Close Cumberland Gap close and plenty place to close by

We stayed at this hotel June 23 - 25, 2012. Overall i was very impressed with every aspect. The rooms were clean. The staff was super helpful and friendly. The included breakfast exceeded my expectations. I figured it would be donuts and bagels, but it was more. The first morning we were there they served pre-made cheese omelets and sausage. The next morning was scrambled eggs and bacon. It seems like they have various pastries, pancakes, toast, juice, coffee every morning. I was traveling with my handicapped grandmother. there was enough room for her in her wheelchair in the room. As someone else stated, this is a dry town, which limits the choices for a good place to eat. A Cracker Barrel is right down the road which just opened very recently. That apparently is the place to eat in the town. It was very busy. There are typically fast food places around. Walmart is right across the street from this hotel.

One thing to note about this hotel is that a fridge is not standard in the room. You can request one. I just asked the front desk and they brought one to my room.

We stayed here this past Thursday (June 14, 2010) for one night. After reading some of the reviews I tried to make a reservation at the Sleep Inn next door...but they were booked. We hesitantly booked a room at this Holiday Inn Express. We arrived close to midnight and we were holding our breaths when we opened the door not exactly knowing what to expect.....Well, first off we felt very safe in the parking lot and it was midnight. The room was immaculate. Cleaner than any other Holiday Inn Express I have stayed in and cleaner than most Hampton Inn's and Fairfiields...which is my preference for overnight stays on the road. Yes the tv was not a flat screen...but it worked great and had many cable channels. The bathroom was spotless and had great water pressure in the shower. The beds were doubles not queens and were not feather top beds, but still standard...nothing great or nothing bad...but again clean. Breakfast was included, but only until 9:30 a.m. We had cell service in our room...but we did not try to use their wifi so I'm not sure about how fast their internet is.
We did not hear any road traffic in our room (although it is located on main road thru town). Their are plenty of stores, restaurants (even a Cracker Barrel across the street), and gas stations within walking distance. It was the perfect location for accessing Cumberland Gap National Park.
As far as the person who complained about waiting on hold....when I came in the girl was in the middle of a phone reservation...she put them on hold to check me in....I think the protocal might be to handle people in person before phone because as I was leaving she apologizing to the person on the line for their wait and I guess you always have the option of using the 1-800 number for reservations instead of calling hotel itself (which I understand, because I prefer to deal with actual hotel not general reservation line).
We would have no problem staying there again...you can't beat it for $89 a night. All the staff that we came across from front desk to house keeping was very friendly and helpful when we asked them about excursions we had planned during the day.

We stayed in this Holiday Inn Express in May 2012 and were very favortably impressed with the upgraded mini-suite, which was very large and nicely appointed. We missed not having a microwave and refrigerator in the room, but we were told they were available. The hotel location is very convenient when visiting Cumberland Gap National Historic Park and other southwest Virginia or East Kentucky areas. It's also very close to Lincoln Memorial University, and the Lincoln Museum (definitely worth a visit!). The hotel staff is extremely helpful and friendly, and they seem to work very hard to keep the place in good shape and to assist their guests. The renovations have not yet been completed, and we were told new furniture and furnishings were on the way....