I was very disappointed in the customer "service" at this hotel. First off, I'll admit it was my mistake - I inadvertently made reservatons at two hotels for the same night. When I arrived at the Holiday Inn in Solvang it was quickly discovered that my reservation was for the night before - PREPAID - $354.00 for two rooms.

The real problem, however was the reaction from the front desk. All she could say, over and over again, was "I have no reservation" even after I explained what had happened and showed her my printed receipt. I asked for the manager, but got Chrissy - the "person in charge" - who repeated this yet again. Rooms were available but there was no offer to help - no discounted room for the night, no empathy whatsoever.

I called Holiday Inn's corporate line and they told me that any assistance is at the discretion of local management - there was nothing they could do. I will never stay at another Holiday Inn.

I was so disgusted I left town and stayed at another chain's hotel.

We stayed at this hotel while visiting the wine country. We just needed a place for the night. We checked in late and the staff was helpful and our rooms were waiting for us. We were given a room on the first floor facing the main road. We managed to fall asleep for about an hour only to be awakened by unruly guests and kids playing in the hallway. When it finally got quiet in the hallway, the road traffic got heavier and it was impossible to get back to a full night sleep. Hallway is in dire need of a new carpet. Rooms should have two full set of towels. Breakfast was the typical Holiday Inn Express Fare. Sorry but never again at this location or at least in any room 101 to 124.

I wasn't disappointed by the HIE Solvang, nor was I totally impressed. So in fairness a 3 out of 5 review.

The pluses. The breakfast meets the HIE standard. I appreciate having boiled eggs because the bagged scrambled eggs that are re-heated never really taste like scrambled eggs. So having real eggs in the form of boiled eggs is appreciated. The bathroom was clean. The room is ok. The hotel is not a motel but the rooms are conveniently accessed by multiple entrances in a quasi-motel like format. The internet connection was reasonably fast. Front desk staff and service was good. Staff are friendly.

The minuses. No fitness center. Most HIE's I stay at have fitness centers. It's hard enough being on the road without having the annoyance of staying at a hotel with no fitness centre. The room is ok, could use a bit of updated. The windows badly need upgrading to sound-proof windows. Road noise permeates into the hotel rooms making it difficult for light sleepers. I found myself wide awake in the early morning when road traffice resumed on the roadway. For a Motel 6, no problem with this level of noise. But for a HIE, inexcusable. In terms of prioritization for upgrades, I'd recommend the hotel upgrade the windows before upgrading the rooms. Soundproofing is needed to help mitigate the road noise. Minor nitpick and this is something I never comment on but it was apparent to me. The toilet paper was a rough one-ply toilet paper unbefitting the HIE brand. I had never noticed toilet paper before in hotels because typically it's soft. At HIE Solvang, the toilet paper was good to write on but not really good to use for it's intended purpose. It probably helps the hotel cut its costs in using this low-grade toilet paper, but at what cost in customer satisaction (dissatisfaction)?

The front desk clerk was very nice and the complementary breakfast was tasty but neither of those things would convince me to stay at this hotel again. Like many hotels in Solvang, it fronts on a relatively busy road so we paid a little extra for a room in the back with a view of the park. Should be tranquil, right? Instead this was the noisiest hotel I have ever stayed in. There was a constant rumble which can only be likened to sleeping on a plane & listening to the engines roar. I am one of those people who can sleep any where, any time, but this kept even me up. There is really no point in listing other pros & cons because if you can't sleep in a hotel, what is the point?