We wanted to get away for a weekend of shopping so we decided to book the Holiday Inn Express in Coralville, Iowa, Exit 220 right off Interstate 80. The motel was located behind the Coral Ridge Mall. We arrived an hour ahead of check-in time, but they had a room ready and let us check-in early. This was a perfect location to enjoy the mall, which featured Dillards, Sears, Yonkers and Target as anchor stores. There is a full-sized merry-go-round for the kids inside the mall, along with a large ice skating rink and a movie theatre complex. Twenty miles west on I80 is the Tanger Outlet Mall.

The strong point of this motel was that the staff members were very accommodating. They certainly believe in serving their customers. I give them an A+. Besides allowing the early check-in time, we had a situation where one of the other guests was talking very loudly late into the night and he was keeping us awake. Finally at 2 a.m. I called the front desk and within a couple of minutes the the man was quiet. We really appreciated the clerk taking care of that situation as soon as she was notified there was a problem. We were also given a 15% discount when we checked out the next morning. Customer satisfaction is a high priority at this HIE.

The motel itself was your typical Holiday Inn Express. Our room was sparkling clean and was very spacious. We do prefer a little firmer mattress, but the one we had was okay. There was also a microwave and refrigerator in the room. The elevator was a little slow in accommodating the five floors. And only one of the ice machines was working. The hot breakfast included sausage, biscuits, waffles, muffins, juice, coffee, toast, cereal, two kinds of eggs plus many other items. Sunday morning a train came through at 7:15 a.m. For some this could be a problem, but for us we were up by that time so it didn't bother us in the least.

Restaurants that were close by included Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Chili's and a steakhouse across the street. A Bennigan's and Panera were located in the mall.

I stayed here for one night recently. It was very clean and the beds were very comfortable. The only complaint I have is that the breakfast didn't start until 6:30 on Saturday mornings and 6 on weekdays. We had to leave early on a Saturday morning and did not get to enjoy a breakfast. Not sure why it starts a half hour later on a weekend. Also, the elevator was extremely slow. It also makes a very loud screeching noise that does not make a person feel very safe! The pool was nice though and it was nice there was a fridge and microwave in the room. Very nice location next to the mall and restaurants. Staff was friendly also.

I usually stay here on my business trips to Iowa City. It is a little nicer than your standard Holiday Inn Express. Very clean and updated. The rooms are spacious- and beds are comfortable. They have nice guest reception Tues- Wed & Thursday 5-7pm with free wine, beer and snacks. Breakfast is your standard for HDI. Within walking distance to restaurants and shopping mall. Seems to be in a nicer area of town. Staff and service is good.

I stayed 1 night at this property while back in Iowa visiting family. I found the staff to be very helpful and polite. The fitness center is kind of cramped, but the 2 treadmills and 1 elliptical machine is relatively new. The hotel also offers complimentary guess passes to Core Fitness in North LIberty, which is open 24 hours. The free guess passes is a really nice perk. The hotel is next to Olive Garden, Pancheros and other dining opportunities on the Coralville strip. I highly recommend this property.