Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Brainerd-Baxter, an IHG Hotel

Hotel

The staff was so nice. There was hockey thing going on so tons of hockey players and families. The person who checked me in asked what floor we would like and let me know what floors the hockey players were on so we could stay away if we wanted. My son didnt like the water park but my husband and I did. My son like the little arcade.

I like their water park the most havent tried the laser tag but would love too and I like how everyone is so people friendly especially with my son who has special needs its hard to find staff that have the patience for those types of children.

Great prices and my kids loved the water park!

Water park is nice. Live close and have not stayed in hotel.

Clean comfortable rooms. Fun water park. Unfortunately, a number of other guests allow their children to act like fools. It’s like a herd of buffalo running above us for an hour. If you can’t parent your kids and teach them not to disturb others, stay home!

For the past few years we have spent a family Christmas and birthday evening together at the motel. It’s was fun for the kids and very accommodating. I Tried to book 6 rooms for one evening for Jan 11, 2020. I was told that they no longer book one evening stays. It has to be 2 nights or not at all. Unfortunately it’s non at all!

Everything about our stay was perfect, but the customer service was by far the best part. Checking in was fast and easy… even though there was an error on our end, the front desk was extremely helpful and accommodating to us without being rude or demeaning. It is so difficult to find great customer service anywhere these days, so I was extremely pleased that all the staff we encountered were so friendly & helpful. The rooms were spacious and clean. I am asthmatic, so one of the first things I usually notice in a room is the air quality. I was pleasantly surprised there was no musty or dirty odor coming from the PTAC unit, and that’s really saying something for a waterpark hotel! The bedding was luxurious, crisp & clean. Additionally, the purposeful lack of comforters was amazing! They instead use a series of sheets & lightweight blankets… feels, looks and smells so much better than heavy, dusty, underwashed comforters at most other hotels. I love the bath and body works products, such a nice little touch setting them apart from other places. Very quiet at night, blackout shades, easy to get some sleep. Plenty of close, free parking. Clean parking lot & grounds. The breakfast bar included was great! My husband & I woke before the kids, and had a nice, quiet breakfast in the comfortable seating area before it got busy. Instead of having to bring four kids back down later during the busiest time, they provide little “Togo” bags to take back to the room.

We stayed Wednesday and Thursday August 7th and 8th. Nice clean rooms, waterpark was great, Lazer tag was a blast, arcade was fun. But I just have to say the staff were absolutely amazing. They went above and beyond multiple times with no prompting at all. Check in was quick and easy, front staff were friendly and helpful. That night we (2 couples) played cards in the lobby while our 7 kids played in the arcade. The gentleman at the front desk sold us 7 $10 arcade cards for $5 each, so nice! Then he offered us the conference room to finish our card game and contain the kids since they were done in the arcade. He even brought games and coloring supplies in for the kids, without being asked. He was incredibly pleasant and kind. The next day. We played lazer tag (4 adults and 7 kids). Again, the staff were great. After our game, they realized one of the guns wasn't working properly, so they offered us another game, completely free. We were all thrilled. Every time we encountered any hotel staff, they were polite, kind, and helpful. We were very pleased with our stay. Would definitely recommend!

Sweet nice staff and fun pool.

We have been coming here for years, but this year we were very disappointed. When we got there the splash pad area was closed. House keeping staff were very rude and didn’t clean rooms after our first night which was ok. They did ask if we needed anything and then left a note on the bed saying they couldn’t clean due to our stuff being on the beds, which were kids stuffed animals. One house keeper was yelling at kids about running, even when they weren’t actually running. Then the splash pad opened back up, but another slide closed and the adult hot tub was closed. Then another day the lazy river closed. All of these issues seem to be related to poor maintenance. It is really sad to see this place going down hill so much. Kids getting hurt left and right due to broken tile amongst other things.

Water park is awesome! we've always had fun :)

I would highly recommend Holiday Inn Express to others! We had our daughters 1st Birthday party there and the staff were all so amazing and treated our family so well! We appreciate you all so much and will forever remember what you did for our baby girl!

