Had a great time staying at this hotel. When I checked in, the front desk was pleasant and efficient. My room was spacious and clean. It had a decent size mini refrigerator and a microwave. The bathroom was clean but the tub didn't drain the water fast so it built up when I was taking a shower. The water park was very cool, and came with staying the night. The water park area wasn't on, but the lazy River, activity pool, and 2 hot tubs were able to be used. In the morning I tried the gym and it was very small. But it had dumbbells and a bench so I was able to make it work. Plus a treadmill, bike, and elliptical machine. The breakfast in the morning was one of the best I've had at a chain. They had cinnamon rolls, a pancake machine, eggs, chicken sausage, biscuits & gravy, ripe apples and bananas, and many more. They also had little goody bags so you could take some things to go with you. When I checked out the front desk was pleasant. Overall a great stay! read more

Great What I was here for 2 nights for work and this spot was great. There was a gym though small, it had the basics. The breakfast also was good for what it was. Environment Off a major road. There are only a couple of floors. The breakfast area was fairly big Niceness of the staff No complains. I was able to get what I needed. Dollar Decently priced Yes I would stay here again yes read more

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We spent the evening at the water park for a birthday party. My family was ready to leave, so we decided to shower and get changed. Signs were being used to hold both locker room doors open, but there wasn't anyone there saying they were out of use! Because of this, we decided it was okay to use the locker rooms along with the other guests. ​My son and I went to the men's room and had no issues, but my wife and our 5-year-old were not so fortunate. Staff members came in and told them they needed to leave the locker room while they were already in the shower. They made my wife and daughter feel like they had no time to get dressed or even finish washing off the soap. ​They tried to finish, but another staff member started yelling at them, saying they needed to get out immediately. They felt obligated to leave the locker room wearing nothing but their towels. No one told them they could stay to get dressed; they were just told to get out. ​They had to go out into the swimming area and try to use the family area, but it was already occupied. A kind father offered to check the men's locker room--where my son and I were still getting ready--to see if they could finish there. That is when I found out they had kicked my wife and daughter out with nothing but towels on. ​I helped my wife and daughter finish getting dressed, then went to express my concerns about how they handled the situation. I asked to speak to a manager, but one of the staff members threatened to call the police and told me to get out immediately! read more

Was looking for a pet friendly hotel and a different place to go for my kiddos birthday and we wound up here. A lot of it had to do with the waterpark and the pet policy. Pet fee is fairly small compared to other hotels which is decent. $40 a night per pet which is reasonable compared to some of the $150 a night price tags I have seen out there. Booked a two Queen size room which was pretty decent. Nice bathroom and they have the dove brand pumps versus the small little bottles. Sheets and blankets could use a refresher and they seem a bit dingy. Also booked a Queen suite with a bunk bed room which my son loved. The queen looked more like a full size. Very small. Waterpark was okay. Very small lazy river, three slides, dump bucket, two hot tubs, lots of tables and chairs to sit at. Pool, basketball rim. Hotel has a game room and laser tag. Breakfast was meh, but it's complimentary so I'm not complaining. Yogurt, cereal, bagels, eggs, biscuits, gravy. Fruit Check in was easy and staff was lovely I didn't know Baxter was even that big, but they have all the box stores close by. Target, Costco, Home Depot, Walmart, Kohls etc. Restaurants also close by sit down and fast food. Tons of parking and greenery for the pups business. There is no restaurat attached. Based on the decription I thought there was an actual restaurant attached. The "bar and grill" is not a restaurant. It's a counter with chips and a few bottles of alcohol. Maybe 3 stools. The "grill" didn't see a grill at all. Maybe some chips hanging from a hook. Overall the stay was good. Would venture back. read more

Went here twice both times was a terrible experience. The pool rules are a joke they charge way too much for the service you get. Not very clean either. Go elsewhere holiday inn Baxter is awful. read more

