Holiday Inn - Lancaster

 

I was in Lancaster for a reunion with people I went to school with and I used this hotel as I am an IHG member this trip would earn me points to use for my main holiday.

The cost was £220.97 for two nights. Perhaps rather more than I wanted to spend but it is what it is.

The hotel is a bit of a distance from Lancaster train station whilst it is walkable – about 25 min, with a case etc a taxi is advisable. The taxi getting to the hotel cost me a little under £7

 

Arriving and check in:

The lobby area was clean and tidy and whilst there was a bit of a wait to be checked in as there was only one person doing this. The person at the check in desk was polite and professional and I was quickly on the way to my room. The bonus this time was I received a voucher for a free drink at the bar.

The lobby area led to a small bar area and the restaurant section. These areas were light and well organised. The selection of draft beer was small but compared to the prices in London it is reasonable.

The lift was quite small and fast although it did make quite a racket so perhaps this needs a quick servicing.

My room was on the third floor and I had booked one of the premium rooms as they tend to be on a quieter floor and tend to be a bit bigger. As it didn’t cost that much more it was worth it.

 

Room:

The room was spacious and well laid out, the large window did allow natural light in and the view I had was of the river, which was nice. However, the flat roof from part of the hotel which was visible as well did spoil this a little – but this is being a little petty.

The bed was a king sized one and the mattress had a topper on it and it was a good level of firmness for me. As you would expect the linens were clean there was the option of the firm and softer pillows was also a good idea and natural feather ones were available form reception. There was also a desk and table each with a chair. The TV was a good size for the room but who stays in a hotel to watch TV?

There was a standard hotel sized wardrobe with two dressing gowns provided as well as a good number of coat hangers, although some actual draws would have a nice addition. There was an iron with ironing board and a hair dryer was found in one of the cupboards under the desk.

The small fridge was in the other side of the cupboard under the desk and this had been stocked with some soft drinks, cans of water and snacks. Sadly, the soft drinks all contained artificial sweeteners so I could not consume them. There was a pod style coffee machine which produced espresso amounts of coffee. Whilst this was a step up from instant I do sometimes want a larger coffee. This could be done by using two pods through the machine then adding hot water from the kettle. However, there was also the usual instant coffee and tea bags provided as well as UHT milk.

There were a good number of power points which were well positioned so charging you phone etc isn’t going to be a problem. The lighting in the room has been well planned with ceiling lights and bedside ones. There was also a desk light, and a standing lamp so working at the desk and reading in the chair can be done easily.

The shower room (no bath so can’t call it a bathroom) was well proportioned and there was the glass shower screen – which I so much prefer to a curtain. Now the shower was a little underpowered although it did get hot quickly and the ceiling in the shower was a little low but you can’t have everything. Now Holiday Inn no longer provide the little bottles of shower gel etc but instead have larger pump bottles fixed to the wall. Now I wouldn’t say the shower gel smelt bad but it wasn’t for me so I would advise taking your own.

 

Nights sleep:

Well, I did sleep well so there are no complaints there. The bed was comfortable and the room was not too warm. The curtains kept the morning light out and they had a good cross over so there was no gaps for light to sneak in. As I was in one of the ‘premium’ rooms it was on a quieter floor in terms of other guests but the lift was rather noisy and perhaps does need a service.

Breakfast:

This was the standard hotel chain buffet style breakfast. The bacon was a little dry probably due to it being under the ‘keeping warm’ lights for a bit too long. The sausages were of a standard quality and the option of hash browns and potato cubes was good. The beans were a little cold but at the time I went down for breakfast they were running out.

There was a selection of cereals as well as yoghurt and some cheese (not sure who would have cheese for breakfast but each to their own) the toast was a serve yourself system with one of those conveyor type toasters. The bread did look a step up from the standard sliced bread you find in most hotels.

Not convinced the cooked breakfast was worth the price paid but I do find after a cooked breakfast I rarely need lunch.

 

Check out

This was fast and easy and again the person behind the deask was polite and efficient. There are two phones in the reception area which connect directly to taxi companies. On my departure it did take a long time for a taxi to arrive – and it wasn’t even rush hour. However, this can not be blamed on the hotel.