Pay for convenience (Hilton Warwick)

Member Name: gollygumdrops

Product:	Hilton Warwick
Date:	17/11/00 (323 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to find, mini gym

Disadvantages: Expensive compared to crossing the road

The Hilton at Warwick is under the Hilton National banner, their lower level of hotel, usually pretty much on a par with Forte Post house or Marriott hotels.

The biggest draw for this hotel is its’ location. It is just on the M40 Warwick junction, making it almost impossible to get lost on your way here. It also makes a great base for further travelling. You can walk into Warwick, but I would only advise this on a fine day, in full daylight as there is not a pavement all the way.

The hotel is popular with business users, there is often a selection of training courses, conferences and sales meetings going on. The rest of the weekday visitors tend to be American tourists on their way to tick the Castle and Stratford off their vacation laundry list. Weekends are quieter and you can get some good short break prices.

The hotel does have a gym and pool, provided by ‘Living Well’. Unfortunately the gym is tiny with just five or six pieces of equipment crammed into a small space. The pool is big enough to get wet in, but not spacious enough for a swim. You can opt instead just to have a sauna, or work up a sweat in the steam room.

The breakfast is Stakis style, with a hot buffet offering full English and Scottish ranges, including black pudding and haggis. Pastries, cereal and fruit are available for those of a more delicate constitution. You can get a breakfast on room service, but expect to pay extra for a hot meal.

The food is standard Hilton stuff, with room service options including burger or chicken and chips, or steak dinners. The restaurant has recently undergone an overhaul and now boasts the ‘Britisserie’. This is rather like a British themed bistro. Portions are hearty and the food itself is good, but the service tends to be slow and distracted. Bar meals are provided by Hiltons answer to Starbucks, but sadly it is rather a feeble answer.

Rooms are large enough with
plenty of space to work. Movie channels are pay per view, but you do get sports and news channels in room.

The Hilton has tried to pull its’ socks up over the last year because a Holiday Inn Express has opened on the opposite side of the road. As this motel charges just half of the Hiltons rack rate, I must admit it is my first choice. The rooms are a little smaller, there is no room service and breakfast is nothing to write home about, but I can cope with that at the price.

The Hilton is OK if you are planning on staying in the hotel rather than exploring, but for my own hard earned cash I’d go to the Holiday Inn, and leave the Hilton to the expense account crew.

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