It was a really nice hotel room, had dove bw, lotion, soap, and s&c, called once we realized we couldn't go to the water park on the Monday we were staying, asked to attempt and get in a few hours earlier than our schedule, man on the phone said yes. We then came in an hour and a half before our schedule, our room wasn't ready until thirty minutes after our scheduled time. We then did everything and woke up in the morning to find out that they were completely open on this Monday. Website said times may vary, but receptionist said they were not going to be open Monday. At the water park on Sunday it was extremely crowded (as expected), and there were a ton of kids in the adult hot tub. Very unenjoyable experience. I would recommend going somewhere else. read more

Such a great place for a family fun weekend. Waterpark is 10/10, breakfast 10/10, Arcade is pretty minimal but for the ages of our kids, it was great and we had fun. The rooms are clean and staff is friendly. "Secret" room has a fun treehouse for kids. Such a great experience! We will be back for sure. read more

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Not great. Shower was broken in room and much of the furniture showed wear with scratches and missing paint. Bloodstained pillowcase. Let's be honest, the main attraction is the water park which has really gone downhill. No towels the entire time we were there. One of the two adult slides was broken and an employee said it had been like that for some time. There were not enough tubes for customers. A lot of the spraying things for kids didn't work or were shut off. Things were missing like basketball hoops in the pool or the rope bridge. Presumably they were broken at some point and no one bothered to replace them. Short staffed like everywhere. Check in staff were super courteous and respectful. Waterpark staff was rude. Arcade was closed "for maintenance". Waterpark bar only could accept cash because of broken machine. All in all it is really showing its age and is bordering on rundown. Would think twice unless you got a heck of a deal. read more

Possibly the most disgusting hotel I have ever stayed at. The water park was closed, they only turn half of it on during the week. They did not tell us this. We went into the hot tub on day two and the entire area was soooooo gross. Old food on the ground. What looked like animal droppings next to the hot tub. The pools were black on the bottom. It was absolutely disgusting. Our first night we did not go to the room until after 10 pm. The next day my 19 year old daughter found blood stains all over her sheets and pillows. We complained and the sent housekeeping and added "well we can give you a new room if it's that inconvenient" The shower was covered in long black hairs. This was our favorite place to stay, now it's a nightmare. Clean your damn hotel. read more

What a disaster when checking in - and I've been here before. I'm Uranium Elite status so I was stunned to walk into an occupied room with my family, go back down and be told "we're full" and wait for an hour. Of course the kids were tweaking out anticipating the waterslides. Joslyn deserves sainthood by The Vatican. Joslyn juggled a blowing-up phone, a line of 8 check-ins, Joslyn trying to get us our room... What a great place this is. It was a huge letdown coming in but they way Joslyn saved the day really made me feel great and she didn't promise a penny of room discount - but said she'd check. Just a great front desk individual. I lodged this formal compliment against Joslyn with IHG too. Outstanding. P.S., in a salute to other less enthusiastic reviewers, yes, few waterpark towels and indeed the kids tear the place up. But thanks Joslyn. (GET TOWELS IN THE PARK!) read more

My family and I have been going to the Three Bears Waterpark in Baxter for around 10 years. Our recent visit was a little disappointing to say the least. Ownership has apparently decided profit over maintaining the facility. There are several water features that are not functioning properly, if at all. There are several noticeable rust stains sprinkled throughout the area. The wire framing of the rock feature around the adult hot tub is exposed in several spots where the stucco has broke away. Every single issue is a lack of routine maintenance over several years. It is a shame as this was the waterpark we all enjoyed the most. We will be going to one of the other two places in town for now. read more

We HAD been coming to this Holiday Inn every summer for the last 3 years but this year will probably be our last. This years stay it was pretty evident that something has either changed with how the hotel is operated because it has fell into great disrepair. Numerous things were dirty , broken and / or out of order . The water park had many of the problems. The main water slide was closed as it was apparently broken for weeks per the workers. The water park only had a few of the tubes needed to go down the large slide, when asked why they didn't have many tubes for people to use the workers said " we are out of tubes". I went to ask for the manager at the front desk and the front desk attendant said he "knew for a fact they have more tubes and he will get someone to bring more to the water park". But after two hours we knew we weren't going to get more. We ended up taking a few pictures of the disrepair. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND GO ELSEWHERE!!! read more

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Drove 2 hours with a van full of kids to use the water park. Website calendar said hours were 10am-10pm. We show up at 1pm. They inform us it's a typo and they open at 4pm. Completely didn't give a shit just said "ok". Was gonna wait cause the kids are disappointed but I don't want to give these douche bags any money. Learn how to run your website, it's 2018. Also learn how to have customer service and if you mess up don't be stand offish at your customer base. I wouldn't stay here. Attached a copy of their calendar. The date was November 21 read more

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Brainerd-Baxter - Hotels Near Me - Baxter, Minnesota

Excellent time, grandkids love the slides. Scrumptious food, enjoy pizzas. Laxer tag great fun.

