We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on October 26, 2012. The staff at the front desk were outstanding. From our check-in to our check-out.

Breakfast was probably the best we have had in our travels. There was an attendent on duty and she was more than helpful.

Our concern was the room was tired. Not up to the standard of a Holiday Inn. We were only there for the night, so it was okay. If we had to spend any time in the room, we would have either complained or checked out, but we were there to visit friends and only slept in the room. The drapes looked like they had been through a tornado (unbelievable). Our view from our window was a garbage can at the back door (first floor). I have certainly seen cleaner, brighter sheets and towels at a least expensive hotel. There are many hotels, motels available on Marine Drive at a better rate. So I suggest you check them out before considering the HIE.

One nice touch was they gave us a loot bag, because we are Priority Club Members which consisted of bottled water and trail mix. We have stayed in some beautiful Priority Club Hotels/Motels and Jacksonville is not one of them.

Would we book the Holiday Inn Express again in Jacksonville. No!!!

We just stayed two nights at the Holiday Inn Express in Jacksonville NC, Oct 25th and 26th while visiting our Marine Son, I was extremely satisfied with this hotel, I'm VERY pickey with hotels! The room was very large and very clean, the beds were nice. The bathroom was nice however, small. They make up for that due to the size of the room! The breakfast was good, they had out eggs, biskets, bacon, danishes, cereal, fruit, oatmeal or you could make your own waffle. Coffee was good! The hotel always had free bottled water on the front desk for yours to take, they also had FREE bottled water in the small frig in the room. They put cookies out and had a basket of fruit to take at anytime. Very nice. You can walk to the Walmart and many other stores, "right next door". We enjoyed our stay, the girls at the front desk were very sweet.

I stayed at the Jacksonville Holiday Inn Express last weekend while visiting my middle son who is a Marine at Camp LeJeune. I booked three rooms, two kings, one doubles for our group.
The entire stay was wonderful. The rooms were completely clean and the staff really nice and helpful the entire weekend.
While there were a couple of very small things that showed that the hotel wasn't brandnew(a patched handrail in the shower and a tiny bit of paint the ceiling of the bathroom that was bubbled from steam), I really found nothing contrary at all. This isn't the RITZ and we aren't paying Ritz prices.....
My husband is staying there this weekend, so I'll post with his experience...
Honestly, it was really clean, not rundown at all and very nice.
Breakfast was ok also!

Dark, Dank, Drab, Worn, and Musty. One Star hotel disguised as a Holiday Inn Express which apparently was recently "patched". Lipstick on a pig if you ask me. My wife agreed that the hotel was very disappointing.