Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Located directly on the white sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, our 152 room beachfront resort features a unique mix of complimentary amenities such as a seasonally heated beachfront lazy river pool, indoor heated pool, hot tub, beachfront tiki bar, game room, Dive-Inn movies, Kids Activities (seasonal) and kids club to ensure your business or leisure visit is a memorable experience. Just minutes from Destin our hotel offers convenient access to some of the areas exciting family activities and attractions. Be sure to check out the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park, Wild Willy's, Silver Sands Premium Outlet Mall, world-class sportfishing, Pirate and Dolphin Cruises. Our resort is located just minutes from Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport and the area's largest military facilities including Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field, serving major corporations such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Raytheon and BAE Systems.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach, an IHG hotel
986 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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The Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach, an IHG hotel, enjoys a prime beachfront location celebrated by numerous travelers, despite some current traffic snags due to construction. A lively atmosphere is palpable, thanks to a DJ-spun pool bar and a consistently fresh breakfast buffet, complementing the comfortably renovated rooms. While many guests laud the clean, well-maintained pools and dining areas, opinions vary on value, with some guests encountering unexpected costs.
Accommodations generally receive high marks for their cleanliness and views, though isolated incidents of uncleanliness have been reported. The service is often described as attentive and professional, although a handful of guests have noted maintenance and staffing issues.
Location
Beachfront
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Clean
Value
Mixed
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Well-appointed
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The best place to stay at Fort Walton Beach! The beach location is gorgeous. I highly recommend trying to get a beachside view; sitting on the balcony and taking in the view is amazing. Best hotel staff!!! The pool area/lazy river is always clean and very well kept. The restaurant and dining area are always very clean. The breakfast buffet looks amazing every morning; the fruit selection always looks fresh and for the bacon lovers, it was on the buffet every day of my 18-day stay. Exceptional staff shoutout: Joe the bartender made for the best evening experiences; he is amazing! Every morning started with a smile; Bella was the greatest in the restaurant; greeting everyone with such positive energy and taking amazing care even when we were in a hurry. I felt taken care of by all of the staff all the time!
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Date of stay: April 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
Room Tip:There is plenty of parking and the price is very reasonable at $10 per day.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Innisfree Hotels, Owner at Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach, an IHG hotel
Responded 8 May 2024
Thanks for the review. We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us and we hope to welcome you back to paradise very soon. -Leigha
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Joe is the best bartender and host ever. He made all the best suggestions for everything we wanted! We almost went to another restaurant but he made all the exceptions of what we wanted and the seafood basket was great. He also personalized our alcohol buckets going above and beyond anything we could have excepted!
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Date of stay: February 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Innisfree Management, Owner at Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach, an IHG hotel
Responded 1 week ago
Hi 481aylah, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! We are so glad your enjoyed your stay and had a great experience with the staff. We will pass your compliments along to our team. We hope to see you again soon! -Chloe
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It was our first time staying in this hotel with a family of 6. We had an ocean front suite and from the moment I called a few weeks ahead to make sure our room was set, I was treated so well and had a phenomenal experience, specially after an 8 hour drive. Troy and Ashley in the front counter were very helpful in us getting pool towels and new fresh towels for our bedroom, they also provided me with a few extra drink passes which came in handy with our family. The buffet breakfast was always fresh and on point and you are allowed free kids meals with a purchase of an adult meal which helped saved money! Lauren and Stephen and pretty much all staff was kind and helpful with what we needed. In the riptides tiki bar, we had Joslyn and the other ladies made some phenomenal drinks and service was really fast. I would highly recommend this hotel! It was definitely bang for buck!
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Date of stay: August 2021
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Ocean Front Suite 5th floor.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Online Concierge, Owner at Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach, an IHG hotel
Responded 13 Aug 2021
Thank you for the awesome review, OAlvarez30! It is our team that makes our property so special. I am glad that everyone took great care of you and your family. We will certainly recognize the individuals that you mentioned. Thank you for taking the time to provide this feedback, ~Jessie
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We decided to stay here because of the pool experience in which the lazy river has no current and made with filthy rocks dripping on you. The cost of the hotel is different than what’s listed online. We walked into the hotel room and paid $400 for a disgusting room that hadn’t been cleaned, hair in fridge and all over filthy shower and the room smelled like rubbing alcohol and very dangerous to ingest for a day. They are so use to receiving complaints that the GM can’t even resolve the experience with comping the room and instead blames it on IHG corporate complaints department. The breakfast food is disgusting and hotel staff is terrible especially leadership. Stay anywhere but here. Worst hotel I have ever stayed in.
