This hotel wasn't bad for a holiday inn: the location is right off of Court Street in downtown Binghamton. There are several restaurants nearby and the Arena is on the other side of the parking lot (if you are in town for an event happening there). We stayed there for 2 nights in a room with a King bed that was clean and everything worked properly in the room. On the one night that we ate at the hotel restaurant, we were the only diners in the entire dining room at 7pm on a Friday night. The food was hot, if clearly made from frozen (fish and chips), and the salads had decent, fresh greens. Not terrible food at all, but you can do much better at a lot of places nearby.

We visit the area regularly but this is the first (and last) time that we'll stay at this hotel. For the price (or a bit less), you can stay at equally nice places just a short drive away on the other side of the river. Those places also have the added bonus of permitting you to actually be able to sleep at night. On both nights that we were at the Holiday Inn on Hawley St. we didn't get more than 2-3 hours of sleep. One of the main advantages for us in staying there in the first place (proximity to downtown) turned out to be a big problem. The first night we were there we woke up to the sound of a huge crowd of people yelling and carrying on around 1am. It's hard to describe and I really wish I had shot some video on my phone. Looking out the window we could about 60-80 people in small groups from the parking lot of the hotel to the parking lots nearby. They were all clearly, rip roaring drunk. This went on for over an hour before the cops showed up. For the next two hours (seriously - I timed it - I was awake anyway) the mob basically flowed back and forth, dispersed for awhile and then came back, while anywhere from 2-4 BPD cars drove around announcing at top volume on their PA systems 'Come on guys - you need to go home or you will be arrested.' Really?! Everyone finally left by around 4am. Unbelievably, pretty much the same performance was repeated the next night ... just without the cops showing up. We were up for hours just listening to the sounds of groups of extremely loud people stumbling around in groups in the parking lots outside the hotel, shouting, yelling, and fighting with each other until around 4am. If you think that escaping the mayhem is possible by staying on the other side of the hotel (away from the arena) don't believe it. The other couple we were traveling with stayed on the other side of the building (same floor) and it was just as loud for them AND their window was broken and didn't quite shut all the way.

We stayed here the weekend of 10/22/11 for a wedding. The refurbished lobby greets you, as does the friendly and knowledgeable front desk staff.

Our room was clean and comfortable, though other members of the wedding party complained of air conditioning issues. The bathroom, though clean, is a bit dated, with a clumsy toilet flush mechanism (the button in the center of the top of the tank), and there is no bathroom exhaust fan, so the windows to the outside got steamed everytime anyone took a shower.

I will say that, though I will stop short of using the dreaded "bed bug" phrase, there was a small spider in the bed the morning we checked out. I don't think this is a huge deal, and again, I wouldn't declare this as a bed bug infested hotel by any means.

The hotel does have a bar, so that's a plus. Kind of a cool set up too, so it's a good place to stop for one if you're waiting for others in your party.

We did the "breakfast in bed" option in the room. You fill out the card to tell them what time to bring it in the morning, and they bring it (to the exact minute in our case) for about $7 a plate. Really can't beat it. The breakfast itself was mediocre, but certainly worthy of $7 if you're in a pinch for time.

The hotel is only about a block and a half from the college bar scene. I recommend Dillinger's if you're looking for a place to go.

Again, overall this was a decent stay. We didn't experience the issues that others in our party did, and the hotel isn't without its faults, but it's in a good location, and you really could do worse for the money.

We stayed at this location on 1 OCT 2011. The hotel was clean and pleasant. The front desk is off to the right after you enter the lobby, so you almost have to go looking for it. The staff was polite and professional. The room was clean and comfortable. The beds we a little too soft for me, but that is due to my lower back problems, and I think most people would have no issues with them. The room also had a nice sized mini-fridge and LCD TV. The only issue I had with the hotel itself is the fact that the pool was closed and we did not know that until we got there. The city of Binghamton had recently suffered a flood and I totally understand why the pool was closed, I just wish they had put a notice on the website about it. My daughter was very disappointed when we found out we could not swim. Again I understand why, I just wish we had known when we booked it so she was not expecting it.
I had read a review for this hotel prior to our stay that said the section of town was "seedy". I do NOT agree. We walked to "The Mad Moose" restaurant and did not feel it was bad at all. There is a Boscov’s a block away with a chic bookstore next to it and several nice restaurant/bars in the area. Overall, we enjoyed our stay and would stay there again.

Especially for $150 / night. ,

I don't expect as much from Holiday Inns as much as I do from the express chain (which seems backwards). This one had a nice lobby, good effort from the front desk staff, and it appears that they try to keep it updated.

However, the toilet was leaky (like it made the floor wet to walk on), it was noisy and hard to flush, the noise from the outside (talking, yelling, police sirens) made me feel like I was in downtown Chicago. The wallpaper was peeling, and the bathroom smelled like my neighbor next door was smoking and blowing it through our vent. The bed seemed old and sunken in.

Overall, next time I would bypass Binghamton if this were my only choice of motel.