Last night was my first visit here for a few months and it was my first stay in one of the refurbished rooms. The last few stays I have been upgraded to one of the suites on the fifth floor which hasn't been done yet.

The room was upgraded from a standard double to double plus a few days before the stay and room 730 was pre-allocated when OLCI opened on Tuesday morning.

The refurbished rooms look really good and for a regional Hilton it is quite impressive, particularly the bathroom which has been transformed and no longer feels like you are re-entering 1983.

I didn't have breakfast as I was a bit under the weather following my work Christmas night out so cannot comment on it this time. I also didn't have dinner, however I did notice that the menu is identical to Hilton Croydon.

If staying I would definitely recommend room 730. It is at the very front of the hotel and has two windows facing South which have excellent views on a clear day. I visit here frequently with work and have racked up about forty nights here and refurbishments aside this is the best view I have ever had here. The only downside to the room is it only has a double bed which is a shame as there is enough room for a King.

Now that the season has finished and the hotel is a bit quieter they are taking the opportunity to do some more work. At the moment they appear to be replacing the lifts with one currently out of use.

Things are looking up here and there is a marked improvement. For a long time this was the runt of the litter in the UK, it's good to see some money finally being spent.