We have stayed at this hotel at least twice a year for the past 3 or 4 years and have always enjoyed it, however, last year we noticed a decline in the quality of care, and this year it was even worse. The hotel smelled musty when we walked in the front door and that musty smell was in the upstairs hallways. We stayed in Room 4033 which was very quiet. There was a refrigerator standing by inself by the window and a microwave perched on top of it. Very strange. The first morning we discovered we were missing coffee cups and the third morning we didn't have any coffee. Each evening when we returned to the room, the thermostat was turned down to 50 and the fan left on running full blast. Usually the temperature in the room at that point was about 60, which I consider to be extremely unnecessary and wasteful, not to mention COLD! We ended up turning the air off, but found it back on each time we returned to the room. They must have quite an electric bill if the cleaning crews do this in every room.

One night we returned around 9:30PM and expected the back door to be locked with access with the room key. It wasn't locked and we walked right in.

The hotel is located in an area of downtown that is a little questionable, but still seems to be okay. Lots of little restaurants are within a short drive, Starbucks is close and PF Chang's is about 2 blocks away. We found it to be very convenient but next time we're in Sacramento, we'll stay somewhere else.

Internet access is terrible. We ended up using our Sprint card instead of what the hotel made available.

To their credit, the breakfast was good and, of course, free. They had eggs, bacon (on weekends) sausage, toast, yogurt, muffins, bananas, coffee, juice and cinnamon rolls.

My husband always jokes that as a Holiday Inn starts to go downhill, the next time you see it Ramada will own it. I think this one is owned or managed by the Clarion which is next door. All room service comes from next door.

Got the room for $60 (tax included) for a Saturday night stay from from Orbitz. Overall, I am very happy with the hotel. Here are the benefits and drawbacks from our stay at the Holiday Inn Express

Benefits:
* Friendly staff - they were helpful with our questions and very courteous
* Room was large, clean, and comfy
* Got a good night's sleep on the king size bed. The bed was really nice.
* Great location. Walking distance to the capitol and to the bars and club scene. But far enough away so the club/crowd noise can't be heard from the hotel. We walked all the way to Old Town area of Sacramento.
* Fantastic breakfasts. This is one of the bigger selling points of this place. Hotels at this price point usually don't offer a lot for breakfast. This place was surprisingly different. It had a nice breakfast including eggs (scrabled & hard boiled), bacon, fluffy biscuits, gravy, warm cinnamon rolls, a large selection of bread including different types of bagels for toast, cereals, oatmeal (instant), juices, Activa yogurt, milk, coffee, several juices. They had a wide variety of condiments for the meal as well, jams, honey, peanut butter, ketchup, salsa, and cream cheese. The dining area was bright, clean, and comfortable.
* There was a nice environmental slant to the breakfast dining ware. The disposable paper plates were made of post-consumer recycled paper, The juice cups were made of corn products and 100% compostable, and the silverware was make from potatoes (taterware.com) which were also 100% compostable.
* The free WiFi internet works. (I'm using it now to write the review.)

Drawbacks:
* The front lobby and hallways are a bit worn down and musty smelling. (Thankfully our room did not have the musty smell.)
* Our room was toward the back of the hotel, next to the AC unit for the building. So you can hear the AC and a bit of street traffic.

I really enjoyed my stay. I feel like for the downtown Sacramento area, I got a fantastic deal for the price that I paid. I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking for a room in the this price range.

I have stayed there about 15 times for business since January because my company chose it. Excellent breakfast (6:30 - 9:00) but if you have an early flight, no deal. Some rooms have refrig and microwave, but even as Priority Club member, they could not promise me one. Halls upstairs smell moldy and damp, but rooms are fresh smelling. Air conditioners in various rooms are EXTREMELY LOUD and have only one fan and temperature setting. Make sure you get a room facing away from H street and 16th street - traffic noise is loud. No restaurant in the hotel. There is one across the alley at the Clarion House but it is really bad. Swimming pool is at the Clarion, outside and not heated. PF Changs (2 blocks away on J and 16th is great!). "Workout room" has two treadmills and one bike and one bowflex. "Business center" is one computer and printer inside the entrance to the hotel. Beds are outstandingly comfortable. Even though I've stayed there a number of times, the staff (whom I recognize) still don't recognize me. Parking is free.

I stayed here twice, most recently for a week in June 2009. Overall, the hotel is as economical and comfortable as any other Holiday Inn. The location is great, within walking distance of decent bars/restaurants in Sacramento. My only complaint is that the air conditioner is waaaaaay too loud in my room, to the point where I always turned it off when I was there.