Don't be fooled by the exterior and the renovated lobby, both of which are very nice. This is a dumpy old hotel that should have its Holiday Inn franchise removed until full renovations are complete. As an IHG Diamond and Intercontinental Ambassador status guest I was given an upgrade to an executive room. My first room had stains on the walls, stains on the desk chair, crumbs from biscuits on the nightstand, other crumbs on the desk chair, mold spores in the kettle, stains on the side of the bed, bedding that didn't even cover the mattress, and mold or mildew in the bathtub-shower. Those were just the cleanliness-related issues. The room was also in poor condition. Likewise, the hallway leading to the hotel had threadbare and stained carpet that looked like it was from the 1980s or 1990s. Same for the bathroom, which looked unchanged in years. I requested a second room, which was also an executive room. This room had hair on surfaces, stains on the bedding, stains on the bathroom countertop/vanity, mold or mildew in the bathtub-shower, and water from a previous guest in the kettle. The Front Desk clerk was working by herself until the duty manager arrived. There were no housekeeping staff working. To the hotel's credit, I emailed the operations manager and duty manager with pictures. The duty manager took full responsibility, fully apologized and re-cleaned my second room while I was at dinner. While worn-out and, overall, just well below the standard of any chain hotel in 2023, the room was at least mostly clean on the third try. I will also compliment the Front Desk clerk, a woman. She was professional, welcoming and just very hospitable. She was exactly the kind of person you want working the Front Desk. I would hire her in a heartbeat if I owned or managed a hotel. Unfortunately, she can only work with the product she is given. Likewise, I had dinner in the hotel restaurant while waiting for my room to be cleaned. The menu is pretty extensive and, if I'm being honest, a little overwhelming. The lamb was very good. Surprisingly good actually. Service was attentive, although the restaurant is really just the breakfast restaurant. If you order drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), the until 6:30 pm for dinner, which is a little late for a chain hotel off the motorway. The bar off the lobby, which has the feel of a small pub, serves the same food and is open earlier. staff have to go to the bar to retrieve them. This seems odd. You think they would at least have a non-alcoholic drink station in the restaurant. The restaurant itself doesn't open Most customers were eating in the bar as it had a better atmosphere than a soulless restaurant dining room that was 99% empty. I was going to use the gym, but the gym isn't 24/7. You also somewhat bizarrely have to walk through the bar to access the gym. That's awkward. Another unusual feature of the hotel is the layout. Despite having multiple floors, the rooms are still numbered as if they're
102 Ulasan