I had my sons 5th birthday party there. And they were so accommodating. I ended up having extra guests that came late and they gave me good deal on extra passes. Even though there were like 6 other bday parties that day it all went smoothly and the kids loved the water park. And there is something for all age groups.

The wait staff here are very friendly and go the extra mile for their guests. The water park is geared towards children, which is great as my five year really enjoyed herself. The breakfast buffet was bountiful and fresh. They served us omeletes, various cereals, yogurt, pancakes, muffins, bagels, and a couple different juices. Breakfast was served 6:30-930 am. Our room was very clean and individually climate controlled. I enjoyed being able to turn the heat on after coming back from the waterpark. If I could suggest an improvement I would recommend stronger drinks in the bar as my blended drinks were only one shot of white rum.

Another great/consistent HI experience for our family. Young man at the front desk set the tone for our stay-he was so friendly and helpful! Very relaxed vibe here truly enjoyed our time@waterpark and kids had a blast playing laser tag. (Appreciated the late hours-11PM! ) Bunk room was fun for kids w/free xbox game rentals. Housekeepers were friendly and fast. Free newspapers and coffee always appreciated. Good variety@breakfast and staff kept everything stocked regardless of what time we ate. Great stay!

So first day has been excellent! however we've been busy and haven't had a chance to experience the water park but we're getting ready to do that so I'm sure it'll be a great experience.

Our first stay at this hotel and family trip to Brainerd-Baxter. We choose to drive an extra 2 hours past Duluth for this specific hotel and it was well worth the extra drive. Highly recommend. Kids had an awesome time. Pool / waterpark is awesome, hotel is clean, staff is friendly and breakfast was very good. Can’t wait to come again.

Fantastic hotel. I booked this hotel On short notice because my son qualified for a golf tournament nearby. Was a little concerned it would be loud or unclean due to water park traffic. Could not be more pleased with stay. Excellent beds, pleasant staff, great rooms, and good breakfast.

I usually stay here if I need a hotel in the area and we love this waterpark. I was a little disappointed and dissatisfied this last visit. The waterpark closed an hour early and none of the guests who reserved knew this until check in — neither did the front desk staff. There was also only one double tube that had a closed bottom for younger guests to use to be able to go down the big slide — it was definitely a much sought after commodity during our stay. I then asked for an hour late checkout to make up for the early closing — but was told they only have a limited number of rooms they could use daily and they had reached it. I was disappointed that they didn’t offer a percent off or something for this. Will still come back — but hoping they get more tubes before the next time!

It was a disaster from the moment we walked in! The key machine was broken so no one in the entire place had a key to their room. Water coming through the ceiling in our bathroom and no one knew what to do. A lot of games didn't work or had some malfunction. The water park seemed like it was falling apart… A lot of water features didn't work and the rust build up inside the bucket that dumps on your kids every 5 minutes is a concern. I bet if I went back in a year nothing would be fixed except for the key machine! However… My kids had a blast! I just don't think it was worth the money!

Terrible hotel stay for starters some young adults where parting in the pool they were drunk and belligerent. They had a cooler full of glass beer bottles hotel staff allowed it to go on. The next day the whole water park was closed due to broken glass and cigarette butts everywhere. If that wasn't bad enough my car was broken into the next night. Worst stay ever!

I think that I had the smallest room in the place. Wanting a king size bed I had the closed above the front door. Average hotel. Did not have breakfast as it is the typical Holiday Inn Express breakfast. The room had a small TV and a bath tub with the old style rubber plug. Staff was nice. Oddly enough she didn't know where the room was.

Good breakfest. Rooms were real clean. The day we were there the locks to the rooms were down. Rooms had to be opened rather by staff or if someone was already in room. Glitch in system. They had someone on each floor to watch.

