3 Stars Hotels National
Offers
Reviews
 |
Premier Inn (London Greenwich)
by Mauri Premier Inn is a chain of budget hotels best known recently for the Lenny Henry TV ads. When we were looking for a cheap overnight stay in the London area with good access to the centre of town I decided to look at the prices of various budget hotel chains and found Premier Inn to be the cheapest option. LOCATION, LOCATION, ... LOCATION The hotel was located in Greenwich to the south of Greenwich High road but within 5 minutes stroll of Greenwich mainline station. The price for our double room was £69, this will vary depending on the day of the week and the time of year and booking more than 3 weeks ahead will also reduce the price. Since the idea was to use the room as a stopover after having spent the day and evening visiting some sight and having dinner with friends in town I could have chosen a hotel closer to the centre of London, but staying closer to central London invariably increased the price of the room by about £20-£30 per night and I was looking for a cheap stay. Having said this Greenwich is perfectly placed for a London excursion. Greenwich station is part of the Dockland Light Railway line which connects to the London underground but quicker still you can take the frequent overland mainline service to London Bridge which only take 8 minutes and from there you can get on the Underground with only short journeys to the central London underground stations. In the end we managed to get from the Hotel to Tate Britain (door to door) in a lot less than an hour which wasn't bad. The Hotel is also very conveniently located to sample some for the sights of Greenwich being only a short walk away from the Royal observatory, Greenwich Park, Greenwich village (with its popular Sunday market), the Maritime museum and the Cutty Sark. FIRST IMPRESSIONS, CHECK IN AND PARKING The Hotel we stayed in Greenwich was only opened last year and so was of modern design and fittings. As you'd expect from a new purpose built Hotel it had a very modern look, was very clean and shiny both inside and out and had been designed with the efficiency and value for money quality in mind. If you have booked beforehand and have your booking reference number you can use the self checking system but when we arrived we were greeted by the friendly check in staff and let them go through the process. You do have the options of paying online when you book your room or you can wait to pay on arrival. Depending on what kind of booking you make you also have the option of cancelling you booking at no cost up to midday on the day of your booking. After we had paid we were allocated our room given a swipe card key and were offered to book breakfast an extra at £7.99 per person or dinner from an a la carter menu, which was not inclusive of the room price. We had already booked breakfast online but declined dinner. The hotel was equipped with a dining area doubling up as a breakfast area and also have a Costa cafe sections with Wi-Fi available (again an extra charge was made after more than half hour use). Although we didn't go for the dinner judging from the menu they were offering reasonable standard pub grub from a reasonably wide ranging menu including starters, steaks, pastas, salads, fish and chips and kid's meals. The parking which was very secure in the basement car park of the hotel with direct access from the hotel lift was also extra and had to be booked beforehand since spaces were limited. This came to £6 for a 24h period. We arrived at 2pm, which is the earliest checking in time and we were allowed to keep the car there for the full 24 hour period we had paid for despite having checked out earlier than this. So in total our Friday overnight stay in a double room for 2 adults cost us just short of £92. THE ROOM The room we booked was a standard double with en suite facilities, which is one of two options the other being a family room with a double bed and a pull out sofa bed ideal for families with younger children. The room we had was very nice. It was a good size with a king size double bed and a very clean newly appointed bathroom en suite. The fixtures and fittings were of good quality and the shower which was part of the bath with a shower curtain was excellent. The water was consistently hot and the shower jet was reasonably powerful. The hotel to keep down the cost of the rooms only supplies basic toiletries in on wall dispensers for hand washing and for the shower. Both these were branded Imperial Leather and were reasonable enough although you might want to take your own shampoo and soap. You are provided with a set of bath towel and hand towel for each person and the room also has coffee making facilities with complementary sachets of instant coffee, tea, sugar and milk. The storage space in the room was adequate for our short stay and would be fine for longer stays as well. The room also had a hair dryer and a medium size colour flat screen TV/remote control with free access to a selection of Freeview channels. A telephone is provided to contact reception and to make external calls but these will be added to the bill. The bed was very comfortable if a little on the firm side, which I do prefer. It was