This beach front hotel is wonderful. The clean rooms, outstanding kids pool (clean, well maintained and attentive life guards), great location and friendly staff made our stay wonderful. There's also the little things, like slow close toilet seats and blackout curtains that overlap to provide a nice, dark room. Parking on site was easy. OCMD is extremely clean and well cared for, from the boardwalk all the way to the shore.
This is our families favorite hotel. For a family with two kids, it really doesn’t get much better. You’re right on the boardwalk, with two huge oceanfront pools, a pool bar with poolside service, the kids activity pool complete with waterslides and fun water features and big 1 bedroom suites with a large jacuzzi tub, kitchen and separate bedroom which was perfect for those mornings when one kid is up at the crack of dawn and the other wants to sleep in! Add in Starbucks right next door, walking distance to the rides and boardwalk shops & restaurants and the location is tough to beat. We felt so relaxed sitting by the pools, looking out at the ocean, tropical drink in hand. My husbands happy place was the room balcony, which had an incredible ocean view! So many special little touches from a mermaid and Bluey that visit the pool, to towel animals left from housekeeping, to gummy sharks in the kids drinks! We thought it would be loud staying on the boardwalk, but the location is quite and we never have an issue with noise. You won't regret staying here, especially with kids!
KJ
Kyle Lee Jones
Aug 21, 2026
Ocean City is one of the best places to stay, especially with the morning service! Gabrielle was so kind, and the breakfast was fantastic. He took such great care of the tables. The pool is small but perfect for my son’s fun. The outdoor and indoor pool options are really good. We had a wonderful three-day vacation.
Jessica & Paz at the Coral Reef Restaurant are absolutely amazing! We’ve been coming to Coral Reef for the past three years, and our family has been staying at the hotel for the last ten years. Each year, our family of four comes with my parents and the rest of our family, with eight of us staying here together.
Jessica and Paz truly make the experience so special for all of us, especially our girls! Seeing them has become something we look forward to every year. They always make us feel so welcomed and remembered, and they are such a special part of our family vacation.
The hotel is incredibly lucky to have them. We truly can’t say enough wonderful things about both of them. Thank you, Jessica & Paz, for making our time here so special year after year! ❤️
DH
Donnie Herman
Aug 2, 2026
My family and I spent a week here, and while no place is perfect, this was truly one of the best hotel experiences we’ve ever had. We were greeted by warm, welcoming staff, and it was clear throughout our stay that they take great pride in maintaining a clean and comfortable environment. It was easily the cleanest hotel we’ve visited.
The location made our trip even more relaxing—being so close to both the beach and the pool took a lot of stress out of planning our days. The boardwalk is conveniently accessible without being so close that noise becomes an issue. We never had trouble finding seating at the pool, and even fellow guests contributed to the overall friendly atmosphere. It seemed all visitors had the same goal, survive the trip with their kids. The pool was a hit. You just have to be there to know :)
If I were to offer one suggestion, it would be to improve enforcement of guest-only parking. At times, the lot was crowded with non‑guest vehicles, which made returning from dinner a bit stressful. Although I always found a spot, it was clear that many spaces were being used by people not staying at the hotel.
Overall, we had a wonderful stay and would happily return. Good work over there Holiday Inn team, it is obvious the great experience provided was intentional and that business is well managed. See you next time.