Holiday Inn Express & Suites Pontiac

The Holiday Inn Express signature Express Start hot breakfast is included with every room and is one of the better free hotel breakfasts in the IHG brand portfolio. Hot items include scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage (rotating), the brand's well-known cinnamon rolls (consistently described as the best free hotel pastry in the chain), pancakes from an automated pancake machine, and oatmeal. Cold items include fresh fruit, yogurt, several cereals, multiple breads with a toaster, bagels, muffins, and the usual juice and coffee selection. Service runs roughly 6:30 to 9:30 weekdays and 7:00 to 10:00 weekends.

Coffee is available 24 hours from a self-serve station in the lobby, which is particularly useful for motorcycle riders and Route 66 photographers who want to be on the road at sunrise. The breakfast room seats about 40 and rarely feels crowded except in the 7:30 to 8:30 weekend window. Take-away containers are available for travelers who want to eat on the road or back in their rooms.

The indoor pool is a real perk for travelers with children, especially in the colder months when outdoor pools elsewhere are closed. The pool is heated, well maintained, and surrounded by deck seating, with pool towels available at the front desk. The adjacent fitness center has a small but adequate set of cardio equipment - treadmills, ellipticals, recumbent bikes - plus a free-weight rack and a yoga mat selection. Both the pool and the fitness center are open 24 hours to registered guests with room key access.

Standard king rooms are quite spacious by chain-hotel standards, with a king bed, a sleeper sofa, a substantial desk, an upholstered chair with reading lamp, a wall-mounted television, and a mini fridge and microwave. Two-queen rooms are similarly equipped with two queens, a desk, and the same amenities. Suites add a separate living area with a pull-out sofa, a second television, and a wet bar setup. All rooms have full bathrooms with showers, brand-standard toiletries from a refillable wall dispenser, and hair dryers.

Bedding is the brand's premium triple-sheeted setup with multiple pillow options. Climate control is in-room, with electronic thermostats. Blackout curtains genuinely work, which is appreciated by red-eye drivers and by anyone whose itinerary involves a 4 am museum-light photo session. The hotel is generally quiet despite its proximity to I-55; the interior corridor design and the building's orientation cut highway noise to acceptable levels for most travelers. Light sleepers may want to request rooms away from the highway-facing side.

Other amenities include a 24-hour front desk, a small business center with a computer and printer, a guest laundry on premises, free parking (with room for RVs and motorcycle groups), and pet-friendly rooms on request for a modest fee. The hotel honors the IHG Way of Clean program, which is the brand's enhanced housekeeping standard implemented post-2020 and largely retained. ADA-accessible rooms with roll-in showers are available; book in advance to ensure availability.

The hotel is on Reynolds Street, immediately west of I-55 exit 197 and within walking distance of several chain restaurants (Subway, Applebee's, Denny's, McDonald's, and a few others), a gas station, and a convenience store. The Route 66 attractions in downtown Pontiac are a three-to-five-minute drive east, easily walkable in good weather (about 1.5 miles) if you want to combine a museum day with a longer riverside walk. The Old Log Cabin Restaurant is a similar distance north of the hotel along the original Route 66 alignment.

For Route 66 travelers planning a multi-day Illinois itinerary, the Holiday Inn Express Pontiac works as a natural overnight stop between Chicago (about 100 miles north) and Springfield (about 75 miles southwest). Many travelers use it as a base for a full day in Pontiac - museums, murals, swinging bridges, Old Log Cabin lunch - and continue on to Bloomington or Lincoln the following morning. The interstate access also makes it convenient for travelers who want to combine Route 66 with other Illinois destinations.

Check-in is at 3 pm and check-out is at 11 am, with early check-in and late check-out occasionally honored at the front desk's discretion. Pet-friendly rooms accommodate dogs up to a standard size for a per-night fee; verify the fee at booking. Loyalty program enrollment is free and recommended; even one stay typically generates enough points for free in-room amenities on subsequent stays. The hotel sits in a well-lit area and the parking lot is monitored by exterior cameras, which gives motorcycle and classic-car travelers the security they want when leaving their vehicles overnight.