When you mention Czech Republic, most people think of Prague, the largest city. However, in the western part of the country is the second-largest city, Brno — a gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage sites, castles and wine region of Moravia.

For business and leisure travel, it’s a value alternative to overcrowded Prague.

Less than a 15-minute drive from Brno-Turany Airport and just off highway E50, Holiday Inn Brno offers convenience, amenities and business services for a value-based price. A big plus: English is spoken.

The glass-fronted hotel offers award-winning dining, a lobby bar, fitness center and a rooftop terrace with a Finnish sauna and outdoor whirlpool. (Spa services, massages and whirlpool are available for an extra charge.) The hotel’s adjacent Congress Hall has eight meeting rooms and can cater up to 400 guests.

Popular property highlights include free WiFi throughout the hotel, a 24-hour business center, conterminous meeting rooms in Congress Hall and a free area shuttle. Also, the hotel is pet-friendly and smoke-free.

The 200 rooms are comfortable, sound-proofed and have blackout blinds as well as pillow menus and bathrobes. The in-room LED TVs come with satellite channels. Room service is available.

Holiday Inn Brno has two restaurants and a lobby bar. The award-winning Restaurant Prominent features international cuisine and Czech specialties, while Restaurant Brasserie is known for its breakfast that highlights local bread and organic produce. Be sure to try a Pilsner Urquell — the world’s first pale or blonde lager — brewed in Czech Republic and on tap in the Lobby Bar.

Culture and heritage define the Moravian landscape around Holiday Inn Brno. The medieval  Špilberk Castle is only a 20-minute walk from the hotel. The UNESCO World Heritage sites of Lednice and Valtice châteaux blend Baroque and classical architectural styles, while a Romanesque Benedictine monastery is a place-marker in Třebíč’s Jewish Quarter.

In the nearby medieval Znojmo region, you can taste some of South Moravia’s fine wines: Ruländer (a sweeter style of Pinot Gris) and Traminers, low in acidity but rich in extract and aromas. Wine tours abound at various cellars. Come in September when musicians don traditional dress at the various Moravian wine festivals.

If you are a golfer, Holiday Inn Brno lies within a 45-minute drive to two excellent golf courses. For 18 holes set on castle grounds, try the championship Austerlitz course. For 27 holes, be challenged with water hazards and ravines at Kaskáda Golf Centre.

Holiday Inn Brno

Křížkovského 20
Brno 603 00
Czech Republic
tel 877 410 6667