Okay Holiday Inn Express has really made huge strides the last few years. This one was fine and the breakfast was excellent especially for the price - free. They could use bottled water in the Fitness Center as well as hand sanitizer but other than that I found this hotel to be extremely quiet and the staff nice. read more

Checked in on a 1pm Friday right before a nasty storm rolled through. The guest check in parking has alot of room but the entrance doors could be bigger. Parking won't be a problem here if you have a trailer. The staff was courteous and told me that my room was not ready and we could go enjoy the water park ahead of time and will contact us ASAP when the room was ready. Since I was a Platinum Elite member or room got pushed to the top of the priority list, awesome. The water park is nice. It had everything for all ages, kiddie area/cub tub, slides, lazy river, basketball/exercise pool, hot tub. I believe that all pools were temperature controlled which is a plus! Heated when needed and cooled when needed. There are life guards and pool aides at all pool side. The bar and grill is also poolside if you want to get a burger/fries and a cold one. An hour passes and our room was ready. Third floor, I say skip the elevator(really slow). The room was huge and comfortable enough for 2 adults, a teen and two younger children. The ac unit is one of the quietest I've heard and I travel alot! Newer big screen tv. The beds were comfortable, Holiday Inn never fails on their beds. Attractions that I've went to while visiting the area? B.I.R.(Brainerd International Raceway) right up the road from this hotel, great for watching the drags/road course. Northland Kart Kountry, fun and games(for all ages) for the kids. Also right up the road from this hotel, before pirates cove on the right side. You gotta eat at the Boulder Tap House right across the hotel, the food there is great and not over priced. Cheap beer/chicken wings/cheese curds/burgers/sandwiches yum! Lots of beautiful beaches and lakes in the area top visit. Love MN! read more

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Brainerd-Baxter - Menu page 2 for the bar and grill. Located in the pool area. - Hotels Near Me - Baxter, Minnesota

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The staff at the front desk were very nice and greeted us every time we walked by. The room was better than expected. The breakfast is your usual continental breakfast but there was plenty to choose from and lots of tables. The swimming area was very fun for the kids and the adults. There is a bar in the swim area which was very convenient. The down fall was there were never any towels. read more

No need to EVER come here unless you have a passel of kids who want to play in the waterpark. Rooms are clean, but showing signs of wear-and-tear. Thermostats do not work. Room was so hot that we had to run the AC. In February. In Minnesota. Walls so thin that I kept waking up in the night because the guy in the next room kept coughing. NO TOWELS in the Waterpark ( they were "out"), so everyone is dripping wet walking all over the hotel! People camped out in the breakfast area with their wet suits and shoes on the table. Hotel is seemingly run by teenagers, so no one is saying anything to the rude guests. Beds were comfortable and plenty of towels in the bathroom. Nice products in the bathroom. Like the Keurig in the room. read more

The rooms are nice and big. We got a double queen and in our room it had a couch that pulled out. Perfect for kids. Lots of towels and soaps. The breakfast was good lots of options and coffee creamers. The reason I gave this hotel two stars is because of the pool/water park. We came here on a Thursday to swim at the water park but we could not go on any of the slides. The only thing open was the main pool, the lazy river and the ADULT hot tub. The lazy river is pretty shallow so be careful on scraping your feet. Good for the little ones though. The adult hot tub had a timer of only 15 minutes so we had to keep getting up. We asked when the water park would be opened and we were told Friday at 4pm. We came here just for the night so we paid for the water park passes to not even go to the water park. When we booked this hotel the website said the water park was open on Thursdays. They told us we can come back on Friday and go to the water park but we would have to pay. We decided to go to the arcade and the only games that worked were the air hockey table, Skee-Ball, and guitar hero. All the other games were either out of order or glitched so much you could even play them. The laser tag wasn't open either. So keep this in mind if you go to the arcade. Don't waste your money any more than we have. read more