made up with a double duvet cover and two pillows per person, more pillows were available in the wardrobe. Despite being just off Greenwich high road the sound proofing in the room was very good and even on a Saturday night we had a very good undisturbed night's sleep. When we arrived the room felt warm, certainly warmer than I would normally like but the air conditioning system was very easy to use and the temperature control was very efficient at changing the room temperature either up or down. The windows could not be opened but I think Premier inn do say on their website that if you ask them before hand this might be possible to arrange. After a night out in town we got back to the hotel well after midnight. The swipe key allows you entry to the hotel but there was a receptionist on duty in any case. BREAKFAST AND CHECKING OUT After an excellent night's sleep we came down for breakfast at around 9.30 am (I think breakfast was served 8- 10.30). We had opted for the £7.99 breakfast which actually cost us £6.99 since we booked it beforehand online. This option gave us a choice of either continental (variety of cereals, toast, muffins, yogurts, croissant, jams, marmalade, marmite) or full English with standard sausages, bacon, eggs (scrambled, poached, fried), mushrooms, tomatoes or a mixture of both. The price was for an 'eat as much as you like' deal, which meant this was prefect if you were setting off for a day's sight-seeing in town and didn't want to spend much on lunch having filled up a breakfast. The food was good and I tried both cooked and continental. A selection of juices; orange, cranberry, apple and pomegranate was also available as well as a selection of teas and coffee's. Once again this was drink as much as you like. For the price this was a very good deal! Children under 16 eat for free. There is not waiter service and the food is supplied in a buffet which is regularly topped up. There is staff around if any problems arise or special requests need to be made. Room check out time was noon but we wanted to go into Greenwich for a stroll around the Sunday market before we left without having the hassle to find parking so we asked if we could keep the car in the car park and this was not a problem. We had the parking space until 2pm in any case but the hotel was happy for us to keep our swipe keys on us until we left even if this was after checkout time. GENERAL STANDARD OF SERVICE AND OVERALL VALUE Overall our experience of Premier Inn was excellent. The staff was all very friendly and helpful. When we did struggle to work the coffee machine in the morning a friendly member of staff was at hand to help out with the minimum of fuss. We didn't have any other problems of note and the check in and checkout process was efficient. The standard of the room was excellent for the price. All areas of the hotel were clean and well maintained the hotel at night was very quiet despite being close to a main road and the parking facilities although limited were very secure. All in all this was an ideal place to stop over when visiting London and the Greenwich area itself is also worth a look. For the price and considering the location this was excellent value and I certainly stay there again. Recommended. For more info check out http://www.premierinn.com ©Mauri 2012 Read the complete review |
|
|
Park Inn by Radisson, (Leigh, Greater Manchester)
by fizzywizzy When we booked a two day 'Mystery Tour' with National Holidays for just £39 each we were not expecting great things from the hotel. The company does use some very good hotels (I am always hearing great things about the hotel it uses in Arrochar) but it also uses some stinkers (I will refrain from naming names because I've not stayed in ... them myself, but there are a few names that crop up repeatedly in negative reviews of National Holidays trips). We were very surprised, then, when our bus pulled in at the Leigh Sports Village and parked up outside the Park Inn. It's not that I think of Park Hotels as being something particularly special, but it was definitely not what I had anticipated staying in. This is rugby league country and the Leigh Sports Village is dominated by the rather swanky and new-looking Leigh Rugby League stadium. On the same complex there's also a large Morrison's store, and a sixth form college. It's just off the A579, lying between Manchester and Liverpool and 6 Kilometres from the M6. The town of Wigan is about fifteen minutes away by car. The location means that there is plenty of free parking. Attractions that are relatively near are Haydock Park, Knowsley Safari Park, the Trafford Centre and the Pennington Flash country park. With cheap tour like this you often find that the accommodation is just far enough out of town that people will stay at the hotel rather than going out in the evening; in other words, they have a captive audience. Fortunately this hotel is just a ten to fifteen minute walk (it should be about fifteen minutes but you can go a lot faster when it's a freezing February night!) from Leigh town centre. It's not the most exciting town in the north west of England but it gives you more options than the rather soulless looking hotel restaurant. I don't know how old this hotel