I'd say the rooms are exactly the same as Roger notes in the
Liverpool review but my expectations differed. As I booked a studio suite I expected the living room/kitchen area to be combined with the bedroom as that's what estate agents generally mean by the term 'studio'. The room was a decent size, bed comfortable, good range of channels on the TV, a complimentary welcome beer in the fridge and a good shower. I agree with Roger though that I'd miss a bath if I was taking a long stay.
I was told at check-in that they try to put platinum members on the top floor with a riverside view when possible. I enjoyed the view, you could see the bridges from the room as well as the Baltic gallery and the old Tyne Tees Television studios.
The staff certainly seem better than those Roger experienced in Liverpool, they were all friendly and seemed eager to please. There's no bar as such, there's a beer pump hiding behind a locked door in the kitchen area which is used on Monday - Thursday evenings when they offer free food and drink between 6 - 8 pm, as I was staying the weekend I never had the opportunity to sample this but the receptionist did offer me a free pint on arrival.
Breakfast finishes at 10:30 on weekends but they're not in a hurry to take stuff away so I seen people turn up later and still manage to get a decent breakfast. The range consists of a selection of cereal, pastries, breads, yoghurts and a number of hot items. On the Saturday this was bacon, scrambled eggs and beans, on Sunday the bacon had been replaced by sausages. Everything was self service, including the tea and coffee (the coffee machine is available to use all day) but the staff were on hand to ensure that the tables were kept clean. Overall the breakfast was better than a Holiday Inn Express.
Facilities: the hotel had a small gym and a laundry room which was free for guests to use (you could either supply your own detergent or buy it from their shop), the shop was 24 hours and stocked a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, snacks and microwave meals. Just like a Holiday Inn Express you're welcome to order in your own take away food (and you can
earn points on this if you order online) or if the budget is tight you can prepare your own food in the in-room kitchen.
Location: close to the quayside and within walking distance of the main station if you're familiar with the area. If it's your first visit or have heavy bags I'd recommend a taxi from Newcastle Central station. The nearest Metro station is Manors, there's also a Manors National Rail station but this can be disregarded as it only has a couple of trains a day serving it. For the distance involved I'd not recommend getting the Metro from Central Station to Manors as the distance is so small but you'd need to change trains at Monument station. I believe the airport is about 25 minutes away on the Metro. I didn't use the Metro this trip but as far as I know these ticket machines still do not accept notes or credit cards so make sure you have some change. There are plans to update the ticket machines at some point.
Check-out: no problem allowing a 2pm check-out. No attempts to charge for what should be a standard Priority Club benefit.
Price: just like Liverpool it was quoted without VAT. The general rule with IHG properties is that only the ones in Central London are quoted without the VAT. Presumably because this hotel is aiming to be a 'home away from home' for business travellers they believe most people will be claiming their accommodation on expenses. The room rate was slightly cheaper than the HIX (even taking into account the VAT) and I believe I got a great deal.
Overall I'd recommend this place to stay particularly as it's priced competitively with the nearby HIX. For city centre stays the only IHG options are the HIX and this new Staybridge. There's also a Holiday Inn but that's too far from the centre.