Although the hospitality of the staff is great, the guests who stay here on the weekends are horrible. Even after calling front desk numerous times about loud guests. Running up and down the corridors, opening and closing doors and making my walls shake from being rambunctious in rooms above and next to me. Weekends are not a place to stay and get a good night's sleep here. Made the mistake of booking a business trip at a water park hotel...won't be doing that again. Hotel is good but not great at holding sometimes drunk guests accountable. read more

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Brainerd-Baxter - Yummy lunch. Waffle fries and a big healthy salad. - Hotels Near Me - Baxter, Minnesota

What a clean and comfortable room. The front desk was wonderful and the kids loved the waterpark. The waterpark is deteriorating though. There was rust on everything, the waterfalls no longer work and 1/3 of the water features in the kids section had no water running to them. The jets to 1 hot tub was out. There was some rather large hair balls by the SLOW lazy river but the slides are AWESOME. We'd go back. But it would be nice if someone would reinvest into the waterpark. Oh the breakfast was pretty good. read more

Used my points so it was free and the waterpark was included. Staying here is like any other holiday inn express. They are okay not great. We were at the Waterpark for ~4 hours it was fun but I agree with other posts the lifeguards are barely paying attention. The kid running the slides look annoyed and half asleep he only assisted on the tube slide and people on the other slide went kind of on their own. You wouldn't ever see it like that in the Dells. Food at the water park was okay and overpriced like they all are. It seems they also sell day passes so don't expect it to be just for you. The room was neat and clean and the housekeeping was fabulous and very nice. It's definitely not like the Wilderness or a great wolf lodge but for a night to stop by while traveling elsewhere it was good. read more

WATERPARK!!!!!! Oh yes!!! During a trip up to Brainerd International Raceway, I decided to splurge and have the race crew stay here. We had 3 rooms for 4 days... do the math... we spent a lot of money here. Totally worth every penny. Everyone in our party was over 25. Once we walked thru the double doors into that chlorine filled, humid haze- we all turned into screaming 10 year olds. WEEEEEEEE! Grab a tube! Jump under that huge bucket thing about to dump 10,000 gallons of water! Three water slides!!!! Ye haww!!!! As competitive racers- we timed ourselves on the yellow slide, seeing who could go fastest. Even some of the actual kids joined in. FYI, covering yourself in popcorn oil from the snack bar does not make you go faster. When we got tired of all that, the over 18 hot tub big enough to do cannonballs in FTW. Then we grabbed some towels collected our wits and ordered a beer & some wings at the bar INSIDE the water park. Yes, Virginia there really is a Santa Claus. The beer wasn't free as the other reviewer mentioned, but it was only $3.50. Nice selection too, Red Hook ESB, Blue Moon, Liene Summer Shandy and of course macro brews all on tap. Lots of yummy fried stuff to order, cheese curds, wings as well as pizza. Back to the over 18 hot tub with said beer & snacks. It is a bit noisy with all the screaming kids running up and down the halls but that seems to settle down around 9pm when the park closes for the evening. All the hotel staff were incredible friendly, the rooms were huge & very nice, we will stay here again! read more

Checked in around midnight for a race event the next day at BIR. I parked my truck and trailer with my race car and dirt bike/pit bike in the lighted area of their parking lot in front of my window, woke up at 4 am to find my dirt bike had been stolen. Went to inform the front desk and got this reply "I'm sorry to hear that, we don't have any other security cameras besides this main lobby one" I travel for work and have always stayed at Hiltons which have always had multiple cameras outside in their parking lots. Holiday Inn isnt reimbursing me anything and still had to pay for my night there. Was also informed by their manager that they had other stuff stolen from customers' vehicles earlier in the week. read more

I was very satisfied with my stay. The staff were responsive, we had a fire emergency and they all handed it very very well. The room was clean, large, and well appointed. I am very satisfied and highly recommend the hotel. Plus it has a water park!!! I didn't get to enjoy that, but I wish I had! read more

