Holiday Inn Express Calexico

Just have to give a quick shout out to Patrick. He provided excellent customer service and went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of. We were very impressed! Thanks Patrick!

Service was great at the beginning… then at night, I found about 6 small beetles or water nettles, and the service became very mediocre. The 4 start review that has this hotel, it didn’t kept the standards in this my first here.

First time back in a few years. As before, very friendly and courteous staff. Price was ok (good value, not great). Room was clean, although worn. May be due for a renovation in the near future. Will definitely stay here when we visit family. Btw: stayed previously at the nearby John Jay Inn. Bad experience and just the opposite of my review for Best Western.

I stayed at this hotel this weekend and just had to share the great experience I had! Staff is very friendly and helpful! Rooms are clean and beds are comfortable! I will stay and recommend to anyone who is looking where to stay in this area!

I must travel to the Imperial Vally from San Diego to work for a week at a time (M-​F), once or twice a month in the winter months. I have stayed at this Holiday Inn Express several times in the last 3 years. My employer is able to get a corporate rate. So, my review is not based completely on cost.
As Joseph S. said in his review on 10−4−08, the hotel IS conveniently located right off Highway 111 on the north side of Calexico. The hotel is 3 stories with about 28 rooms per floor with about 8 rooms per floor set aside as smoking rooms. An Applebee’s Restaurant is a few steps away just across the parking lot. The Calexico 10 theater is right next door to the south (excellent prices!). A good size shopping center with a Super Walmart as the anchor store is a healthy walk to the other side of Highway 111. Also located nearby, are Wells Fargo, a credit union, Dollar Tree discount store, a sit down Mexican restaurant, a Family Buffet, and a Denny’s down the street on the corner.
The rooms are fairly basic with wi-​fi internet available, new flat screen color tv w/​remote, a small fridge, and small microwave. The beds are pretty comfortable and the linens simple and plain. They provide 4 pillows with covers listed as soft or firm. Each room is comfortable for 2 or 3 people. A King or two Queen beds are available as well as smoking/​nonsmoking rooms. An extra roll away is $ 10.
This last visit, I was not able to get a completely smoke free room (something big going on in Brawley & El Centro I was told). The front desk told me that it has been used as a smoking room when they’ve run short of designated «smoking only» rooms. I’m a nonsmoker and could tell that smoking had been allowed in my room-​especially at the end of my work day when the a.c./heater had been off all day. It had a noticeable stale odor for a while until I got the air moving around with the Ac’s fan. In some rooms, the a.c./heater fan was noticeable each time the unit came on, but not to the point where I had to turn up the volume on the radio or TV. The a/​c works excellent, cooling down the whole area in just minutes.
The rooms are insulated well against noise and weather conditions outside. The times that I have stayed at this location (I’ve stayed on all three floors), I have rarely heard any noise from other rooms or the hall way or noise from outside traffic. I don’t know if I’ve just been lucky or not been around during those possible times. I have not stayed at this location on a Friday-​Sunday.
There is a small work out room on the 1^st floor, and vending and ice machines machines on each floor (3) near the elevator. The halls are not too lengthy to get to the elevator or vending machines.
I would rate the free breakfast a 3 of 5 stars. They change the items around daily. One day it’ll be cheese omelets & ham, or scrambled eggs and biscuits with sausage gravy, or french toast & maple syrup, sausage patties, pastries, iced cinnamon rolls, and 3 kinds of dry cereal, Milk (2 or 1 percent), orange, grapefruit, or cranberry juice are available as well as 3 kinds of coffee (avail. ²⁴⁄₇).
A hotel provided computer is also available ²⁴⁄₇ in the lobby area next to the front desk. A large flat screen television is also located in the dinning/​lounge area if you get cooped up in your room and need some space.
A pool and a whirlpool hot tub are located to the back of the front parking lot. I have made use of this a few times, as weather permitted. However, my stay in mid January 2011, I found them both with dead leaves and dirt debris floating around and on the bottom.(It gets windy and dusty in the area during the winter months). The pool area is comfortable and protected by a push button code lock for obvious reasons. I was somewhat difficult to open due to having to push 2 buttons at the same time. A room door card swipe lock would be more convenient.
Overall, I would stay here again-​even outside of work. The front desk and various other staff members have always been very friendly, well informed, knowledgeable and eager to make my stay comfortable and pleasant.
DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED…
UPDATE: Nov. 17, 2011
I’ve stayed a few more times since the last posting. Still getting great service. The staff have greeted me each day with «Welcome back» and are willing to carry on a friendly conversation ask how your day went. Departing to my room they always inquire or ask me not to hesitate to let them know if they can do anything or get something for me.
Thanks, Salvador, Anna, and the rest of the staff at Holiday Inn Express-​Calexico. Great job!

I’m torn. It’s a Holiday Inn folks, not the Ritz Carlton! They do a good job at what they are but do I give them 5 stars? I do volunteer work in Mexicali and stay in Calexico from time to time. Otherwise, I’d have no reason in hell to come to this god forsaken corner of the earth. Usually we stay in a roach motel called Holies but they are remodelling and we are looking for options. I had previously stayed in the Marriott, Farifield Inn in El Centro which is a bit nicer but decided to stay a bit closer to the border this time.
Holiday Inn Express in Calexico is on the main drag about three miles from the US border with Mexico. The structure looks fairly new from the outside. The place is clean but basic. The rooms are kind of cheap looking but clean and the beds are comfortable. The air conditioning works well-​essential in «Hell Centro».
They have a pool and jacuzzi though heaven knows why anyone would want to use the jacuzzi in a place that is typically 80 – 120 degrees. The room rate includes free internet and a quasi continental breakfast. I say quasi because they offer the typical continental stuff but also scrambled or hard boiled eggs and bacon.
They took good care of me but next time I’ll either stay with the rest of the group at the luxurious Lucerna Hotel in Mexicali or back at the Marriott Fairfield in El Centro.