The hotel staff were friendly and helpful. The complimentary breakfast was good, with plenty of choices. Unfortunately the hotel experienced a malfunction with their keycard readers. Guests were unable to unlock their rooms. Staff members were needed to get guests into their rooms. The issue was never reselved during our stay, and made it less than satisfactory.

Very nice rooms. Water park was great. W large water slides, 2 hottubs, swimming pool, and a large splash pad area. Laser tag was fun. Located right off the highway. Service was good. Complimentary breakfast in morning has a mix of hot and cold items.

Went to visit some people for the water park and the laser tag. The water park was great, however the laser tag was not. We played two games and the employees did not explain anything. Our gun' s screens were not working and we did not know we needed to use two hands for the gun to work. The second game the six of us were going to play my ourselves, 3 on 3. But 3 teenagers joined and all they did was follow us around and not allow us to even be lit up for a second. Was not fun at all. We ended up leaving the laser tag area early. I will never play laser tag again if this is how people play it.

Staff is so wonderful! Nicole at the front desk was so nice and helpful! Everything was really clean. Beds were the most comfortable beds I have slept in at a hotel. Waterpark was very nice and great place for little ones.

Great place to stay if you have children. Water park is a little small for how many people stay in the hotel. Continental breakfast could be better quality. Rooms are neat and clean.

Pay $40 extra to have your 6 lb dog come and they won't let you hold it in the pool area. So I just paid to let her run around the room by herself being we booked a $400+birthday party for my son. Very inconvenient to learn that as we just arrived minutes ago, and traveled a distance to get here also.

Lazer tag was very fun. Besides the kind rude girl running it at the time. But at least we got to play free for all. Make sure you ask for free for all it a lot more fun.

Overall this was a very pleasant stay. Our children loved the water park and every thing was neat and clean. The rooms smelled clean and were a good temperature. Would definitely come back and will be.

We went just for the water park. Very disappointed. It cost more than the Arrowwood aross the street but it's smaller, it's very dark and the air is cool. The huge bucket is the only different thing. If you come in as a public guest good luck. They charge 5$ for a tiny locker to store your belongings. Barely anywhere to change. We will not be coming back again.

Staff hear were accommodating and patient. Facility is cool as it includes a water park, arcade and laser tag. The rooms were standard rooms… nothing special. My one negative is that there is only one elevator for the 3 floor property and it takes forever to ride up and down as there is always a lot of traffic. Not my first time here, won't be my last. Great value!

We planned our Thanksgiving trip here in September and it wasn't until we were on way that I checked out their FB page to find some negative reviews. I got really nervous about our stay. I have to say, management must have taken these negative reviews seriously.
The rooms were very clean and the staff was extremely friendly. The cleaning ladies were so personable and always smiled and said hi as we passed through the halls. Jenna sticks out to me because she mentioned how cute my kids were and we chatted for a little bit.
The Waterpark was amazing and wasn't too crowded. A lot of people started to check in on Friday and Saturday morning when we checked out, there was a sign on the doors that the Waterpark was "Closed to the public". I really appreciated seeing that as the hotel seemed full and having the public allowed into the Waterpark would have been too much for the guests to enjoy.
Thank you for the wonderful memories and I am looking forward to our stay next Thanksgiving :)
(By the way, there were lifeguards on duty, but I never expect anyone to be responsible for my kids except for me. )

The rooms were clean and comfortable and there is plenty to do. However, my low score comes for two reasons. First, I saw a staff member being rude to another guest with disabilities and complaining to me and others how frustrated they were with the person with a disability. Given that my son is disabled and was with me, I felt less accepted at this hotel and just could not excuse her behavior for any reason. Second, while the pool area offered some fun things to do, they were way understaffed in the way of lifeguards. The pool area was nothing more than a babysitter and place where kids could just trample all over each other and break every rule laid out for safety. I think if they had more staff on hand, the pool facilities could have been much better.

