Holiday Inn Peterborough (East of England Way) I stay in a lot of Holiday Inn Express hotels when I travel around the UK, mainly because I have a loyalty card with the group on which I manage to accumulate a lot of points in a year. For example on my recent holiday to Mauritius I managed to get 4 nights at the brand new Intercontinental (usually 300 odd Euro per night) purely on the points I had accumulated from staying in HI Express hotels throughout the previous year. If you are going to use this strategy make sure you look out for the points deals that they run periodically. Essentially these consist of a scheme where you sing up in advance for the deal on their web site and then when you stay for a given number of nights during the promotion period you get a whole bunch of points added to your membership. It’s well worth it since these can really make a difference to your balance.
So these hotels all look the same to me, seen one seen ‘em all, but for the uninitiated they are clean, modern, low cost hotels that are ideal for a few nights here and there. Much more than that and you would soon get bored as there are no real facilities like Gym’s, pools etc.
They do all tend to have a bar and are usually associated with a Harvester pub/restaurant which again is fine for a few nights. They also tend to be a bit out of town so to go anywhere else to eat of an evening you would usually need to take a taxi.
The Check In Test
I was greeted by a very pleasant, smiling receptionist who checked me in and directed me to my room very efficiently. I have seen some awful check-ins – for example the Hilton at Gatwick airport leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to waiting times,
So these hotels all look the same to me, seen one seen ‘em all, but for the uninitiated they are clean, modern, low cost hotels that are ideal for a few nights here and there. Much more than that and you would soon get bored as there are no real facilities like Gym’s, pools etc.
They do all tend to have a bar and are usually associated with a Harvester pub/restaurant which again is fine for a few nights. They also tend to be a bit out of town so to go anywhere else to eat of an evening you would usually need to take a taxi.
The Check In Test
I was greeted by a very pleasant, smiling receptionist who checked me in and directed me to my room very efficiently. I have seen some awful check-ins – for example the Hilton at Gatwick airport leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to waiting times,
often I have had to wait 10 minutes inthe queue to simply check in. I’m sure it depends on the time of day but the HI Express chain never fails to impress with fast check in times.
The Iron Test
No this isn’t some kind of strong man competition! When I travel on business I need to iron a shirt so that I can look suitably “smooth” for my clients, so when I stay in a hotel that doesn’t provide an iron in the room I have to ask for one. This is one of the down sides with the HI Express as they will willingly provide you with an iron at reception which you then have to carry to your room and then bring back after you have finished with it. Also the iron is a standard no-steam device so I always carry a little water spray bottle that I got from Sainsbury’s so I can wet those tough creases and flatten them with ease.
The TV test
This is a fairly new hotel and the TV is a 32” LCD by Samsung. Quite nice and an OK size but with only a dozen or so of the standard freeview channels, so if you are used to satellite TV heaven then you may find there is not much on.
Broadband Test
Wireless broadband is available at a cost of around £6.00 for two hours, booked online with a credit card.
The Restaurant test
As with most HI Express hotels there is not an internal restaurant. Some do, like the one by Slough station and the choice is enough to keep you going for a few nights, but mostly they are situated near Harvester pubs. These have a
The Iron Test
No this isn’t some kind of strong man competition! When I travel on business I need to iron a shirt so that I can look suitably “smooth” for my clients, so when I stay in a hotel that doesn’t provide an iron in the room I have to ask for one. This is one of the down sides with the HI Express as they will willingly provide you with an iron at reception which you then have to carry to your room and then bring back after you have finished with it. Also the iron is a standard no-steam device so I always carry a little water spray bottle that I got from Sainsbury’s so I can wet those tough creases and flatten them with ease.
The TV test
This is a fairly new hotel and the TV is a 32” LCD by Samsung. Quite nice and an OK size but with only a dozen or so of the standard freeview channels, so if you are used to satellite TV heaven then you may find there is not much on.
Broadband Test
Wireless broadband is available at a cost of around £6.00 for two hours, booked online with a credit card.
The Restaurant test
As with most HI Express hotels there is not an internal restaurant. Some do, like the one by Slough station and the choice is enough to keep you going for a few nights, but mostly they are situated near Harvester pubs. These have a
good menu of chicken, steaks, gammon with some pretty cool deserts and an excellent salad bar. All food is well prepared, service is fast and they are find for short stopovers.
The Breakfast test
Breakfast always comprises a buffet style DIY affair with a range of cereals, toast and rather odd tasting croissants available. Coffee and Orange Juice if from machines and is nothing to write home about.
The Taxi Test
I always call reception and ask them if they can book me a taxi for the morning. No problems at this place, the receiptionist willingly obliged. You can assume if I havent posted a rant here that the taxi arrived in the morning on time:-)
The Price Test
The HI Express is a basic, yet clean, efficient, comfortable hotel which will be fine for a few nights stay. The price ranges from about £56 - £99 but check online for details of your specific required dates.
The Breakfast test
Breakfast always comprises a buffet style DIY affair with a range of cereals, toast and rather odd tasting croissants available. Coffee and Orange Juice if from machines and is nothing to write home about.
The Taxi Test
I always call reception and ask them if they can book me a taxi for the morning. No problems at this place, the receiptionist willingly obliged. You can assume if I havent posted a rant here that the taxi arrived in the morning on time:-)
The Price Test
The HI Express is a basic, yet clean, efficient, comfortable hotel which will be fine for a few nights stay. The price ranges from about £56 - £99 but check online for details of your specific required dates.