Water park great for 2 to 22. Little kid part of the park had a big slide. Kids spent hours there and never got bored We could watch the kids almost anywhere in the park. Nice staff,nice breakfast. Not sure I would book for business especially later in the week. I suppose it is like when I stayed at Circus Circus in Reno and said "there are too many kids here ". Not really fair to complain about that. read more

Awesome hotel! We had so much fun as a family going down the slides on the ribs together then just floating in the lazy river. The water was very warm and the air was comfortable so I wasn't freezing when I would come out of the pool. My kids are having an absolute blast. The room is nice. We wanna stay another night so bad unfortunately we can't afford to but even though it is spend it is completely worth it. There is a little food and drink service in the pool area also which we didn't get to try. I will be coming back her with the family again. We are from Fargo so to me it is worth the drive that's how fun it was! Also the room was very nice. We stayed in a two queen standard. The front desk workers were great help and friendly! read more

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Brainerd-Baxter - Part of the lazy "river" after you come out of the slide's. - Hotels Near Me - Baxter, Minnesota

We had a very enjoyable experience here. The room was spacious and clean, the staff was very friendly and helpful, and housekeeping was attentive and timely. The water park was fun and included in the stay. They also have a game room and laser tag, plus a bar in the water park that has food as well. Coffee and hot/cold water is available in the lobby 24/7. The only downfall? The free breakfast. It wasn't great, but we were satisfied to have a toasted bagel or cinnamon roll (the bacon wasn't good, nor was the omelette), but we weren't looking for a free breakfast when we searched for hotels, so honestly it did not affect our stay here. All in all, we would definitely stay here again. read more

The waterpark and pet-friendly rooms were the primary appeal of this hotel for our trip to MN. It was a pretty typical hotel room; clean and quiet. The breakfast options were fair. The waterpark was a lot of fun for both kids and adults. In addition to the large water playground and waterslides, there was a pool area with basketball hoops, a lazy river with inner tubes, and two different hot tubs- a warmer one for adults only. Life jackets were provided, which I thought was a brilliant idea. Lifeguards on duty were helpful and kind as well. Other family members received reduced admission for the waterpark during our stay. With the high cost for a pet-friendly room over a weekend, in addition to high taxes and fees, it ended up being a very expensive stay, but I have no complaints about the hotel. read more

Came up to Minnesota for a little family getaway and found this hotel which has an indoor waterpark. We have two kids so this is ideal for running off energy and needless to say it worked. My daughter said this was the best hotel ever ;) the waterpark itself was surprisingly clean and not as worn down like most hotel waterparks. They had towels available everyday and the hours for the park were listed everywhere so you couldn't miss it. Adult happiness free parking and breakfast! The breakfast was pretty much the same everyday. Free coffee available all day too which I liked. They strategically placed the arcade room right next to the breakfast area... nice guys. My kid wanted to play in there everyday thank god he's only 2 so he thought he was playing. The rooms were clean and nice. Had all the basic stuff. Our room was very clean and they turned down our beds everyday. Overall the staff were friendly and informative. If we come back we would stay here again. No complaints really besides the pillows were too soft but I expect that from every hotel. There is only 1 elevator but it didn't kill us to wait. read more

Not a fan. Everyone talked this place up like it was completely amazing. The staff are rude. BESIDES the housekeepers, who were all very nice. The waterpark is ok and fun but the life guards barley pay attention and don't enforce any rules. I don't see how someone throwing their child from out of the pool into the pool which was packed full is safe at all. The tubes weren't full of air. Half of them barley stayed a float with people on them. The waterpark doors are basically open. My kids didn't wear their bands at all and no one got questioned. The arcade was an overpriced joke too. The food was way over priced as well. I would recommend going across the street to Arrowwood Lodge where it's cheaper and worth the money. read more

