After having the experience from hell at another hotel in Destin, we abruptly checked into the Holiday Inn - great hotel. I love the location, it really is right on the beach - we were there for New Years Eve and really like this hotel. It is more like a resort than hotel, so with that said you get the resort amenties. I would highly recommend this location.

From the arrival we were greeted very, very nicely. At first I thought I had the wrong address.
The staff is very friendly and nice. You don't feel that this is a chain hotel. The rooms are very clean, and although the walls are pretty thin, over all they deserve a 9 out of 10. The AC is a decent unit, not a box stuck in the window, and the bathrooms are very clean.
The restaurant is a treat - nice and clean, and the food comes in time and hot. Another nice thing about the hotel is that a type of "RedBox" DVD rental is included in the price of the room.
You can watch as many DVDs as you want - all included in the price of the room - pretty nice.
The beach was kept really nice and clean all the time. Parking lot is well lit and there is security at night.
Overall this is a nice hotel, and it is a great value for money ( at least at the time when we visited it ).

The location is decent and the view of the ocean is nice. The bedding is the only element that feels modern though. The whole place has a tired, worn feeling to it--it's in need of some updating. There are some great amenities if you're traveling w/kids: free popcorn & ice cream in the afternoons & free Red Box rentals, plus a large mini fridge & micro in rooms. Our room had an odd moth ball scent that was very off-putting, and it's a buzzkill these days to have an old-school tube TV.  I would give it 3 stars if I didn't feel duped into booking here based on their photos of the rooms, which gave me higher expectations. The reality didn't measure up.

I am a hotel owner (not related to Holiday Inn) and surely see things that most don't see.

- Front Staff gets a 10: Stephanie, Bill, Kathy, and Martha, Martha, Martha.
- Beach gets a 10: Just out the back of the hotel. Sprayers for the sand on your feet. Because it was Thanksgiving, maybe the guy who picks up the cigarette butts got a couple of days off ... I let it slide because I understand.
- Gift Shop, 10: Good selection of necessities, reasonable prices
- Restaurant, 10: Although I didn't eat at the restaurant, I snooped around.
- Location, 10: Within a mile of Target, Walmart, Quiznos, McD, BK, Waffle House(s), Nick-n-Jims BBQ, IMAX, Belk, tons more.
- Rate, 10: reasonable, they've got to pay employees, prime real estate costs, maintenance, Insurance, insurance, insurance, utilities.
- TV, 10: All the channels. LCDs and some CRTs, but all good
Security, 10: No worries.
Cleanliness, 9: You just can't give a hotel a 10 unless its brand new. But it is clean!
Microwave/Fridge, 8: Fridge gets a 10 ... its bigger than most. Microwave (gets a 5) looks great, but all hotel rooms should have a turn-knob instead of a push-button. You need a few minutes to read the face before you can get it started.
- Elavators, 10: No waiting
- Ice/Vending, 10
- Lobby/decor, 10
Plus indoor pool, outdoor pool, indoor kiddie pool, arcade, in-house dvd machine (like Redbox, but free) for DVD player in room, popcorn in lobby, coffee in lobby, Email PC in lobby.