Holiday Inn Express Exeter East by IHG

I had a very pleasant stay at the Holiday Inn Express Exeter. The hotel was clean, comfortable, and well organised, and the staff were friendly and welcoming throughout my visit.

As an IHG Silver Elite member, I particularly appreciated the professional service and smooth check-in experience. The room was clean and quiet, the bed was comfortable, and the breakfast was well organised with a good selection available.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable stay, and I would happily stay here again on future visits to Exeter. Thank you to the team for the warm welcome and excellent service.

We had to make a last-minute change after arriving at our original destination (the other Holiday Inn Express) and discovering the car park cost £36. I’d seen it in the email beforehand but genuinely thought it was a typo for £3.60! On top of that, the area was crowded with students and there was a overwhelming smell of cannabis, so we quickly decided to leave.

Thankfully, we were able to get a refund without any hassle and rebook at Holiday Inn Express East. From the moment we arrived, the experience was much better. We were warmly welcomed by Mateo, who was lovely and helpful.

The room was clean, modern, and perfectly comfortable for our 14-hour stay, with decent quality (Dove) toiletries provided. Breakfast was basic but great — a good selection of hot and cold options, and nice touches like takeaway cups.

The staff throughout were friendly, parking was reasonably priced (less than a fiver) and the overall feel of the hotel was clean and well-maintained. Does the sister hotel really does charge £36 for parking!?

The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is that the mattress dipped in the middle and wasn’t the most comfortable.

Overall, a very positive stay.

Our 1st (12-16/02/2026) (of 3 planned) 2026 visits.
We were very efficiently checked-in by Mya & Joby (who recognised us, which is a nice touch, thank you). Staff retention appears to be very good, which shows the management are doing a good job.
The car park is shared with the nearby Miller & Carter restaurant & was overflowing most nights (as it was the Valentines weekend), leading to long waits for a space.
There have been room USB AC power point improvements, which is great. The rooms are clean & well maintained. Luka changed a faulty bathroom bulb quickly & cleaned up afterwards, thank you.
Again at Breakfast the Hotel manager Alex M led by example by ensuring the hot plate was replenished & tables were cleared & reset for new use. We have noticed that either Alex M or Matteo (the assistant manger) are present over the weekend, which the staff present do appreciate their leadership.
Whilst the lunch/dinner menu is limited as it is a Holiday Inn Express, the food is delivered quickly & piping hot.
We enjoyed our stay & do appreciate the warm welcome from the staff & management. Thank you all for making our stay with you, so pleasant.
We have already booked our 2nd & 3rd stays for 2026

I am a regular guest at HEI express as it comfortable and extremely well situated for car and bus routes.
I was greeted with a warm friendly smile and my loyalty acknowledged. The room was clean and comfortable as usual.
Unfortunately the small point was a tiny glass shard in the bed - the bed was freshly made ! Baffling
I checked for more but found nothing thankfully, I mention this in case there are past or future occurrences.
That aside it was the usual good stay

Not to bad stay apart from the bar prices £17.80 for two drinks taking the pizz a bit and CARD ONLY dont think the member of staff knows what he is doing unless he took a pint for himself without telling us about it .....

Stayed here many many times and never had an issue other than the one lift scenario which can take a little while in busier times.

Parking used to be £6 overnight with the code they give you however last time I went a week or so ago it was £3 overnight so assume they have lowered their prices.

Food in the hotel is good, staff are polite.

Enjoying our retirement so can get about. We booked the hotel using IHG points, we need to use up. The trip to Exeter was to explore old memories and look at a wood flooring manufacturer to inspect samples. We achieved all these things in November, walking and great fun we had.

Hotel, modern, breakfast included, busy I would say and reasonable selection. Staff very friendly and you pay for parking.

