Holiday Inn Gulfport-Airport
9515 Highway 49, Gulfport, MS 39503
Off Highway 49 just north of I-10, this Holiday Inn trades beach views for convenience — a free shuttle to Gulfport-Biloxi International sits minutes away, making it an easy landing spot before or after a Gulf Coast trip. Rooms come with a Keurig and mini-fridge for slow mornings, and after a day of driving the coast you can skip the pool crowds at the casinos and swim laps in the indoor heated pool or soak in the hot tub instead. Kids under 12 eat free at the attached restaurant.
Getting There
The Holiday Inn sits right at the Highway 49 exit off I-10, which tells you what you're getting: an easy on/off stop, not a destination with a view of its own. That's fine if the plan is Biloxi's casinos and beaches. You're only a few miles from downtown Gulfport and the coast from here, and the interstate makes the run to the casino strip painless. Landing at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, the hotel's free shuttle covers the roughly two-mile ride, so you're not stuck waiting on a rideshare after a late flight.
Rooms & Amenities
Rooms are straightforward midscale Holiday Inn: clean, quiet, blackout curtains, coffee maker, the usual desk-and-cable-TV setup a business traveler or a family passing through for one night actually needs. The indoor heated pool and hot tub run year-round, which matters more than it sounds during a humid Gulf Coast summer, and the 24-hour fitness center covers the basics if you skipped the gym at home. Kids under 12 eat free in the on-site restaurant, and reviewers keep singling out the breakfast buffet by name: catfish and grits, seasoned potatoes, banana pudding show up again and again, made by a kitchen staff guests clearly adore. It's not a free continental spread, so budget for it. Bring the dog if you want; pet-friendly rooms are available, and self-parking and WiFi are both free.
What's Nearby
Waffle House is close enough to walk to, which more than one reviewer mentions after discovering the hotel's breakfast buffet isn't complimentary. For sit-down options, Koi Sushi is about four minutes away and Aztecas Restaurant & Cantina about five, both a step up from the chain clutter along Highway 49, though Shrimp Basket, ten minutes out, is worth the drive for the fried seafood platters. Gulfport Premium Outlets sits less than a mile from the hotel if you need to kill an afternoon between casino trips. Families should note this is also a practical base for Mississippi Aquarium, Ship Island Excursions, and Gulf Islands Waterpark, all a short drive toward the coast.
Our Take
At a 4.4 average and the No. 2 spot among Gulfport's 32 hotels, this Holiday Inn overdelivers for something parked at an interstate exit. Reviewers rave less about the building and more about the people running it, especially breakfast service; more than one traveler names the cooks and servers by name in their reviews, which is rare. This isn't a beach hotel, and you'll pay for that buffet, but for an airport-convenient stop with a genuinely good restaurant, it delivers.
Details last verified August 2026. Always confirm current rates and availability directly with the hotel.