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Date of stay: July 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Save your money don’t stay here. We stay at Holiday Inns all over the US and this is the worst...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Innisfree Management, Owner at Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach, an IHG hotel
Responded 14 Jul 2024
Hi there, T7886XNlisae! Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We are sorry to hear that your stay with us was less than satisfactory. We will pass this along to our team and keep you experience in mind for future improvements and stay! -Chloe
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We stayed for 3 nights and I believe as a Diamond elite member we are eligible tor upgrade. I called IHG to make sure we will get that upon check-in, sure we did.
So here's the pros for this stay:
1. Location: Gorgeous, and the their lazy pool is amazing other than that I believe and based on our experience the only good thing here is the location
Cons
1. Front Desk staff. The PM shift is unbelievable unfriendly. She shouldn't be in that job.
2. Our room wasn't clean for 3 days, in a resort huh. So tried to call the front desk to request for linens. We have 2 beds so they only gave us 1 set the first time we call. So we tried to call several times again and the front desk don't answer the phone! unbelievable So I waited for another 20 mins and finally she answered but you can tell in her voice her being unwilling to help. The restaurant staff is better, they should be the one in the desk.
2. COCKROACHES N THE ROOM So many tiny and and almost medium size cockroaches!! So we have to turn on the lights the entire nights so they won't appear! If you turn off your lights especially in the bathroom they will all start to appear!
3. Parking fee. Given the location but I believe parking fee is unnecessary
4. You can notice the age of the hotel. Molds in the bathroom and furnitures need to retouch.
It was stormy stay so we were not able to experience their bar outside. We plan to extend few more nights but the staff really makes a difference. SO we move to Courtyard Marriot in Sandestin and their staff are way way better and accommodating!
Other than that, the only good here is the location. There's a lot better around the area that offers good location. Reason for Visit:Family trip
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Date of stay: August 2022
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Innisfree Management, Other at Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach, an IHG hotel
Responded 1 Sept 2022
Thank you very much for your candid review of your recent stay at our hotel, FL0725. Your feedback about housekeeping is extremely valuable to us as we strive to improve with each and every stay, Short staffing, unfortunately, has been one of the many challenges we have had to navigate through. We strive to ensure that every guest is taken care of at our hotel. This information is valuable to us, and it has been passed along. Thank you for letting us know. ~Jessie
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I want to express how thankful I am to have visited the Holiday Inn Resort at Ft Walton Beach. We arrived very early approx 11:30am. I was told very politely that our room was not ready but we could use the facilities and would be notified when our room was ready. We were given our wrist bands and towel cards. The front desk lady’s name was “Angelina” very helpful. We decided to go off property to eat - we went to Floyd’s shrimp house just minutes away. We returned back around 1:00pm and I checked back at the front desk. Yes was the answer! Our room was ready and wow what a view from our balcony. Room was clean, everything was in order! I was greeted the next morning by Stephen Farme and he very nicely asked how the stay was going. I told him everything was going well and that I was really impressed how friendly every staff member has treated us. He offered some local spots to check out and said if you need anything to call. The kids enjoyed the movie that was played on an inflatable projection screen. The lazy River and pool is very organized and staff is constantly sweeping and cleaning the area. The only negative I can find is the chair hoarding at the pool area but this is common problem at all resorts. This was our first stay but will certainly recommend this resort.
