Leamington Spa, Holiday Inn

I'm torn between writing a glowing report of a hotel that is in a perfect position for travellers and business people alike or one that tears into the staff for their failings.

LOCATION

Firstly, this hotel is in an odd position, just outside Leamington Spa itself on a Retail Park / Business Estate, which isn't as bad as it sounds but don't expect stunning views of the surrounding countryside if you're on the wrong side of the hotel! Incidentally, ignore the hotel blurb that says it overlooks Warwick Castle. If you are on the right side of the hotel you can just about see the castle on a good day.

It was built as a Marriott Hotel, which has been taken over by the Holiday Inn chain, who is owned by the InterContinental Hotels Group, they are best known in the UK for the Holiday Inn brand and Crowne Plaza hotels.

Personally, I think its location is perfect for both tourists and business travellers alike but has been turned to a major disadvantage by the hotel as they are caught between catering for the business market and the tourist side. As I use a number of different hotel companies for my business and leisure travels I have noticed a distinct difference between the two sides but this hotel is firmly stuck in the middle. It isn't in a particularly pretty location, on a business estate, but it is close to the beautiful town of Royal Leamington Spa and stunning Warwick with its majestic castle. You would expect it to be encouraging people to use the bar and restaurant to gain extra revenue but this seemed not to be the case, more about this later.

THE HOTEL

The hotel has a pleasant entrance which has a covered drop-off point but there isn't a pathway or pavement access from the parking area. There is plenty of parking with several places reserved for disabled drivers. The hotel consists of about 90 rooms, the website states that 76 of these are single rooms but I would think that it is a lot less than this; I'd be very surprised if nearly 85% of a hotel was single rooms.

There is a bar and a restaurant, a fitness room with very limited machines, don't expect a pool or a jacuzzi, and the regular amenities such as business services, dry-cleaning pick-up, daily housekeeping etc.

The hotel blurb on their website also states that you can gain discounted access to a local health club, although this is not widely publicised or indeed not particularly known about by the staff in the hotel itself. Ask in the Health Club instead called Cannons Health and Fitness.

They have a fantastic range of facilities and the staff are very helpful.

THE ROOMS

I had a queen-size double bedroom, which was well-equipped, spacious and nicely decorated. The bathroom had a nice powerful shower over a bath, a large mirror with plenty of towels and one of my favourite things about Holiday Inn (HI) is that the hotels have Dove handwash and Shampoo/Shower Cr me in dispensers near the sink and bath, so if you forget yours there's plenty available.

The room itself had a large wardrobe, 4 drawers, a writing desk and chair and a TV that showed all terrestrial channels, as well as a few satellite ones.

The bed was very comfortable and I could easily have spent a few extra hours lazing away! Another good thing about HI hotels is that they have a pillow menu, which gives you the opportunity to swap your gorgeously soft goose feather pillows for something a little firmer, should you so require it.

THE RESTAURANT/BAR

As I mentioned previously I would've expected the hotel to be actively encouraging the use of the bar and restaurant but I wasn't asked once if I would be dining in or if I would like to make a reservation. The bar staff seemed more interested in wandering around an empty bar than actually serving and the one person who did try and serve was on their first day and had obviously had little or no training on the till, cappuccino machine and beer pumps; granted they aren't hard to figure out but they did have some odd looking handles and buttons!

The prices were high, even for Holiday Inn, and it simply didn't feel like a bar I wanted to spend some time relaxing in, it was small with too many seats and tables crammed into a small area. There was a TV showing some sports from around the world when nobody was interested in watching it. The whole place just seemed squeezed in.

The restaurant didn't fair much better; it took the waiter/waitresses nearly 10 minutes to seat me in a half empty area. I was then only given half the menu, I had to ask for the carvery menu. The waiter who came to take my order did so without a notepad, that isn't unusual for quality staff but he did forget a couple of things that did not inspire me with confidence.

The food however was excellent, if a little on the pricey side at £14 for a carvery but it was very well cooked and superbly presented. Sadly though, I was left feeling unwanted, uncared for and unwilling to leave a tip!

For breakfast in the morning, the usual buffet style was laid out, as seems to be the growing trend with even the larger hotels. Juices, fruit, bread products, yoghurts, cereals, tea, coffee and milk as well as the traditional Full English items, a nice breakfast selection but again it was pricey.

The restaurant/bar area is fairly small for the size of the hotel but I didn't see either full up, possibly this was due to the high prices, I can't say for sure but if I went again I would make sure that I gave myself plenty of time to eat somewhere else. There are plenty of lovely pubs and restaurants in Leamington Spa and Warwick.

Would I stay there again? Yes, if the price was right and I was using it as a base for business trips or to explore Warwick or Royal Leamington Spa but as a luxury hotel it isn't worth the full price.

I paid £65.95 for a double room including breakfast, the standard rate is £130 excluding breakfast.