is but judging from the style and things like the road surfaces around it, it looks pretty new. The public areas such as the bar and restaurant lead off the large airy foyer. In contrast the reception desk, hidden behind a large pillar, looks to be too small. Superficially the place looks to be in good repair but there were one or two issues such as a tripping hazard in the restaurant. We were a fairly large group but we were checked in quickly. The receptionist had a list of who to expect and rooms had been allocated in advance. This would seem obvious but not all hotels plan ahead so full marks to the Park Inn staff on this score. This is the first time I've stayed in a Park Inn and the standard of the room met my expectations. Park Inn is the budget arm of Radisson hotels and on the basis of my experience at Leigh, I'd describe them as being at the top end of the budget range. In many respects the brand is in line with the better Premier Inns but the public areas of Park Inns seem to be of a higher quality. Our twin room wasn't vast but neither was it cramped. There was a reasonably sized work station/dressing table and the lighting was well considered so that you could realistically use this area to work in. Bedside lamps were also well positioned, close enough for reading, but not so close you could feel the heat on the side of your head. Ours was an interconnecting room; we tried the door when we arrived to make sure it was locked; it's a shame the other people felt the need to unlock the door on their side and rattle the door handle on ours. Unless you knew the people in the adjoining room, why would you do that? The rooms don't have much personality but they are light, comfortable and contemporary. All rooms come with a digital safe,air conditioning, tea and coffee making facilities and a large flat screen television with plenty of Freeview channels as well as some additional paid for ones. We'd been very generously supplied with teabags and coffee but there were only a couple of little milk pots which was enough only for one hot drink each. The bathroom was light, spacious and well maintained. The walk in shower performed very well; the control was at the opposite end to the shower head meaning you could adjust the temperature satisfactorily without having to stand under the water and be chilled or scalded in the meantime. Instead of bath towels there were lovely fluffy bath sheets though one of ours was shabbier than the other and had a hole in it. Perhaps because we had skipped the evening meal the member of staff greeting visitors at breakfast time said he did not have our room number on his list. He told us to go and start our breakfast anyway and he would check with reception. We knew we were entitled to breakfast but it would have been a courtesy if, after having checked with reception, he had come to confirm that this was fine. Breakfast is a buffet affair; the choices were well presented but unexciting. I did notice that staff were quite attentive, keeping everything replenished as necessary. One positive about the breakfast was that the food was hot without being dried out, an advantage, perhaps of staying at a busy time. On the other hand six plates had to be put aside as too dirty to use, so it was a case of 'swings and roundabouts'. Apart from the stumble in communications with the young man at breakfast, my interaction with the staff was positive. The reception staff were friendly and helpful, providing restaurant and pub recommendations and giving directions. They had a real 'can do' attitude which I often find missing these days. Additional facilities we didn't have time to use include a sauna and steam room. The RBG restaurant is billed as a 'grill' specialising in steaks and burgers. There is free wifi access in the foyer; for access in the bedrooms there is an additional charge. We were pleasantly surprised to be staying in a hotel of this standard having anticipated something much less smart. It's not a hotel with much personality but what it offers is executed competently and cheerfully. Booking 21 or 28 days in advance will bag you a discount of 20 per cent, while booking 10 0r 14 days early will reduce the cost by ten per cent. Generally a standard room without breakfast will cost £50 and with breakfast it's £70. I'd say that £10 each for breakfast is a bit steep. so-called 'business friendly' rooms include breakfast and cost about £86. From a quick look at the website I can't really see what advantages these rooms offer as high speed internet charges still apply. Read the complete review |
 |
Hotel All Seasons London Leyton (Leyton, London)
