Just want to say, I am an overall fan of Holiday Inn Express. I find them to be overwhelmingly…read moreclean, affordable, and uncluttered, with friendly service. I also enjoy their amenities: free parking, WiFi and breakfast. I'm glad to report HIE in Durham was no different. I found a deal on Hotwire- you play a guessing game using their stats and amenities- and I'm pretty good at this game- and you find out what you've just bought after the purchase. This hotel had all the amenities mentioned above. Even the to go breakfast (due to COVID) had a decent selection: coffee/tea, hot/cold cereals, almond and regular milk, bananas, muffins Chobani yogurt and granola bars. The room was clean, recently renovated, with friendly service plentiful parking and working WiFi. A 15 minute drive to Portsmouth and a little longer to Kittery, Maine. It was a fun jumping off point to explore the Portsmouth area and take a drive to Southern Maine.

The rooms were clean, well managed and very looked after. Housekeeping were professional and very…read morethoughtful. They took care of every and I was very satisfied with the overall experience.

It only took us four years to decide and give it a try. Our daughter goes to UNH and we usually…read morestay at a chain hotel located in Portsmouth or Dover. We were happy we gave it a try. It's a beautiful old building with lots of history, character, and charm. Definitely romantic! The grounds were well maintained and picturesque. We booked our one night reservation on line and checked in with no issues. Our room was located in the second building and the room was bigger than we expected. Lots of character in the room. Old wooden beams on the ceiling, wood floors, etc. Everything worked to perfection and the bed was very comfortable. Our stay was during a heat wave and the air conditioning worked very well. We weren't able to grab a meal because the tavern was closed for a wedding party. We were a bit disappointed with the continental breakfast served to our room in the morning. It consisted on plastic bottles of orange juice, oranges, yogurt, granola, plastic wrapped muffins, and a package of wrapped hard boiled eggs. No coffee or tea. Our room had a Keurig with only two Keurig cups. It would have been great if the Inn had served a hot breakfast in the restaurant but most likely due to Covid, it wasn't possible. On the other hand, it would have been nice to have the Inn partner with a local bakery and serve a basket of fresh muffins, bagels, croissants, hot coffee, etc. The price of the Inn for the night was very reasonable and there was plenty of parking in their private lot. Staff was friendly. Location was very close to downtown Durham, UNH, and a few miles from downtown Newmarket. I certainly understand why this place would be great for a wedding. We already booked a stay for a night on our next visit in mid-August.

We've been coming to Durham for 2 years and never stayed here before. Well, we are pretty sad…read morebecause this place is the perfect mix of friendly and beautiful New Hampshire charm. From the timber framing to the renovated bathrooms and bedrooms, it's amazing. We also had dinner and cocktails here. The food is wonderful and the staff is excellent. I hate leaving such a great review because it means getting a reservation will get harder!

A family gathering held in Dover, New Hampshire in October 2026 led me to return to Ascend…read moreCollection Hotels - The Garrison Hotel - a well-established location, one I had visited before during visits with family members who live in Dover. I enjoyed this stay, like the others. This time was a bit different, however, as the staff had decorated the grounds, the front desk, hallways, even the elevator, for Halloween. The decorations were very cool - especially the mummy in the elevator and the little girl holding candles and waiting for people to pass her by in the hallway near the elevator. As always, breakfast was included and well stocked. There is also a mini mart at the front desk where guests can purchase microwavable meals for use in their rooms. Note however that the hotel does not offer any form of alcohol, so stock up before you arrive. The rooms too were well equipped: mine had a two-burner electric stovetop with a range hood, a sink, a mini-fridge, and a microwave. The bathroom was spacious and safe, with a shower that included a well-positioned grab bar. The hotel still depended on single-use plastics for shampoo and conditioner, and on small bars of single-use soap, so there's room for improvement in the environmental department. Every staff member I interacted with treated me with kindness, respect, and courtesy. Amanda at the front desk was alert, helpful, and made check-in and check-out easy, with no problems during my two-day stay. I return regularly to The Garrison whenever I visit Dover. The hotel is located about a seven-minute drive from the C&J Bus stations, which offers express trips to Boston's South Station (served by Amtrak), Logan Airport in Boston, and New York City. I've found the 90-minute bus trip to be an inexpensive way to get to the hotel from Logan, using Uber or Lyft for the short trip from the bus station to the hotel. I'll be back and will keep in mind the festive feeling I felt when visiting during the Halloween season.

Stayed here for a wedding block recently and it was such a great location! They have a large common…read morespace (with a nice breakfast as well!) in the morning that we were able to spend time in the night before the wedding. The pool is a nice size for a smaller hotel

Booked this hotel through a third party which lists it as 4 star. This hotel has 4 star photo…read moreaesthetics but the amenities of an Airbnb with an out of town owner. Check in was a little wonky as no one is present at the "hotel" everything is done through text. The room is a little dingy. Bathroom fan is LOUD and gross. Rug under bed is dirty. The shower had a ton of hair from previous users. These guys are really cheap and don't let you have access to AC and should really turn it down because the place is lowkey musty. When my husband texted about the shower cleanliness they told us we could shower is another room. Like what?? It's not worth staying here. EDIT: Editing my review to 3 stars because they gave us a partial refund which indicates good customer service to me.

