Highway 64, PO Box 3245, Tusayan, Arizona, United States | (888) 989-6591
Near the entrance to Grand Canyon National Park Visitors
Center
Within walking distance to restaurants, shops, and town attractions
Clean and spacious with coffeemakers and flat screen TVs
Suites have microwaves, mini-fridges, and separate living
rooms
Kids’ suites feature bunk beds and Xbox consoles
Heated indoor pool and whirlpools
Free hot breakfast and free coffee/tea in the lobby all day
Small fitness center with cardio machines
Free on-site parking
Free Wi-Fi
Pricey rates for a value hotel
Slow and spotty Wi-Fi
Parking lot reaches capacity at times
Breakfast area gets crowded at peak times
Breakfast is the only meal served on-site
32 rooms are located in an annex building
The lower-middle-range Holiday Inn & Suites Grand Canyon
offers the most convenient location to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon short
of actually staying inside the park. As such, it’s geared toward families and
other tourists visiting the park who don’t mind paying for the proximity. Its rooms are clean and spacious with southwestern decor that’s
nice but not memorable. Standard rooms include coffeemakers, and suites add living
rooms, microwaves, and mini-fridges. Free hot breakfast and heated indoor pool
and whirlpools are welcome amenities, but Wi-Fi is very spotty and no other meals are served on-site. Rates are
pricey but competitive with the limited choices in Tusayan. An alternative is
the mid-range Best Western Premier Grand Canyon Squire Inn that offers three restaurants, a sports bar, bowling alley, and outdoor pool.
Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.
Scene
Busy tourist hotel filled with families and adventure-seekers visiting the Grand Canyon
Families, hiking fanatics, and other tourists keep this hotel busy, drawn by its excellent location, just a few minutes' drive from the world-famous
Grand Canyon. Photos of the spectacular canyon
line the lobby walls, and brown tile floors and rustic wood furniture also help
create a southwestern feel. The wood front desk has rose-colored marble that
resembles canyon colors. Brown and gray upholstered sofas and armchairs provide comfortable sitting areas. This area can get crowded at peak registration times
and during breakfast hours in the adjacent dining room, which has clusters of
tables and high-back wood stools along a bar area. Seating can get scarce at
the busiest times. The indoor pool and whirlpools get popular in the afternoon as guests return from exploring the canyon. And the indoor pool
plays into the southwestern theme, with a large mural of the Grand
Canyon.
Location
In Tusayan, just outside the entrance to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park
Other than staying inside the park, it doesn’t get more
convenient for visiting Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim than staying in the small town of Tusayan, where this Holiday Inn Express is located. It’s about five minutes’
drive to the park entrance, and 13 minutes to the Visitors Center. (The
National Park Service operates a free shuttle to the Visitors Center from
spring through fall.) Several restaurants, shops, and gas stations are in
Tusayan, with the closest being only a few minutes’ walk. A McDonald’s is a
six-minute walk away, and the Grand Canyon Tours Company office is four minutes on
foot. The National Geographic Grand Canyon IMAX Theater is an eight-minute
walk, and the Grand Canyon National Airport Park and Grand Canyon Campers
Village are both about five minutes away by car.
Rooms
Clean and spacious, with coffeemakers, flat screen TVs, and free Wi-Fi
Guest rooms at the Holiday Inn Express Grand Canyon have a rustic, southwestern theme that's pleasing, if not terribly memorable. Framed photos or art prints of the Grand Canyon and other
southwestern scenes decorate the walls. Brownish-red tile floors in the
hallways and bathrooms resemble some of the rock colors in the canyons nearby.
In the suite we saw, beige walls are paired with chocolate-brown accent walls and drapes. Bedrooms have multicolored carpet in an undulating pattern.
Matching reddish-brown wood furniture includes desks,
nightstands, headboards, and dressers. Bedding is bright white, and brown upholstered armchairs and sofas provide seating. Standard rooms have
coffeemakers and flat screen TVs, and come in King, Double, and Two Queen
options. Free Wi-Fi is included in room rates, but it’s slow and spotty. The 35 suites add enough space for separate living rooms with second
TVs, as well as small sinks, microwaves, and mini-fridges. Kids’ Suites have
bunk beds and Xbox consoles. The bathroom we saw has a
spacious wood/quartz-top vanity inside, but some rooms have vanities outside
the bathrooms. SImple bathrooms have shower/tub combos. The rooms are
generally quiet, but some room-to-room noise can be heard. Be aware that 32 rooms are located in an annex building across the street.
Features
Free hot breakfast, free parking, indoor heated pool and whirlpools, free Wi-Fi
The amenities at this Holiday Inn Express reflect its tourist clientele and the Holiday Inn brand. The free
hot breakfast includes eggs, and coffee/tea is available in the lobby
throughout the day. The indoor heated pool is in a nice enclosure with a
natural wood ceiling and a large mural of a Grand Canyon scene on one wall.
Indoor whirlpools are located in each of the hotel's two buildings. The small fitness
center includes a couple of cardio machines. Guest computers are located in the
lobby but like the free Wi-Fi, Internet connections are very slow. Free parking
is available on the hotel’s surface lot, but guests report that it reaches capacity at times. The National Park service operates a free shuttle to the
park’s visitors center from spring through fall that stops at the hotel. Free newspapers
are available in the lobby, and the front desk has a safe deposit box for guest
use. No pets other than service animals are available at this nonsmoking hotel.
