Pop Inn (Holiday Inn in general)

Member Name: Vicki H

Product:	Holiday Inn in general
Date:	26/02/02 (159 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quite cheap, Clean, Good food

Disadvantages: None

Last weekend I had a very pleasant stay at the Holiday Inn which was situated south of Chester. It was my first experience with this chain of hotels and I must say I was most impressed.

Booking
I decided to book this break on the spur of the moment. The weather had been glorious the weekend before and I thought it would be wonderful to get away for a couple of days. I hit on the idea of Chester as I thought that it would be rather nice to take my son to the zoo. After searching the web for suitable hotels I found that most were quite expensive and also fully booked. I came across the Holiday Inn hotel on the www.superbreak.com site. I was able to check the availability online and found that for 2 nights bed and breakfast it would cost £152, this was very cheap compared to the other hotels featured. I booked online and was sent confirmation and directions to the hotel by both e-mail and by post. It was so easy that I was a little worried that I had missed a step out in the booking process! I was even able to request a cot on-line too.

Checking in
Checking in was just as easy as booking. The receptionist was dealing with workmen when we arrived she immediately told them that she must deal with us first –very impressive. The booking details were found efficiently and we were handed a file containing a card to open our room door. We were also handed a copy of the menu for the evening meal and offered the opportunity to book a table for that night. The receptionist also asked if we would like a wake up call, I declined as Joe tends to wake us up at 5:30 every morning anyway! We were also asked if we would like to order a morning paper and then given clear instructions to our room.

The room
The room was spotlessly clean. I don’t know about you but I always spend 5 minutes inspecting it and then feel that I can relax once I know that it is clean. We had asked for a double bed which we got and the cot was i
n place. In addition to this there was also a single bed in the room.
The room was ensuite with a bath which had a shower over it. The bathroom was fully tiled and had a heated towel rail. There was a huge mirror which was well lit for applying make up and shaving, this was a bonus as the light in the actual room was quite dim.
The room had a small table with a couple of chairs. A desk area that coupled up as a dressing table and two bedside cabinets. There was a telephone next to the bed which had symbols on it and enabled you to dial reception, room service, laundry etc without having to know the number required. You could also use this telephone to make outgoing calls at a cost of 39 pence per minute.

Bedding
The beds were really well made with white cotton sheets and white duvets. They were also very comfortable a little softer than I am used to. There was a pillow menu in the room where you could select the type of pillow you wanted eg firmness and feather/hypoallergenic. You simply had to call housekeeping using the telephone and they would make sure that you were provided with whatever you required. The cot was made up with a quilt (not so good if your child is under 12 months) and no pillow. As Joe was teething and in a terrible mood he never ended up getting in there anyway!

Television
The television was most impressive offering an interactive service. You could view your bill, look at messages etc. You could also order movies to watch by phoning reception. These included ‘American Pie 2’ , ‘Moulin Rouge’ and a couple of ‘Adult movies’. The television had my favourite feature which is teletext too!

Other facilities in room
A hairdryer comes as standard in the room, find it hidden in the draw! There was a local telephone book which could be useful if you are trying to track down a restaurant or local attractions. Tea and coffee making facilities were availabl
e although buy extra milk if you are a tea junkie like me! There was an ash tray for smokers, a trouser press and 3 different lamps. A length sized mirror on the wall let you admire yourself if you so wished. In the bathroom there was shampoo, soap, bubble bath and tissues. If you had forgotten items such as shaving foam, sanitary items etc these could be provided by informing reception.
There was an information file in the room stating all of the facilities available, this was also accessible through the interactive television facility.

Cleaning
The rooms were cleaned during the day to a very high standard. Joe is 15 months now and make the most horrendous mess with biscuits etc. I did desperately try to minimise the mess but it was obvious that the room had been hovered each day and looked as good as new again.

Health Club
This particular hotel had a health club. There was a spa pool and gymnasium although I cannot comment on these as I was far too busy eating and drinking to bother with any of this!

Bar
The bar was very quiet and also very expensive! A bottle of Britvic Orange cost £1-85. We had lunch in there one day which was lovely. We had 2 sandwiches and 2 drinks costing a total of £15. The sandwiches were a little unusual, ham with juniper chutney. They were served with home-made crisps. Children were welcome in the bar too when you were dining.

The Restaurant
We looked at the menu for the restaurant which served quite a range from pasta dishes to steak. This too was quite pricey with a steak meal costing around £18. We decided not to dine in.

Breakfast
What can is say? It was wonderful. Waiters brought tea/coffee and toast to your table and then it was all self service. The variety was incredible. Every type of fruit, museli, cereal that you could think of. There was a continental section with meats and cheeses on offer. I opted for the traditional English breakfast w
hich was excellent. You got everything that you would expect and more – sausage (2 types), bacon, eggs (scrambled or fried), tomatoes, mushrooms, hash browns, black pudding – need I go on? We didn’t eat a thing again until tea time! What’s more is that they serve until 10 0’clock which is refreshing too.

Car Park
There was ample parking and it was very secure too. The reception took the details of your car and then there was security lighting all around.

Play area
There was a small children’s play area in the entrance to the hotel. This consisted of a few push a long toys and a little ball pool, Joe loved it!

Staff
The staff were charming and always courteous. They went out of their way to be helpful and made the stay really special.

In general
I would definitely stay at a Holiday Inn again. It was most enjoyable and I would recommend it to anybody.
Thanks for reading.

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