Catching up with some stays I haven’t got round to posting about yet – this was several months ago.
Upgraded from Queen Std to Queen Premium. I think the only difference is some free drinks and snacks in the minibar.
Lots of power sockets but tiny desk/table.
The UK has been having heatwaves recently, but the weather was cold at the time I stayed. Despite setting the thermostat to the max of 25°C, it was still freezing in the room after coming back from dinner; had to wear extra layers to sleep.
The carpet in the corridors has a weird triggering pattern that brought to mind Vincent Cassel in the
.
There was poor mobile reception in the room - I needed to use a VPN via mobile tethering and my phones could only get signal in the lobby.
There is conflicting breakfast info from earlier posts and earlier versions of the website. The current website clarifies the situation which is:
- 3am – 5am: Grab-and-go options
- 5am – 10am: Full English breakfast buffet
The main reason I stayed here was to have breakfast before a very early train to Scotland. Sadly it was a disappointing experience. Arrived at 0445, dirty plates strewn everywhere, no staff in sight except for a chef. Half of the buffet serving area was empty.
I was then notified my train was cancelled, so stayed until around 6am. Only 3 hot items were put out, HIX quality. Still no staff showed up to take my diamond breakfast voucher. Many guests intending to pay were able to eat for free.
Big contrast to the previous night where the restaurant became “Firin” serving Turkish cuisine. I had needed to spend more to meet the threshold for the IHG Amex offer, so my meal was basically free, but they charged a rather high £31 for what you can see in the photo below. Weirdly, on arrival I was asked to choose either the Turkish or English menu, even though adjacent diners ordered from both - and they also seated many groups uncomfortably close to each other even though there were plenty of empty tables. The food and service were otherwise good. Most of the patrons seemed to be using Jet2 delay vouchers.