Honestly, I am confused by the low ratings from others…read more We too had a *minor* issue getting into our room (the electronic code shared with us via email was not working, and with no onsite staff it was *a little* annoying trying to get someone to help us remotely, but phone. So, it took as extra 10-15 mins. No biggy. Beyond that though, the room was clean and comfortable and the price was right. We'd stay here again on a future visit to Portsmouth.

I come to this hotel few times a year for business. Room smell fresh and clean. Comfortable clean…read morebed. Bathroom bright and clean. Last two times I stayed the bathroom vent made some loud noise at night. This time I stay the bathroom vent is quiet. I will give it 5 stars review if my next stay with a quiet bathroom vent ;) I recommend this hotel.

This 15 year old hotel is very often used and overdue for rehab: showers have cracks and black and…read morered colors inside cracks that look like water intrusion aka mold. Showers here in need of rehab. All bathrooms and kitchens need to be updated every 10-15 years to avoid mold. Avoid this hotel if allergies. Avoid 15 year olhotels if allergies. Hope this helps others to avoid illness. The Hilton in Dover a pet-welcome hotel so they spray for pets!

I loved this hotel! So much character and fun energy! Very unique inside. Make sure you walk around…read moreand check out all the fun nooks and crannies. If you have watched the Apple TV show Widow's Bay, you'll find this place looks exactly like the hotel in it. Free parking lot included in the back, and a wonderful European breakfast included too.

Stopped here for one night on a trip to New England. The hotel staff were friendly and the place…read morehad a cute, kitschy Americana vibe to it. I didn't eat the breakfast (which looked bountiful) but I did have the coffee and it was awful. I had to find a cafe in the area to get some real coffee. The AC unit in our room was incredibly loud, so we had to sleep without it on and were warm and stuffy. The room itself was large, had a comfortable king size bed, and was clean (although I would rip the carpet out in a second if I were in charge.) Okay for an quick stop with some room for improvement!

For context, my last 40+ google reviews have all been 5 stars because I genuinely look for the good…read morein places. I travel 150 days a year and love boutique hotels. That is why I was so surprised and disappointed by my stay at Hotel Thaxter in Portsmouth. The room was shockingly small, smaller than many I have stayed in in NYC/ Manhattan. The bed was extremely hard and uncomfortable. The curtain was broken, so light poured in early in the morning. It was also very loud. We could clearly hear street noise, guests talking, and stomping from above. Housekeeping was especially concerning. When we returned, the bed looked as though it had been left halfway through being made, unfinished and careless. Towels were not refreshed, and the in-room water was not refilled. Small details matter. I asked about upgrading to a king suite (was in queen room) and was happy to pay, as larger rooms showed available online. I was told they could not move us even if the difference was paid because I did not book directly through their website and that next time I should book direct. Ironically, those larger rooms sat empty while we remained cramped. Most travelers discover boutique hotels through third-party platforms, so using that as a reason not to accommodate even a paid upgrade felt unreasonable and disappointing. I am giving 2 stars only because the location is excellent and the lobby is cute. Otherwise, this did not live up to the boutique standard at all. I loved my stay at Sailmaker's House last summer; they were booked this weekend hence why we were excited to try hotel Thaxter. I would strongly recommend staying there instead. I would avoid staying here.

Stayed here for the first time! This place is so charming! We came to Portsmouth for our friends…read morewedding. And this hotel was across the street from the venue. So happy to have found this cute like boutique hotel. I wish we had more time to stay in the area. The room was the prefect size for what we needed. Yes small but we were only there for two nights. The bed was so so so comfortable! However !! The edge of the bed is a little dangerous my husband and I kept hitting our shins on the corners. So be ware. And the heated tile in the bathroom came in clutch! Loved that we could just text the hotel and front desk for anything. We parked our car with them which they valeted for us. We could just text them when we needed the car. The little tea coffee station was great. But the coffee worked half the time for me. The capsules didn't get captured correctly in the nesspresso machine. Having tea as an option was prefect. And they had a variety of milks for your hot beverages. And they had oatmeal that you could have in the morning. And oj They also have a water dispenser which I used to refill the glass bottle provided in our room. I hope to stay here again. The room was quiet. And we loved that we didn't have a hassle checking in. We got in late Friday night and it was so convent to type the key code for the front main door and for our room. Drop the bags off. And then we went to the goat for some drinks.

We had a nice overnight stay at the Port Inn. For $122, we had a clean, comfortable room; secure…read moreparking; working outlets, lights, air conditioning, and a very comfortable bed. The continental breakfast had the usual suspects of pancakes, egg patties, sausage parties, packaged pastries and muffins plus bagels, breads, and yogurts. Very much a fan of this budget offering, and the 1-mile trip to downtown for dining was easy. The only drawback was the 4-lane road outside, with traffic lights at both ends of the property; every tractor trailer, car, motorcycle, etc. could be heard pulling away from the light. But otherwise, a cozy stay in tge beautiful city of Portsmouth!

The room was musty. Parking was HORRIBLE! When we went to the front desk for a little snack at…read morearound 11:15 two male receptionists just finished smoking weed. If your going to hire people to work for you make sure the client feels safe staying at your resident. If your planning on stay DONT GO!!! Especially if you have kids. Also the rooms are... ver very low effort? Its hard to explain. Side note: the price for 2 nights was a rip off

Very clean, well kept Bed & Breakfast with good pricing. Rooms/bed were very nice and again super…read moreclean. Delicious breakfast and coffee.

wonderful stay in this beautiful house!! Valerie was…read moreamazing as was her breakfast! Fresh eggs were delicious. Rooms were so clean and spacious.