NT
Nate (Nate Tormala)
Dec 17, 2025
Holiday Inn Express & Suites – Morristown, TN
I stayed here for one night while traveling through Morristown. Parking was great—nice, open spaces and plenty of room, which made arrival easy.
Upon entering, I was greeted by the front desk attendant. She was polite, professional, and smiled during check-in. The process was efficient: I was checked in, given my key, told where breakfast and the elevators were, and that was pretty much it. While there was nothing wrong with the interaction, it felt a bit disengaged compared to other Holiday Inn Express locations I’ve stayed at. At other properties, staff often go a little above and beyond—mentioning fresh cookies, nearby dinner options, or things to do locally. That didn’t happen here. Still, she was friendly and did exactly what she needed to do.
When I entered my room, it was noticeably cold. It’s December, and the outside temperature was about 33°F. The room temperature was 66°F, and the thermostat was set to “off.” After warming the room up, I did a full inspection. Overall, the room was fairly clean. The bed was neatly made with what appeared to be fresh linens. There was no trash left behind, and the bathroom was spotless—no leftover grime or residue from previous guests, which I really appreciated.
The only cleanliness issue I noticed was the microwave. It had food splatter on the inside and top, clearly not cleaned thoroughly from prior use.
Breakfast had a bit of an unexpected event. Just as I was about to leave my room, the fire alarm went off—very loud and sudden. I wasn’t fully dressed yet, but I started preparing to evacuate when the alarm shut off. I stepped into the hallway and noticed no one else evacuating. Later, while heading down to breakfast, I overheard staff discussing that bacon had been cooking, created a lot of smoke, and triggered the alarm. The front desk was speaking with the fire department about it. Thankfully, it wasn’t a real fire—just an unfortunate kitchen mishap.
As for the breakfast itself, it was below what I’ve come to expect from Holiday Inn Express. Other locations usually offer a better variety and quality. The scrambled eggs were sitting in a noticeable amount of liquid, the bacon was very crispy (borderline overdone and pun for the fire alarm lol), and the orange juice machine seemed to be running low—it came out more like concentrated syrup than juice. Apple juice was unavailable.
I ended up opting for fresh fruit and a bowl of instant oatmeal, as the rest of the options didn’t look very appealing. If I’d had more time, I would’ve gone out to a local diner or restaurant, but due to time constraints, breakfast here was my only option.
BLUF: This hotel was okay. It was a bit below the standard I’m used to with Holiday Inn Express, particularly in breakfast quality and small service touches. That said, the bed was clean, the room was comfortable, and I had a quiet place to sleep and relax. I would stay here again if needed when passing through.