Not bad at all -- got room for $41 a night on priceline.com. The room I stayed in up on the 10th floor was completely renovated and new. The entire hotel was going under a renovation; most of the front desk staff were wearing construction orange shirts and decorative hard hats to celebrate the construction/remodeling of this 40+ year old hotel. Free parking was nice -- easy to find - just of I-80.

The only areas which are not renovated are the 'smoking floors' -- which are in the process of being renovated. If you're a smoker, these rooms will probably give you a picture representation of what your lungs look like. The only downside to the hotel is the location; a good 15 minute walk to downtown while passing through some sketchy parts of town. On the bright side -- the hotel has a free shuttle that takes you anywhere; including downtown (3 minute drive) or the airport.

A nice pool area; playing 80's music -- always a plus. The pool itself is in great shape; despite having an eight foot deep end (most hotels nowadays don't put in a deep end to avoid liability issues).

If you're a gamble-holic that wants to be located in the heart of town, I suggest going with one of the resort hotels in the downtown area. Otherwise, if you want to save some money (and gambling loses), the Holiday Inn Reno is a good bet.

Based on many of the reviews I was very apprehensive about this hotel when I found out that's what I'd gotten with my Hotwire purchase. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Not that there were not issues but let me start with the positives. The people at the hotel were very friendly from the check in desk to the manager. The rooms were clean if a bit worn & that made me very happy. We arrived on a Thursday afternoon and were made to feel welcome right away. Our rooms were on the 9th floor and were away from the elevators which was nice. The front desk gave us "fun pack" coupons for the tiny casino attached to the hotel & also drink tickets for the manager reception in the Hotel Lobby bar from 5 - 7. The Casino is nothing to write home about and it was very smoky. The fun pack consists of a free beer and free cocktail token and a couple of coupons to be used on table bets. The beer was bud, bud light or bud select. Not great but it was free. The manager’s reception was in the non-smoking lobby bar which was not smoky at all as some have alluded to in other reviews. The food was actually quite good. It was usual appetizer fare, two types of chicken wings, fruit, cheese, veggies and dip. Two free drink coupons. House wine and beer (again not the best but it's free so can't complain). The manager came over while we were there and was really quite friendly asking us how we were and if things were okay. But here's the best thing I found, a free shuttle that dropped you off at Circus Circus downtown and picked you up. The shuttle hours were listed as ending at 9:30 pm but we found that they would pick us up as late as Midnight! Very friendly drivers giving us free bottled water and letting us know to call them rather than taking a taxi and if we did take a taxi to not pay more than $6.

Okay now for the negatives: This is NOT a 3 star hotel as Hotwire listed. I'd only give it 2.5 stars. While the rooms were clean & the lobby was as well the Hallways were very dark and dingy. The hotel could use an overhaul. The pool is located in such a way that you access it from the 2nd floor and walk down two flights to get outside. It was quite odd. Also the aforementioned casino is small and occupied by an odd assortment of locals. I never felt very comfortable there.

Overall though it was a fine place to stay especially at the $43 per night I got on hotwire. We stayed 3 nights Thurs - Sun.

We just returned from a trip to Reno for the National Bowling tournament. Friends of ours had points to use for a free stay at Holiday Inn, so that's where we booked too... Then I read the reviews and was admittedly a bit nervous about staying there.

The hotel is indeed in a more industrial area of downtown - not really walking distance from the strip, but you do get a nice view of it from the rooms on the west side of the hotel. The rooms were actually better than I expected - the carpet in our room was clean, as were the bedsheets and towels. There was a small sofa in the room, a coffee table and desk. The bathroom was very small, yet clean as well.

I only saw two downfalls personally. First, even though the lobby of the hotel has "no smoking" signs everywhere, the smoke from the attached casino pervaded and was the first thing I noticed when we walked in. Second, the temperature in the room was very hard to control - like many hotels, there is only a window heating/air-conditioning unit and it seemed to either be too warm or too cold. Not necessarily the fault of the hotel, but something else to note: we were on an upper floor and it was very windy one night. The wind created a moderately loud howling noise that almost made it sound like highway traffic right outside our window... Our friends were awakened by it as well.

We didn't visit the hotel restaurant, but another friend said it wasn't very impressive.

The casino is small and seems to service more locals than hotel guests. Nothing fancy, but if you're not looking for the glitz and glam, it'll do.

Overall, the stay was pleasant, although I would likely book elsewhere if we go to Reno again.

This hotel should really be a 2 star hotel and should not be advertised as a prime downtown location in Reno. It is on the outskirts of downtown and is not within walking distance of the more well known hotels like Circus Circus, Atlantis or El Dorado. Instead, I found myself passing the usual downtown exit on the 80. When I arrived at the Holiday Inn, I found that it was located right next to a Days Inn and Motel 6 - not in downtown as advertised. The casino was pretty dead for a Friday night so I went upstairs to my room. Upon exiting the elevator, I noticed the mint green hotel room doors that looked like it was from a bad movie from the 70s. The room was not much better. The carpet was old and stained and the bed was uncomfortable. I felt like I was sleeping on a bedspring without the mattress. The floor of the bathub wats black and stained and the rest of the bathroom was smaller than expected. In the morning as we were leaving the hotel, we noticed drunk people loitering in the parking lot. The hotel is in desperate need of a renovation and relocation for me to stay here ever again.