This is our 2nd time staying here. We go with friends just for fun and to get out of the city. They have redone it since we stayed there last time. They now have an arcade and Laser tag. The only thing is it was a little chilly in the water park last night and in the lobby and in the room it was a little to warm and took a little while to cool down. But this morning in the water park it was descent. The only thing I think is the water could be a little warmer.

I took a bachelorette party to the waterpark, and Emily and Tyler were both super helpful and kind with our group. They made sure we got the best package possible and we had a blast. Thanks guys!

The water park was fun but had no clean towels… And the breakfast was really lame. It had no choices for kids cereal or anything kids like for that matter… It consisted of cheese omlets, bacon was offered one day sausage the next, cinnamon rolls which were about the only kid friendly option, whole wheat English muffins, bagels, wheat bread only, for cereal there were 4 options special k, special k with berries, raisin Bran, and granola, yogurt, and bran or Poppy seed muffins and juice or coffee… Which is all good if your very health conscientious… No waffles or pancakes, no biscuits and gravy, no donuts, nothing for those of us who like a little flavor in our food The rooms were very nice and they had laser tag and an arcade both at additional cost… The water park was included.

Clean spacious rooms with a nice bathroom. Good water pressure and consistent heat. Friendly staff and a half decent continental breakfast.

Staff is helpful and responsive, helped us sign up for a club membership that allowed us to check out late. Nice breakfast with sausage and eggs. And all the trimmings. Wished we could have stayed another day.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. The waterpark is phenomenal. It has a perfect mix of attractions for our toddler, 4 year old, and us parents. The whole main area is a zero entry splash pad, perfect for the babes. You have the first water slide that was small enough for my 4 year old to go down by herself without a life jacket but still fun for adults. The room was clean and comfortable and we slept great. We're already planning when we can come back.

Helped chaperone for a birthday party and laser tag. The facility was clean and seemed fairly well maintained. Has an arcade with reasonably modern games. Laser tag was a blast! The boys (around 6-7 yr olds) had a great time also.

Nice water park with lifeguards and not too busy. Hotel showing some age and a little pricey. Really good breakfast.

I'm not the biggest fan of IHG hotels, usually I'll stay at a hilton. With that being said I've been very impressed with this hotel. The beds are rather comfortable and the rooms don't feel cramped. The breakfast was actually pretty decent. The staff has been very friendly and helpful and the indoor water park is a nice plus. Especially the 18&over hot tub.

The hotel was clean. The beds and breakfast were wonderful! Service was great. Everyone was friendly and helpful. The water park was awesome! We were only going to stay for one night but decided to stay for three. I would come back in a heartbeat. My family loved the hotel and the city.

Place was ok they shut down the pool for 2 hours for more chemicals in the pool should have check it at night or before 7 am bath tub drain thing got stuck they gave us a deal to fix it it u want a good place to stay worth the money go to the wilderness in the dells they kiss your ass big time well worth the money.

We booked the room last minute. They were very accommodating. Our daughter loved the water park. Breakfast was good.

I only met with a client in the front lobby/sitting area. It was a great place to have a meeting. Comfortable seating, coffee is offered to everyone, very clean environment and very friendly staff!

Comfortable, roomy, and fun amenity.

My stay was fine. Pretty standard. I was disappointed that the pool area was so loud, so I didn't even use it.

Went for pool. Was busy as usual but enjoyable and helpful staff.

Water park was loud. Front desk very nice and helpful. Lifeguards friendly.

Staying here two weeks due to home repairs… Staff is incredible… Breakfast buffet is always got and area is always clean… Adult only hot tub is VERY NICE! Thank you Holiday Inn express Baxter…

I stay here at least once or twice a month for business. Cean place and nice rooms. It can be noisy at times with kids and the water park inside the hotel but that is expected. I stay at a lot of hotels with my job and I would say the people that work the front desk aren't as friendly as most. They don't always smile or greet you. They don't seem to be guest focused. I would say as a whole that this hotel is just above average.

Great staff! The Waterpark is good and we have been here several times. We always feel welcome and the staff does just a spectacular job. The food is great and accommodations too. Great for families.