Express by Holiday Inn is a range of budget hotels from the Holiday Inn chain. They are similar to Premier Inn in the standard of accomodation offered, except that at Express by Holiday Inn you get a continental breakfast included. The hotels all tend to be very similar, so you will know what to expect before you arrive.

In February of this year, I stayed at the Express by Holiday Inn in Bath for two nights, with my husband and our two year old daughter. The hotel is located a little way out of the city centre (about a 15-20 minute walk) but this didn't bother us, as we don't mind walking. It is on Lower Bristol Road, Bath, BA2 3QU. We travelled by train, and walked to the hotel from Bath Spa Station, which was about a ten minute walk. The area that the hotel is in is not the most attractive, and is probably more of a student area, but it didn't take long to get to the centre and all it's attractions.

The hotel is a modern building, with a large car park to the side. Inside, the decor was clean, bright and modern. The check-in was quick and we went up to our room in the lift. The room was a family room, costing £70.00 per night (booked through hotels.com and Top Cash Back) and was not as large as the one at Holiday Inn Brighton that I stayed in recently. It was adequate for a two night stay in a budget hotel, though, and was clean, warm and comfortable. The beds(a double and a sofa bed) were comfortable to sleep in, and the room had air conditioning, wifi (we didn't use this), tea and coffee making, satellite television and an ensuite bathroom with shower gel and hand soap provided.

The breakfast at the hotel was self service and Continental. There was a choice of toast, bread rolls, pastries, croissants, yogurts, fruit, cheese, jam, fruit juice, tea and coffee. Whilst not of the highest standard I have ever had, it was certainly adequate for our needs. I noticed that there were quite a few families staying there (it was half term) as well as business people. There was a bar on the ground floor of the hotel and complimentary newspapers each morning. Near the lift was an area where you could get extra supplies of tea bags, coffee, milk, sugar and sweeteners. Something that was really useful to us was the ice machine. We collected a large container of ice each evening to leave our daughter's milk in, as she likes to have a drink of milk as soon as she wakes up, and there was no fridge in the room to keep it cool.

I would stay at this hotel again if visiting Bath. It is very good for families, and the prices are good for Bath, which tends to be quite expensive for hotel accomodation. It is easy get to the city centre, near to the train station and there is a large car park adjacent to it. The fact that breakfast was included was a welcome bonus, too.

www.hiexpress.co.uk