After an epic day in which I woke up in Canada, got evacuated from a forest fire in Waterton Lakes National Park, visited Many Glacier, the “Going-to-the-Sun” Road, and Two Medicine, it was finally time to hit the hay on the western side of Glacier National Park.
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kalispell:
The Location:
I originally chose the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kalispell due to its proximity to the West Entrance of Glacier National Park. Other than the [more expensive] town of Whitefish, it’s about as close as you can get to Glacier National Park with a hotel you can redeem with points.
Kalispell is located about 35 miles from Glacier National Park, and it will take you about an hour to drive to the park entrance. Kalispell is also very close to the amazing Flathead Lake area, just to the south.
The IHG Redemption:
As with the other IHG properties I’ve stayed at during this road trip (The Hinton Holiday Inn Express & Suites, and the Holiday Inn Canmore), the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kalispell was another extremely popular accommodation for this time of year.
Nevertheless, I found another sweet spot in the IHG Rewards Club. I was able to redeem a room $215 room here for 25,000 points. Not bad.
The Check-In:
Check-In here was smooth, they welcomed me, recognized my IHG status, informed me of an upgrade and free breakfast. Most importantly, they told me that there was fresh warm chocolate-chip cookies in the lobby.
The Front Desk
The lobby
The Hotel Room:
Television and desk
Fridge, microwave, and Keurig machine
The Coffee Station:
The Bathroom:
Bath and Body Works toiletries
The Breakfast Bar:
Coffee Station
Breakfast buffet
Nearby Dinner Option:
After checking-in at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kalispell, I noticed there was an adjacent mini-mall within walking distance that looked like it had some restaurant options that were still open.
I went for the pizza-joint sports-bar called Mackenzie River. This spot was open late, crowded with locals, and had hot pizza and dark craft beers. That pretty much checked everything off the list. It was a fitting end to a crazy-action packed day.
Mackenzie River Pizza
The Bottom Line On Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kalispell:
This hotel was seemed to be pretty new and it was kept noticeably very clean. The staff was friendly and professional and the rooms were very comfortable. There was also great value in the points redemption.
All-in-all it was above standard for a Holiday Inn Express property. What really makes this property great is its location between Glacier National Park, The Glacier National Park Airport, and Flathead Lake.
Highly Recommended!
Cheers!
