Rare Photos Show Boise’s Holiday Inn Holidome in Its Glory Days

Have you ever stayed in a hotel where your balcony didn’t overlook the scenery outside the hotel but rather a huge indoor playground? It’s the one thing that I still remember about the hotel our track coach booked us at more than 20 years ago. 

We threw our bags on the bed, slid open the balcony door and were instantly overwhelmed by the smell of chlorine. Below us was an indoor pool, patches of green turf clearly meant for mini golf and a huge courtyard. At the time, I thought it was just a funky, over-the-top Holiday Inn. 

READ MORE: 20 Incredible Photos of Old Boise Hotels From 1910-1980

It wasn’t until I sat down to write about old Boise hotels that I found preserved in postcards on eBay that it clicked. That hotel we stayed in my freshman year was part of the last chapter of Holidome history. It may have been in Dayton, Ohio but Boise had one too! 

What Was the Holidome?

According to CNN, a Holiday Inn in North Dakota inspired the idea when they built a dome over its pool so that they could use it year round. The new indoor area allowed the franchisee to add other fun year-round activities like mini golf, shuffle board and arcade games. 

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The idea took off and Holiday Inn franchisees all over the country started building them, eventually naming the indoor fun center concept “The Holidome.”  Each seemed more extravagant than the last. 

Where Was Boise’s Holidome?

The first mention I could find of the Boise Holidome, which stood at 3300 Vista Avenue, was in April 1976. Boise chose a Polynesian theme for their 32,000 square foot, temperature controlled paradise which included a pool, whirlpool, pool table, ping pong, playground, saunas, nine-hole mini golf course and badminton court. 

According to an archived Idaho Statesman article, about $1 million went into building Boise’s Holidome and renovating the hotel’s restaurant and cocktail lounge to match the theme. If you adjust that number to today’s equivalent? That’s the same as investing nearly $5.7 million to bring the idea to life. 

To welcome 1977, the hotel was offering a $25 package that included a large double room, punch and cookies for the kids and a free cocktail for parents. 

What Happened to the Holidomes?

Over the years, many Holidomes have vanished or drastically changed due to damage caused by the humidity produced inside the bubbles. Inn keepers started to abandon the concept by the late 1990s because of the amount of upkeep they required. 

However, there are a handful that have been preserved by new owners like the one in St. Louis pictured below. There’s actually a website that’s mapped where all the Holidomes once were and what’s become of them today. 

The last mention we found of the Boise Holidome was an ad for a Super Bowl Party where families could watch the game on the hotel’s 25 foot screen. 

We looked up the web address on the Internet Archive, but the oldest picture of the hotel’s pool area was really small and way less festive than it once was. Over the years, the hotel itself has been rebranded as the Boise Hotel & Convention Center, Wyndham Garden Hotel and most recently as Ramada by Wyndham. 

The image of the pool area the current hotel has on their website still shows the video screen, but there are virtually no signs of its Holidome heyday left. 

Boise Holidome Brochure Ends Up on eBay

Luckily, I found this old brochure for the Holidome that keeps the Boise Holidome’s memory alive. Take a look at what it looked like shortly after that 1976 remodel! 

Author's Note: If you're reading this article on Newsbreak, the images of the Holidome may not load correctly. Please click HERE to visit the gallery on our website.