We really had a very pleasant experience here. If you are coming for the water park in the "off" season check the hours closely, some days they are not open and others they do not open until late afternoon. Water park bands were included in the price of the room as was breakfast which included pancakes, eggs, sausage, cereal, fruit, yogurt, bagels/bread, muffins etc. The water park has 2 bigger slides and one smaller one along with a play/climb area for younger kids. They do have a lazy river and a pool with balls etc. They have life jackets for use while you are there, plenty of tables. Some eats and drinks, not sure about quality/prices since we didn't eat there. Lifeguards were friendly, water was a comfortable temp. Sitting in there the chlorine didn't start bothering my eyes until 3-4 hours in. The room was clean and roomy. I was actually quite surprised at how nice they were. I didn't hear much noise from beside us or from the hall, but I'm not sure how many other people were there. They also have an arcade area where my husband entertained my little's while I made a run to a local store to stock up. We will return here. I think this is available to just come play without staying for a daily fee. Probably not super entertaining for older kids, but my kids (2 and 4) had a blast. read more

Nice water park area for kids 12 and under...... Most of the food here is typical hotel food gross, but there are some good restaurants close by. The main event here is the water park. Rooms are worn and don't feel clean, would only recommend this place for a day trip to use the park only. read more

Just okay. Stayed here a few years ago. It seemed better then. Maybe needs a good scrubbing. I imagine there's a lot of traffic with the waterpark being adjacent to the hotel. Otherwise a decent hotel. read more

When we got her we thought it was smaller than others and weren't sure it would be a great fit for our family. Surprisingly we ended up having a great time. It didn't seem as chaotic with the tweens and we didn't have to wait in any lines. The kids of all ages had a great time and even my hubby and I went on the slides and spent a little time in the hot tub together. Overall everyone had so much fun and would consider going back again. It was a super fun family day! read more

ITs a lodge with a waterpark, great rooms and nice people. Free beer in the waterpark for anyone who stays here.. breakfast, nothing to write about but its free. I wish they had HBO in fitness room, just missed half of true blood! read more

Pros: The water park is fun. Lots of stuff to do there for a hotel water park. Two slides, a playground/waterhouse thing, lazy river, a pool, and two hot tubs. Personally, I tripped and fell in the playground area and scraped my arm (no blood though) because of the slipperiness of the floor. Typical hotel, great deep fried pickles at the bar & grill in. Fun arcade. We were there for my sister's hockey tourney and they were very welcome to all of us. The exercise room was simple and they offered a free fitness center you can drive to across the street. Plenty of great restaurants along the highway parallel to the hotel (B-Dubs, Erbert and Gerberts, Subway, McDonalds, Arby's, etc.). I also really liked how there was a Keurig coffee maker in every room. Cons: My quilt on the pull-out couch had some food on it but I understand that they don't wash the quilts as often as the sheets, but still. I went down to the bar & grill for a single cup of ranch and it took 7 minutes! The only elevator in the building was ALWAYS crowded and it took a long time to arrive, so we were taking the stairs most of the time. The guy at laser tag was kinda rude and not very welcoming. The continental breakfast was DISGUSTING. Overall, it was enough to get by for a two night stay ;) read more

Im a local in Baxter and come here for the waterpark. its an amazing waterpark with a large variety of slides. they also have lasertag. CADEN IS ILLUMINATI read more

I wouldn't recommend going to the water park if you aren't going to stay at the hotel. Horrible customer service and misleading info!! I had called two weeks prior to planning a day trip. I told the man I didn't live in the area and was wondering availability for the water park he said if it was open there would be availability to go. He never mentioned about calling the day of and seeing if there was availability based on the hotel capacity. The mobile app didn't mention anything about calling the day of, it just said call for availability. (I guess when we got there they said it was on the website but not the mobile app)We get there right when they open after driving an hour and a half and they told it wasn't open to the public until 12. We wander around the area killing time. We come back two hours later and they told us it was closed to the public for the rest of the day. Once we asked to speak to a manager suddenly there is availability. When we get in the water park there is only 20-30 people in the whole area for the entire time we were there. I will not recommend anyone to go here and am very dissatisfied with the service and how rude the staff were!! read more

Family friendly, comfortable, flexible and friendly staff. Stayed here for a dance competition and will be back if we need a hotel in the area again. The kids loved the water park and we liked that breakfast was included. The large lobby gave us a nice place to gather each night. If you have small children or need to be able to go to bed early, just ask for a room away from the lobby. read more