I am staying here for business for 3 nights. A colleague booked for me and when I read a couple of reviews I was apprehensive but needn’t have been! Staff are the friendliest I’ve met in a long time, rooms whilst basic are well appointed and very comfortable.
Breakfast is great and caters for everyone.
Evening menu is small but perfectly adequate and hotel happy for deliveries to the hotel from outside caterers. Oh and it’s dog friendly but doesn’t smell like it is. As a lone female travelling frequently for work I totally recommend - check it out for yourself

I am so disappointed to write a rubbish review, but honestly, it needed a total refit and overhaul. It was dark and dingy, tired and dirty, well past it's sell by date. I don't know if it's just this hotel, but it is not what I've come to expect from IHG and is a very poor reflection of the Holiday Inn brand. The glass, mugs, and teaspoons hadn't been washed, there were crumbs on the floor, makeup marks on the bed, and it was so dark I couldn't read my book. There were pubic hairs on the shower, a stain on the floor, a stain on the sink, and something dribbled down the side of the door. The ancient air conditioning/heating sounded like a Chinook helicopter, so I switched it off, but it made some awful noises trying to settle itself! There was a really cold draught coming from the window, so I slept with my socks and a hat on. It was very noisy inside the hotel. The bed and pillows were rather lumpy.
Either the housekeeper hadn't been shown how to clean properly, or the supervisor didn't check the work.
The whole place needs a complete overhaul and revamp. I paid £60 through booking.com but had I booked direct it would have been £83. It was worse than one of the £29 rooms another hotel chain used to offer. I didn't bother to complain,as there was already a long queue doing the same.
Very disappointed in Holiday Inn, and I probably won't renew my IHG rewards membership either.

This IHG, Holiday Inn Express, Exeter East is a well situated hotel.
The staff led by Alex Marsden, hotel manager who leads by example. He is there at the breakfast sitting, where he not only clears tables but also personally refills the hot plates. An example followed by his deputy, Matteo Frezza & all the other morning staff. A new method of identifying an in use table, appears to work well, an improvement, well done. A suggestion; a wall mounted clock above the breakfast timings would be good.
Check-in was smooth & very efficient by Matt (who recognised us). Joby, Nikki. Myra & Ben were also most pleasant & efficient in their duties. All the staff made us feel welcomed & the majority recognised us. The fact that the staff are the same (good retention), points to very good leadership by the management.
The food from the kitchen was hot & tasted good, thank you. Even though the menu is limited as it is a Holiday Inn Express.
Our hotel room was well maintained & clean. Only one USB charging point isn't enough there should be one either side of the double bed.
A Freeview channel is missing; 231 BBC News, within the TV in room 258.
The bathroom door hinges need oil as at present it makes a very loud noise when opening/closing.
Overall, another very pleasant 3rd stay in 2025.
Thank you all the staff.
We will be back again in 2026 (more than likely 3 separate stays again over the year).

We only stayed one night to break up a long journey home so opted for a cheaper place to stay. Our expectations were far exceeded, the room was warm and comfortable, we had a good night's sleep, a great shower followed by a nice breakfast. The staff were all polite and happy to help. All in all a great stop over at a very good price that we will use again.

Parking is difficult as car park full of vans.
Lift was very jolting and we thought it was going to breakdown.
Check in was extremely slow. Only one person doing it so awkward couple in front of us caused a long queue. We had a 15 minute wait and assistance was not called for.
Noise could be heard in adjoining rooms and could hear everything they were saying.
But worst of all was the bed quality. Lumpy, bumpy, roll together, mattress protector put on incorrectly. My wife has had a bad back since our stay because of the mattress.
These things were mentioned but do not know who to.

First class service by reception staff.
We had a very early flight and hotel happy to arrange a 4am breakfast.
Always use this hotel for early flights from Exeter airport.
Highly recommended

Outstanding Service by the young Men that served us. Their customer service was excellent.
Breakfast excellent.
The only reason I gave it a 4/5 was because the Manager ( a lady ), I overheard her " telling her staff off "
Not professional at all in front of the general public.

Dark and dingy in general. The room reeked of damp and it was very old and tired. The bathroom floor flooded during the night - wet feet in the morning. Perfectly sorted out by Harriett, we left after the first night and we were fully reimbursed

The whole room was smelly as we came in, seemed coming from the shower drain? so i had to put soap and run hot water then open our window even at night to dissipate the smell.
Food's ok (bfast) and there's variety to choose from.
Staff are nice.

Too noisy…!
Breakfast has a lot of room for improvement!

Really comfortable room with pull out sofa. Clean and quiet. Breakfast was spot on

Close to motorway and well located. Staff were great parking is a bit pricy but it’s the same with most chain hotels

All fine for a short stay, inclusive breakfast was welcomed.