Rob Nebraska
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Innisfree Management, Other at Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach, an IHG hotel
Responded 17 Jun 2022
Thank you for leaving this awesome review, Rob! It truly is our team that makes our property so special. I am glad that everyone took great care of you, and that your kids had a blast in the lazy river. We will certainly recognize the individuals that you mentioned. Thank you for taking the time to provide this feedback and we look forward to welcoming you all back again soon! ~Jessie
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Awesome place. Gym was being worked on. All else fantastic. Service was excellent as well. Shout out to Kerry-Ann at the front desk. Communication and attentiveness was spot on! Wish breakfast was included or reduced cost options for guests.
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Date of stay: November 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Innisfree Hotels, Owner at Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach, an IHG hotel
Responded 27 Nov 2024
Thanks so much for your review. We apologize for the inconvenience of the gym but are thrilled to hear you found our staff excellent and enjoyed your time with us. You are welcome back anytime. -Leigha
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Slight hiccup at check in- our room was occupied and we walked in briefly. We were given a new room and a voucher for breakfast. Breakfast is not much different than you’d expect at holiday inn express. The hotel rooms are fine- they’re really well soundproofed, clean, and the view of the gulf was great. The pool is a highlight as well and the tiki bar in between the hotel and the adjacent resort is a nice offering. We ordered chicken wings and they were very tasty. A private company offers beach chairs (2 and umbrella) for a $50 daily rental. Good location with many restaurants within walking distance. You have to request a towel refresh. Check out was fine but I requested an email of my bill and haven’t received it even though I emailed the front desk after I got home.
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Date of stay: April 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Tons of parking
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Innisfree Management, Other at Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach, an IHG hotel
Responded 9 Apr 2023
Hi! Thank you for leaving a review. We are happy to hear your overall stay was pleasant! We do apologize for any awkward encounters or inconvenience, things happen and we appreciate your understanding. Please give us a call for any help with billing and receipts you need and we are happy to help.
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What a great hotel. The staff is not notch and made sure our stay with them was memorable. This hotel is very clean, from the common areas to the rooms. With a hard working staff working on the up keep of the hotel, it was impressive to see such a clean establishment with the amount of foot traffic coming and going, not to mention the beach sand thats right at there back door. Good Job!! The rooms are great, with awesome views of the Gulf and pool areas, spacious living areas and up to date amenities such as fridge and microwave, it made it easy to stay for a longer period of time with 2 kids, that cant go 1 hr with out some kind of snack. The bathrooms are clean and everything that goes along with it are a great touch. The food at the hotel was good. Breakfast was set out nicely with all your basics and daily specials that show off some of the local southern cuisine. As for Lunch and Dinner, the chefs have created a fun and easy menu to appease all of their guests. As for the bread and butter of this hotel, the outside amenities are awesome!! With a good size pool, lazy river, hot tub and tiki bar, how can you go wrong. Not to mention you have free range of use of the pool next door, which is the same set. and on top of having 2 Pools!! you have the Gulf of Mexico knocking at the back gate with one of the most impressive white sanded beaches in the United States, hands down. All in all, Great place to bring the family and YES we will be back. Maybe even every year!!
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Date of stay: February 2022
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Innisfree Hotels, Other at Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach, an IHG hotel
Responded 8 Mar 2022
Hi, Adam! It truly is our team that makes our property so special. We are so glad you enjoyed all of our many amenities. I am glad that everyone took great care of you, and that your kids had a blast. Thank you for taking the time to provide this feedback. ~Jessie
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The staff here were really great. We have to give a special shout out to Endi, who was our server in the restaurant. Endi greeted us personally, was very attentive and friendly, and clearly takes care of all of his customers!
We really enjoyed our stay at this hotel. The location is great on the beach, but the traffic to get in and out can be pretty bad with construction right now.
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Date of stay: November 2024Trip type: Travelled on business
Room Tip:There is plenty of parking. Grocery store and restaurants are all close, but only a few are...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Innisfree Management, Owner at Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach, an IHG hotel
Responded 23 Nov 2024
Hi clydef15, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review! We are so glad you enjoyed your stay and hope to see you again sometime! -Chloe
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There are more places to choose from in the Fort Walton Beach area.
PRICE RANGE
RM 621 - RM 1,877 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
United StatesFloridaFlorida PanhandleFort Walton Beach
NUMBER OF ROOMS
152
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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