More about Holiday Inn Portland By The Bay
Hotel, Motel, Holiday Inn!
by TripAdvisor Member awfulcat
Stayed one night in early July. It's a pretty typical Holiday Inn with a bar/restuarant. The staff was nice, but clueless. First, they didn't give me any keys when I checked in. I didn't realize until I'd gotten to my room and went to open the door. Whoops. Next, there was no parking left in their lot. They offered to valet it, which is great, but when I went to retrieve it the next day, it literally took about 15 minutes because they lost my receipt.
Beds are good, bathrooms are a little on the tired side and one thing about Maine is that the water doesn't rinse off easily. There were plenty of linens and the room was quiet and had a good view. It was a good walk to the Old Port, but not too far. Becky's Diner is right down the hill and is a must for locals and tourists alike. I'd stay here again, but mostly because the other hotels in downtown Portland are ridiculously expensive.
Good Value
by TripAdvisor Member cityofsin
We had a nice stay at the Holiday Inn. It was a little further from the Old Port Area than I would have wished for however it was certainly within walking distance. It's uphill on the way back but if you are physically fit that shouldn't be a problem. Considering the hotels within Old Port (Hilton Garden, Regency, Portland Harbor) and their $$$$ rates, it was worth the $137nt rate. Also, already said, the parking is very tight & not many spaces. We managed to get a decent spot and just left the car there. It is an especially tight fit next to the columns. The hotel was clean and the room was comfortable. We did not try the restaurant, bar or pool.
If you are attending anything at the Cumberland Civic Center, the Holiday Inn is right across the street. Also very nearby is the Portland Museum of Art.
Nice, but....
by TripAdvisor Member tbrooksjr
The hotel is nice as Holiday Inns go. We were lucky in that we arrived early and able to get a parking space. Something about all Holiday Inns - they smell musty in the hallways. Room was very nice and large. Starting to get a little worn though and probably could use a re-model. Hotel is close to the dock area with lots of shops and restaurants. Becky's Diner is down the hill and was great to walk to on Sunday morning for breakfast. All in all, not bad. Just needs to be updated.
Excellent Hotel
by TripAdvisor Member prospectivetraveler
This hotel was an excellent deal for the price. We were provided with a gift bag when we arrived filled with coupons for coffee, and other goodies, cookies and water. The rooms are clean and roomy with huge picture windows that (if you are on the harbor side) have a fabulous view of the Bay. They were also furnished with everything you could possibly want in the room - ice bucket, hair dryer, coffee maker, etc. The hotel has an indoor pool, a washer and dryer on the 11th floor and provides complimentary free coffee, lemonaid, fruit and cookies in the lobby. The hotel also provided complimentary parking and a free shuttle to the airport and train station. It was a relatively short walk to the harbor area and there were restaurants and coffee houses nearby as well. Although there are other hotels that are located more directly in the downtown harbor area - all of them were more than twice the price. Given the view, accommodations, service and extras, I would return to this hotel again.
Excellent value, good location, very nice
by TripAdvisor Member musicma
We had a great stay at this hotel. A bit of a walk to old port but across from a fantastic children's museum. The indoor pool is excellent and never crowded. Free shuttle service took us to the wharf where we hopped on a Casco Bay cruise. Kids eat free for breakfast lunch and dinner. Room was very clean and spacious. View of the bay was beautiful!
Great!
by TripAdvisor Member MonikaM
My boyfriend and I stayed at the Holiday Inn at the Bay for two nights in late August. The location was perfect, not a far walk at all! There were pubs, restaurants, and shops right around the block; the art museum directly behind the hotel. I was expecting a longer walk into downtown but it was suprisingly short. The indoor pool was perfect, nice and big and we had the whole pool to ourselves during our stay. The view from our room - a Bay View King Standard - was stunning. The hotel bar was really quiet but they offered free appetizer and veggy tray as we had our cocktails. All in all a very good experience in a great city.
Attractive room, but couldn't get it cleaned.
by TripAdvisor Member kathyapp
We had booked the last Bayview room available several weeks in advance. Our arriving flight was several hours late due to remnants of Hurricane Ernesto along the East Coast. The hotel airport shuttle ceases at 1:00 am. I phoned from the airport at our 2 am arrival and the very friendly desk clerk on duty said "no problem - take a cab, bring in the driver upon arrival and we'll take care of it". I have to say that the evening desk clerk was top notch, and quickly checked us in, knowing that all we wanted to do was pour into bed. The efficiency of this night clerk was the most pleasant part of our stay.
Before retiring we did put out the "Privacy Please" sign. Not wanting to waste the entire next day we set the alarm for 10:00 am, and vacated the room at 11:00 am, removing the "Privacy Please" sign before we left. Upon our return to the room at 4:00 pm we walked into a room that hadn't been touched by the cleaning staff.
I phoned the front desk to ask if there had been a problem or delay in cleaning the room. The desk clerk was quite defensive from the beginning of our conversation and said she'd check into it. 30 minutes passed, and we were anxious to get ready for evening dinner out, but we couldn't because the housecleaning staff had not yet showed up. I walked down to the lobby and asked the status. The woman at the desk was very defensive, and I really felt I was being treated more like a complainer and not a customer they respected. They were still waiting to get a response from housekeeping as to why the room didn't get cleaned and could they clean it, but at the same time told me the day staff had already gone home for the day.
After another 30 minutes (1 hour from first report) had passed I had my husband phone the front desk to ask status. Finally, about 5 minutes after his inquiry the night housekeeper showed up. She was friendly and thorough, and while she was cleaning the room made comments about having problems with the day housekeepers. She was also thoroughly disgusted that the day housekeepers had not noticed the bathtub draining really slow - she removed a large hairball.
When I departed I did mention to the front desk personnel that I paid way too much for a premium room, to have to beg and wait for housekeeping service.
The location is a distance from the Old Port, but a great walk for those who like the exercise. Be aware that the return walk includes up a hill or two. We found that the better restaurants were also a walk, or car ride in the evening. There are no convenience stores, donut shops, supermarkets, within close proximity to this hotel.
Not bad - just don't mind the 80s decor
by TripAdvisor Member BarnetBlackDog
We spent a Friday night here in mid Sept 2006.
Orientation was easy based on the directions from the hotel website - full marks for that.
The hotel is easy to find and it's not pretty - a pretty ugly 1970s style apartment block but it seems to loom from every direction so you can always find your way home.
To my mind quite handy for downtown (15 minute walk) and much less expensive than the downtown hotels.
Parking looked like it could be a hassle but we were lucky enough to get a spot.
Check-in was easy enough but looked like it could take a while if it was busy. Lounge area was dated but full of handy features like the shop and water fountains.
Didn't use the pool so can't comment on that - breakfast was cheap for a hotel ($8) and looked popular - dinner had a few takers as well but we preferred to head into town.
Rooms are spacious, clean and comfortable if you can live with the dated decor.
Staff were friendly and responsive.
