We stayed at this hotel 6 nights and paid $88/night prepaid rate. We arrived in the evening and if I would have had my way, we would have checked out that same night. After we had unpacked and put our children to bed, we realized that the refrigerator was not working properly (and it was full of newly purchased groceries). So, rather than just bring us a different fridge, they made us move rooms (mind you, it's 1 a.m.). NOT a fun thing to do with sleepy kids and ALL of our stuff.

Also, in both rooms there was finish work that was not done. The bathroom vanity has a door that opens -- inside each vanity, there were nails and sawdust all over. Quite a hazard if you have small children that like to explore. There was also some ceiling plaster loose in the first room (right above the head of one bed). In addition, there are no fans in the bathrooms and the fire detector/water sprinkler thing in the ceiling of the bathroom had a very rough cut hole in the ceiling plaster -- obviously done as an afterthought, and not installed in a professional-looking manner.

Things did get better. We had a bumpy start, but really, after you return from a long day in the parks, what you really want is a comfortable bed. HIExpress does have this. They are VERY comfortable. Also, great window coverage for those of us that like a dark room. We did get good sleep.

The breakfast is very good as well. Our kids LOVED the pool. I bit small, but there were rarely more than a handful of people in the pool anyway. They really enjoyed the slide.

This particular HIExpress does not hold up to the standards that most HIExpress hotels -- at least not the ones that we have stayed in previously. But, comparing it to hotels in the Orlando area, it is a very good value and does have the most important components. Great location, comfy beds, good breakfast, great price AND a microwave and fridge (just make sure it works before you unpack!).

In writing this I am hoping that the management will read this and do the work needed. Would love to read reviews for stays after April 2007.

In respect to the bug problem -- we did not see any, but there was a rope on the playground area (next to the pool) that they had sprayed for insects that day.

My traveler rating would really be a 3.5 stars out of 5. Definitely room for improvement -- things that could and should be done without a huge amount of time and $$ investment.

I stayed here on business for 4 nights and paid $114 a night directly through the Holiday Inn webite.
The hotel is located about 1/2 a mile from I-4 and is very convenient to the parks and convention center. I was at a convention at the Coronado Springs Resort and it took me maybe 10 minutes to get there ech morning.
I believe the hotel underwent a recent rennovation, but I saw very few signs of it. Of course I was only in my room and the lobby, so take that into consideration.
The room has a small fridge, microwave, coffee maker, etc, but the TV is only a 20" model, which is kind of small.
The beds are good. They're the really tall ones with lots of pillows, so get a ladder if you're short.
The only real complain I could find with the hotel was that the AC blows directly on the bed, and of course the internet connection.
The internet connection issue is almost universal in all hotels, as it's wireless, and no mattr if you're at the Doubletree or the Ramada, it either doesn't work, or is slow, or both. I called the tech support here on the first night and they were supposed to call me back, but didn't. It just seemed like at peak times they are probably having a bandwidth issue (too many people using it and not enough pipeline to the internet), so mine would just stop working at peak usage times.
Other than those two things, I found no faults with the hotel. I never got a chance to try out the breakfast or the pool, so I can't help you there.
The rooms are appointed well, and there were no stains in the carpet.
One thing I will say to *ALL* hotel chains is PUT MORE ELECTRICAL OUTLETS IN THE ROOM WHERE PEOPLE CAN UE THEM! I always have to end up plugging in the iron in some weird place, and unplugging something else to hook up my computer.

Anywho, this is a good place to stay in Orlando, and I'm sure you'll have a fine time.

I stayed at this hotel last year, as well, and gave it 5 stars then, but I'm giving it 4 this year, because I think it's a little expensive. To compare:

Rates for May 2007:
Holiday Inn Express on Palm Parkway - $99/night
Disney's All-Star Resorts with their great bus service but no free breakfast and no waterslide - $72/night
Hawthorn Suites at the Convention Center with no waterslide and not close to as much but great otherwise, with a better breakfast and walking distance to SeaWorld - $69/night
Comfort Inn next door a little run down with no waterslide and free breakfast not as nice - $55/night

This Holiday Inn Express is nicer than all the hotels listed above, but not necessarily 1/3 nicer, especially the Hawthorn.

Everything else about it is great:
The location is superb, right off the Interstate adjacent to the entrance to Downtown Disney.
The breakfast is great with eggs, bacon, biscuits, etc.
The pool is the nicest you will find for a hotel under $130, with a waterslide.
The hotel is generally quiet and not overly busy.
The rooms are large, but the bathrooms are small.
The exercise room is pretty standard, with just treadmills.

You can't go wrong to choose this hotel, but the rates will make me think twice.

For the money, the Holiday Inn Express located quite near the Downtown Disney hotels on "Hotel Plaza Drive" is a great deal. Not only do you get:
**Included parking
**Included breakfast with hot items
**Free Internet
**No resort fees
**and a great location
You also get what amounts to a really nice place to stay, in an excellent location moments from the WDW resorts!

I do have a few complaints which kept me from giving this place a higher rating. First off, there are some "flawed" things I noticed in the room that indicate maintenance problems. There was a good deal of peeling wallpaper in the bathroom with signs of mold underneath. Neither my wife nor I are allergic, but I imagine this could cause troubles for someone who is. Also, we notice that the ceiling in the bedroom was cracked and a few pieces of plaster fell while we were there. It was more of an oddity than a nuisance, but still, it begged the question of why there hadn't been maintenance.

The bathroom was unusually small as well. This is silly because the "foyer" of the hotel room was quite huge, and if better designed there was no reason for a small bathroom in this space.

On the second night at the hotel my wife encountered a 3-4" Palmetto Bug (Florida Roach) in the bathroom. I thought @ first she was exaggerating it's size, but it was somewhat horrific. I trapped it and threw it off the balcony, but I must admit I had fears of there being more where that came from!!

All in all though, if you ignore the few bad elements (and I'm being intentionally critical) it was a great deal. I would prob. stay there again if other places were booked up, but I'm not sure it is worth the #15 rating it gets on this site.