by juicy_lucy On another visit to second son at uni in London we again wanted to stay somewhere in the East end of the city. We thought that Leyton may have had a makeover ready for the Olympics and so booked this hotel --Location-- The hotle is located in Leyton and really easy to find with a sat nav. The road it is ... on is really busy but once found there is a car park, so the car can be left (hopefully). It is about a 20 minute walk to the tube station and we didnt find a bus which took us close to the hotel, so location not great, --The Hotel-- The hotel itself is spread over two buildings. Check in is simple and in one building but make sure you have a passport or driving licence. We were then told that our bedroom was in the other building, across a busy road. Anyway, the check in area is brightly coloured and accessible and the staff are quite friendly. There is a seated area at reception and a bar as well as a tea and coffee maker, so guests can get free drinks. Then, it was across the road for us. Similar light bricked modern building pretty soulless, and accessed via the usual door which made me pretty nervous given that there appeared to be no security system- simply walk inside and there you go, any bedroom. There is a lift which is a major bonus as we could not see any stairs. Long dark corridors with heavily patterned carpets led us to our room clearly indicated by signs on the walls teeling us where to go. One of the doors on the way to our room had the glass smashed out of it which didnt fill me with hope. --The room and bathroom-- We had booked a room for three and when we got to our room it did have a double bed and a single bed. The room was quite large with plenty of space for us to move around. The bed linen was clean with a single pillow for each guest and the room contained an open wardrobe with 4 hangers, 3 bedside tables and a desk. There was also an ironing board and iron on the wall, tea and coffee making facilities and a hairdryer. All pretty basic but so far all ok. The bathroom had clearly been cleaned but perhaps with a cloth which had cleaned many other rooms because the smell was quite unpleasant- a mixing of cleaning products. Unfortunately there was no window to try to eliminate the smell. There were two towels supplied- clean but neverthe less pretty shabby looking. The sink had a mirror above it and a cabinet at the side to store toiletries. Unfortunately, the bathroom just got worse and worse- the radiator was hanging off the wall the plug didnt come out of the plug hole and the toilet took ages to refill and even when flushed the flusher was quite ineffective. --Breakfast-- Breakfast was in the building where we had checked in and is available from 7am until 10am. We went in each morning at about 9am and each day it was pretty busy. The room is bright and cheerful- lots of green and orange furniture and decor, and plenty of mirrors which made the room seem bigger. The hotel serves only continental breakfasts which included toast plenty of butter and jams, as well as cheese croissants cereals and yoghurts. This is all we actually need, as we dont have a full English breakfast at home, so the actual food bit was perfectly fine. However, on the down side (there always seems to be one!) on both mornings the breakfast room ran out of cups and glasses so we had to wait around for ages for cups and then as soon as it got to 10am, the staff told us we couldn't get another cup of tea. The staff were working hard but because of the number of guests they did seem to be understaffed. --Contact-- 543 and 586 Lea Bridge Road LEYTON E10 7EB The hotel is about a 20 minute fairly speedy walk from the nearest tube station, Leyton. --Verdict-- We paid about £120 for two nights at the hotel which was very reasonable for a hotel close to the city. However, I have had bargain prices for hotels in London before and this was not a bargain. The building with the reception area is quite well maintained but the building with many of the rooms is unkempt and whilst clean, the whole place looks neglected and has many faults. Fortunately, at night, the front door is locked and accessed only with a hotel key. The hotel advertises free wifi but although I had the code, it was impossible to get any internet access. Another problem we had was the parking. Whilst there was a car park we were unable to access the on site parking because it was so small and filled with work vans- the whole front of the hotel was covered in road works. The area surrounding the hotel is not very pleasant and with a busy road separating the two buildings, it's quite unpleasant trundling across the road for breakfast. Lots of faults which outway the positives; this is somewhere I won't be staying again. Thanks for reading Daniela xx Read the complete review |
3 Stars Hotel National |
||
|---|---|---|
|
1 review Address: Pine Lake / Hotel National / Carnforth LA6 1JZ / Lancashire |
|
|
1 review Address: Morar PH40 4PA / Hotel National /Inverness-shire |
|
|
1 review Address: Newgate Street / Hotel National / Newcastle Upon Tyne / England |
|
|
1 review Address: Atholl Palace Hotel Pitlochry Perthshire PH16 5LY / Hotel National / Scotland |
|
|
1 review Address: Junction 10 / Hotel National / A1M / Radwell / Baldock SG7 5TR / Hertfordshire |
|
|
1 review Address: Greyfriars Road / Hotel National / Cardiff CF10 3AL |
|
|
Address: Thorpe Wood / Hotel National / Peterborough PE3 6SG |
|
|
1 review Address: Arden Street / Hotel National / Stratford-Upon-Avon CV37 6QQ / Warwickshire |
|
|
1 review Address: Victoria Quays / Hotel National / Sheffield S2 5SY |
|
|
1 review Address: Bell Common / Hotel National / Epping CM16 4DG / Essex |
|
| 3 Stars Hotel National Recommendations 1 ... 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 back next | ||
| dooyoo Results 61 - 70 of 125 | ||
