Holiday Inn Express & Suites Cherokee/Casino

I joined the IHG rewards club last year and have stayed at a few Holiday Inn Expresses since. My wife and I had been up to Brushy Mountain Prison to take the tour and we decided to stay the night and head to Gatlinburg the next day and then on to Cherokee. I logged in to my IHG account and quickly reserved our room.

We arrived and were greeted with a very bright and clean motel. The desk clerk was nice and helpful. I was a little disappointed that the owners charge a $100 fee that's removed the next day at checkout. They call it an "incidental fee" but it sounds more like a security deposit. I guess they've had issues in the past but it upset me.

The clerk also gave me a bit of a hard time when I produced my military ID card instead of handing him my drivers license. I'm not sure why he specifically needed the DL but I didn't give it to him.

The place was clean and breakfast was good but the fee and the ID issue brings this down to 3 stars for me.

Pretty basic hotel for what they charge. $200+ for an ok place. We were in a non-smoking room, but the room had a little smoking stench. Towels were so thin. They should consider having a bar at night. Overall, just OK.

Friendly staff but we had several issues including a sticky entry door that required some force to open, a leaking p-trap under the sink, a dried blood spot on the comforter and the breakfast had no sausage at 09:00 when we arrived - breakfast ends at 09:30. This one just didn't seem that clean. I usually try to go to Holiday Inn because they are normally a pretty safe bet for being clean and acceptable but I was disappointed with this one.

We only stayed one night and it was overall a good experience. Staff is great and our room was nice. No complaint over here!

We stayed here because we were going to the casino and it's conveniently across the street! Good prices as well.

After receiving my room key I walked down the smoke stenches hall to my room. Later in the evening I went to the front desk and asked the hotel unhospitality clerk Brandon if he could make some photo copies for me. He said No, we don't do that. I said wow, I've never had anyone say no to me before for photo copies. He then said we don't have a copy machine. In the morning I was limping to the front desk because my hip was killing me after sleeping in a bed that I can best describe as a hammock. I approached Brandon and asked if they had a business center and he said no. I looked around their lobby and low and behold they had a small HP copier. It was out of paper, so I asked for some paper and to my surprise although reluctantly Brandon actually did something at this point to help me out. I inserted the paper to start making copies and it was out of ink. I never told him I was a Diamond member who lives in hotels practically and why should I. It was eye opening to see how he treats his guests.

We had a great time at this hotel! Staff was very friendly and accommodating and helpful. They are doing all that they can do with the restrictions of the Chinese virus. But awesome job

My family and I stayed for a few nights and my stay has been quite pleasant so far. The staff are extremely friendly and will accommodate within there best ability to ensure that you are comfortable.

I am one of those neat freaks and constantly cleaning and ANY TIME I requested new sheets, towels, etc I was provided with it without any issue. I don't like to inconvenience & upon request I would gladly go downstairs and retrieve but the women, "house exec." insisted on making the beds and bringing the items directly to me. She was so kind I wish I knew her name. The hotel seems to be under renovation so there are some features that will be upgraded sooner than later, I would suggest adding the amenity of a laundry room. No vending machines in the hotel, and cash is only accepted for the snacks available up front to purchase with receptionist.

There is however a laundry room 2 minutes away called "The Wash Pot" (NOT LISTED ONLINE, for w/e reason) near Tribal Pawn & Gun. BRIOS is amazing restaurant to eat at as well, located upstairs in Harrahs Casino- price(s) are moderate $$$ (3/5), dinner wait is insane so reserve ahead.

Reasonable price. Walking distance from Harrahs Casino. I'd recommend because I feel like cleanliness & customer service is important in Hotels! Enjoy your stay in Cherokee, NC.

For years my family and I have often chosen to stay at Holiday Inn Express locations for their clean rooms, convenient amenities and friendly staff. We are also Holiday Inn Vacation Club members, and never have issues with our stays. However today was a different story. The second night of our stay we were shocked when told by a rude and dismissive front desk attendant (who was watching tv on her phone, and did not greet us first) that we could not have additional towels for our room because there were only six left in the back and they are being saved for guests who haven't checked in yet. We were needless to say very confused, since towels for new guests are customarily already in the rooms upon check in? When we asked to speak with a manager we were told they were not present and there was no number to contact them, but they would be back in the morning.
On the ihg website it's stated '...we're enhancing the experience for you - our hotel guests - by redefining cleanliness and supporting well-being throughout your stay.' But I can't see how that's true if we are expected to share towels in the middle of a pandemic.

I'm giving 5 stars not because it is a 5 star resort, but we received the service and hospitality that will certainly bring us back when we visit Harrah's Casino in Cherokee. I can't think of one thing that would make me deduct a full star. The walk to the casino is no more than 5 minutes; it was freezing outside, and we were fine to cross the street. I didn't take pictures of our room, but I would have if I'd seen the older photos other reviewers have posted. We experienced a very clean room--including carpet and a nice tile floor that looks like hardwood. Well, my husband said it was a textured laminate, but we won't split hairs :). When we arrived we were greeted with no wait at all for check in and they gave us a room upgrade! The hotel smelled fresh (not like cigarette smoke), which I assume can be difficult to maintain even with non-smoking casino guests (since just walking through the casino can make clothes and hair smell like an ashtray). Check out time is 11, so even if you stay up late gambling, you can still get some sleep. We found clean beds, clean floors, easy check-in and check out makes it easy to give a great review. Also it's about 1/3 of the price of staying at the casino, so although it is not "cheap," it's much better than the price of the rooms across the street. Obviously we are not high-rollers who are comped rooms--they must save those for folks who have a much larger gambling budget than we do! Also the room had a nice little refrigerator, a microwave, and a Keurig coffee maker with several K-Cups (I also liked the small sink on the bar that housed the appliances). Oh, and I can't speak for the breakfast as we snooze through it, but we def appreciated the option to buy frozen pizzas and drinks in the mini-store beside the front desk.
Hope this helps & thanks for reading!!

We were in room 206. There was a musty odor if you turned off the air conditioning. When we turned on the TV the guide was stuck on Thursday at 3am. It was Friday. When I informed the front desk I was informed that it was a cable company issue. Was never fixed after telling 3 people. The next morning informed the front desk that the bathroom floor needed to be cleaned. They clean the floor bust didn't clean the tub. SMH. The bed was comfy but not worth what I paid. I will not return ever.