Holiday Inn Montevideo by IHG

Rooms and decor

Holiday Inn Montevideo by IHG is a business hotel on Av. Colonia in the heart of Montevideo's Centro district. Step into the lobby and you find the look IHG-brand travellers know well — warm browns set against the brand's emerald-green logo, a wide check-in counter, staff who greet you in Spanish and English, and a welcome coffee. All 140 rooms follow the brand's international standard, plain but complete: a comfortable Holiday Inn Stay Real bed, crisp white linens, a choice of soft or firm pillows, a desk by the window with power and USB ports, a large TV, and a bathroom with the shower separated from the toilet and IHG's own toiletries. Some high-floor rooms open onto the rooftops of Centro and the colonial spires tucked through the city. The mood is not flashy, but it gives the safe and predictable feeling brand travellers look for — open the curtains and you know you are in an IHG hotel, wherever in the world you happen to be.

Food and amenities

The most genuinely useful highlight here is the heated indoor pool, open year-round — a real plus, because Montevideo sits beside the vast Rio de la Plata with cold wind and changeable weather all year, especially in winter (June-August) when temperatures drop to 5-10°C. Having a warm indoor pool with pale loungers around it to swim and unwind after a day out is genuinely welcome. Next to it is a 24-hour gym with a treadmill, bike, weight machines and dumbbells, good for early or late workouts when jet lag wakes you. For food, the restaurant and lobby bar serve a breakfast buffet with American-European options and a few local items — medialunas (the sweet Uruguayan-Argentine croissant), eggs cooked fresh, fruit, cheese and ham, and espresso and cappuccino — while dinner runs to international dishes and some local plates. Free Wi-Fi reaches every area at a steady speed, there is paid in-building parking, and a detail many guests like is a front desk that speaks good English and helps with Ubers, restaurant bookings and onward-travel advice.

Location and getting there

Location is what makes this hotel such good value. It sits in the heart of Centro on Av. Colonia near Plaza Cagancha, the central square with its landmark La Libertad monument. About a 3-minute walk from the door is Av. 18 de Julio, the main artery of Montevideo, lined with restaurants, cafes, department stores and government buildings. Keep walking and in about 15 minutes you reach Ciudad Vieja, the old town with the Mercado del Puerto, famous for parrilla — Uruguayan-Argentine grilled meat cooked over wood fires in front of you. For trips elsewhere in Uruguay, the Tres Cruces bus terminal — the hub for Punta del Este, the UNESCO World Heritage town of Colonia del Sacramento, and the Buquebus ferry across to Buenos Aires — is only about a 5-minute ride or a 15-minute walk away. From Carrasco International Airport (MVD), about 20-25 km off, an Uber or taxi takes roughly 30-40 minutes. If you plan to use Montevideo as a base for exploring Uruguay, this is one of the most convenient locations going.

Things to know before booking

To be straight with you, the first thing reviews raise often is that the room design and overall feel have no real character — it is a standard-brand business hotel of the kind you meet in every country. If you prefer a hotel with local character, Uruguayan art, or the boutique feel of a historic building in Ciudad Vieja, this can feel too plain and short on the flavour of Montevideo. The second is breakfast: it is complete and gives you a decent spread, but several reviews note the choices repeat over later days and do not lean local, so if you want fresh medialunas and a local-cafe feel like Buenos Aires, walk out to a neighbourhood spot instead. The third is the safety of Centro at night — the hotel itself is on a safe main street, but a few nearby side streets after about 8pm go quiet and dimly lit, so take an Uber back rather than walking alone late. Fares in Montevideo are very cheap, only a few dollars a trip, so using one instead of walking is easy and no extravagance.

Our take

From rounding up real guest reviews, Holiday Inn Montevideo by IHG delivers the predictability of an international brand at a fair price, a central location, and a heated indoor pool and 24-hour gym you will actually use — a good fit for anyone who wants to sleep easy in a city they may not know. If you are a business traveller flying in for meetings, or a family visiting Uruguay for the first time who wants a name you can trust in the heart of Centro, within walking distance of Ciudad Vieja and a quick hop to Tres Cruces for onward trips, this hits the brief — starting at around $63 a night. But if you are after a boutique with local character, a stay in a historic building with a story, or a breakfast worthy of the city's best cafes, a hotel in Ciudad Vieja or Pocitos may suit you better. Overall we give it 8.0/10, best for business travellers and families who value brand standards and ease of getting around over atmosphere and character.