Stay Report: Holiday Inn Express Warsaw - Mokotów (Warsaw, Poland - June 2022)

 Stay Report: Holiday Inn Express Warsaw - Mokotow
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I was traveling to Warsaw and was looking for a place to stay.  There are many options either within the city, near the airport, or somewhere in between.  I was only there for a short period and was flying in and out so decided to stay near the airport and that is when the Holiday Inn Express Warsaw Mokotow came into my search.  Even though I am an IHG member, I am hesitant to stay at Holiday Inn Express hotels, especially in the U.S., because some of them are good but others are really disgusting.  I did some research and found that this hotel was relatively new so given that I decided to go ahead and book it.  

It was very easy to book the hotel through the IHG website or app and easy to manage through the both.  The hotel is located about 10 minutes from the airport by car or also a 10 minute train ride plus 10 minute walk - the walk from the hotel to the train does involve some steps and is somewhat lengthy so would not recommend it for those with lots of luggage.  The hotel is located in the Mokotow region which is a suburb of Warsaw.  The main entrance is on a side street while on the back there is a tram stop directly in front of the hotel (backside).  One or two stops away from the hotel is a big mall with lots of services and shops - the city center is about a 30-45min tram ride from the hotel.  If you take the train or the tram, you enter the hotel through the back parking lot and have to walk around the hotel to the main entrance which is the only entrance - my suggestion is that the hotel create an entrance to the back that guests can access with their key card.

As you walk up to the main entrance there are many seating areas outside - this was very nice in the 

Spring/Summer months when its really nice to sit outside and enjoy the weather.  As you enter into the lobby, there are some seating area to right and straight ahead is the check-in desks.  Further into the right is the kitchen and more seating area.  This is also where breakfast is available in the morning (more on that below).  Check-in was easy, received my key, and proceeded to the elevators on the left to head to my room.  

As you entered into the room, the first thing you noticed is how large the room is.  As you enter, on the right is the bathroom which contains a sink, a shower, a toilet, and a towel warmer.  There were no individual bathroom toiletries but rather refillable bottles - one by the sink and one in the shower; they both smelled really nice and of high quality.  The bathroom was standard and was a decent size.  As you move further into the room, also on right hand side was a narrow open closet - given the size of the room not sure why the closet was so small.  Next to the closet was an open area with the coffee maker on top, safe and fridge down below; again great amenities but given the size of the room not sure why it was narrow.  Further into the room, on the right side was a desk and a chair next to the wall - this would be a great working space and there were additional plugs and USB ports to make working in this area easier.  The table/desk was not connected to the wall so it could be moved and that was helpful as you could move it closer to the bed since there was some distance between these two areas.  

The bed was also on the right side of the room with one side really close to the window - there were mini nightstands on each side of the table and above each nightstand were plugs and USB ports.  Next to the bed was a large window which let in light during the day but also were blackout curtains which were helpful since the sunrise was very early in the morning.  Across from the bed was the TV mounted on the wall and underneath was a ledge which contained complimentary water - with gas and without - as well as a bottle opener and other items to enjoy your time there.  The ledge was a smart idea as it provided more space to store items.  The bed itself was nice and comfortable and a large size for Europe. 

Amenities at the hotel included complimentary wifi, connected parking facility, complimentary breakfast, and access to transportation.  As I mentioned earlier, right behind the hotel was the tram stop and a 10-15 minute walk was the train stop to the airport.  Wifi was complimentary and relatively fast and the complimentary breakfast was decent - it was medium size but generally had a good selection with something for everyone's appetite.  Overall, it was a nice stay at the Holiday Inn Express.  I was not sure what to expect since HI Express can vary but this was clean, modern, had great facilities, and overall provided a good nights' rest.