation in January. At approximately $368 per night, the hotel was neither the most expensive nor the least expensive option available. One of the reasons we selected it was because a complimentary breakfast was included. Upon arrival, we were surprised to discover that our room had two single beds rather than one larger bed. I immediately contacted the front desk to request a room change but was informed that the hotel was fully booked and no alternative rooms were available. A larger bed would have been preferrable but it wasn't a big deal. The room itself was uncomfortably warm and stuffy the whole time. Although the window could be opened slightly, it provided very little ventilation. There appeared to be an air conditioning unit in the room and an air exchanger above the door so I contacted Reception for instructions on how to operate them. I was surprised to learn that neither unit was functional. I again requested a room change but was told this was not possible. The hotel did offer a fan, which we accepted the next day. Unfortunately, the room never cooled down, even during the night. Both of us experienced restless, uncomfortable sleeps due to the heat. The bedding consisted of duvets in covers, with no separate sheets provided. We eventually removed the duvets and used only the covers but the room remained excessively warm. A few days later, we borrowed a second fan. While the fans helped cool us when we had them pointing as us, they did not lower the room temperature. Adding to the frustration, each fan had a timer that automatically shut it off after a maximum of two hours, requiring us to wake up repeatedly throughout the night to restart them. Between the heat and the fan timers, neither of us slept well during our entire stay. Another issue was the shower. Regardless of the time of day, the water pressure was extremely poor. The staff were friendly. The hotel is in a good spot as it's between the city centre and the Bay (about a 15 minute walk either way). It's in a residential area so there's nothing but housing around.
• JK

  Jaspreet Kang

  Jun 15, 2026
  4.0
  You will need to arrive as close as possible to check in time to have any chance of getting parking, as spaces fill up quick. If you do manage to get a space, it's £10 a day, and there are also a few EV charging spots. However, if you miss out on the car park, there is ample on road parking which is free after 6pm and not a bad price per hour for them either. The on road parking machines are really slow so it may take over a minute for you to pay. The hotel was really busy when we arrived and yet we were still greeted with a smile and told everything we needed to know. The room was clean, spacious and overlooking the water which was a lovely touch! It's located around 10 minutes walk from Cardiff Bay and around half an hour walk from the City Centre. There are similarly priced hotels nearer the City Centre but we were happy here as we could easily drive into the City Centre (took us 10 minutes including time to park and pay). Breakfast was quite basic and a bit disappointing- very little choice and too many people for the space that is used. I would recommend the hotel!
• BH

  Brian Holmes

  Jun 15, 2026
  4.0
  Apart from the lack of pressure in the shower, water just trickled. The hotel was excellent, great staff, comfortable bed and good breakfast . Lots of construction all around with large areas blocked, so very tricky to walk or drive anywhere.
• RV

  ramin Vito

  Jun 4, 2026
  3.0
  This hotel is quite far from the city center, and there is no shuttle service available. While having a private car is convenient for getting around, you have to pay a steep parking fee of around £10. I would suggest booking a hotel directly in the city center instead. Most city center hotels also charge about £10 for 24 hour parking, but they are much more convenient. For my next trip, I will definitely book a hotel in the city center.