Express but clean (Holiday Inn Express - Glasgow)

Member Name: Groovee

Product:	Holiday Inn Express - Glasgow
Date:	07/11/04 (113 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 2 minute walk to airport terminal, clean hotel, efficent staff

Disadvantages: Busy, don't leave it too late to book, small rooms

Recently we went to Salou on holiday and unfortunately we had to travel through to Glasgow for the flight rather than a 10 minute drive to Edinburgh. We realised that we needed to check in around 5am which would mean probably getting up at 3am, so we decided to book a hotel near the airport. Express by Holiday Inn seemed to be the best for families and at the same time allow us to have breakfast at 4am.

The Hotel is easily seen from the M8 westbound and when you get to the roundabout rather than going to the airport take exit leading along towards the hotel. You go into a very busy car park and find a space. Then we unloaded the kids and all our lugagge and said goodbye to piccie for 8 days.

The outside of the hotel is immaculate and there is not a spot of rubbish to be seen and it was a lovely hotel to look at with it's white decor. Inside the hotel was clean but as soon as you walk in you are hit by the smoke from the bar. On the right hand side is a small bar and seating area and to bit hit by a cloud of smoke was not pleaseant with 2 under 5's and 2 non smoking adults. On the left handside is a vert clean and nicely decorated open plan restaurant. I glanced at the menu and it was quite posh and looked expensive. We'd had dinner and it was 7pm as we were checking in so wasn't a problem. The restaurant leads all the way up the left hand side and towards the top of the restaurant and opposite it is the reception desk. It was fairly busy but all guests were dealt with quickly and it was a smooth checkin. You leave your car keys when you are checking in and they take you car to a secure parking area for the duration of your holiday. We got a key card for our room which we then had to put into a little slot inside the room for our electricity. Then we headed for the lift. The lifts were very small and in constant use. My husband spent ages walking about trying to find some stairs for him and our daughter to head down instead of waiting for ages on a lift. The lifts were also quite small that 2 people and 2 suitcases took up all the room

The room itself was meant to be a quad room. Space was tight and we had to fold the buggy down which was a nightmare as there was no where to store it. We pulled out the sofa bed and there was no floor space between the bed and the sofa bed. The sheets were clean but there was only 1 pillow each meaning I had a crick in my neck the next morning. We were right on the road which passes the hotel leading round the airport and it was fairly noisy at one point but with the tv on it drowned out the noise. Unfortunately the room wasn't soundproof and the noises from the other guests walking along the corridors and slamming their doors was not the most quiet. Infact at one point we all jumped hwen a door banged as it was so loud.

The bathroom was very spacious. The door worked on the main bathroom doorway or pulled right back and made the toilet more private. The shower was quite powerful and was hot at 4am in the morning. The floor was tiled and sore when our son fell on it, but it was very clean. There were small towels which was great seeing as we didn't want to use the ones in our suitcases. No little extra's were provided in our room which was a bit of a disappointment.

In the morning the TV went off at 4am like we set it to, and we got up organised and headed down to breakfast. It was a basic help yourself breakfast of cereals and rolls, toast and croissants. Ideal for that time of the morning as we would get food on the plane. You also cleared your table before you left and a member of staff then wiped it down before someone else used it.

Checking out was very easy to do. We just signed the forms and handed back the key card and then got our lugagge on to a trolley and headed off to check in on the 2 minute walk to the airport.

For an overnight stay it was fine to stay the one night although, I would go through later next time rather than be there as early as we were. It costs £89 per room no matter how many people are in them, so we had a better deal than couples who may have been staying there too as it cost us £22.25 per person while a couple would pay £44.50 each. The hotel was clean and well run, and I suppose the space for one night was fine, although it would have been nicer to have slightly more room to move about in. But we will be booking this hotel for next year when we go away again.

Summary: