Hotel Indigo Durham (revisit)

What is your Priority Club status? Platinum

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay? Not so much this time

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? Booked a standard Double, upgraded to a Premium room

How are the rooms?
As a hotel this has been one of my favourite properties to visit being a re-purposed old council office building. All the old features remain (though the pictures can't do it justice, and the rooms have a classy feel to them. A stay in mid July with bright sunlight streaming through the large windows make it a nice place to stay. This visit though in mid-November and the room was cold and dim. The room needs much more lighting, it's just gloomy with the curtains closed or after 4pm when the sun has gone.
And the room was cold. Not just a bit chilly. But cold. The air-con was set at 21C, but it felt closer to 16-17C. Changed the controller to heat 10 mins after arriving and set it to 28C to get some warmth throughout and go for food. Come back and the room is just as cold. I complain at reception and they said that if it's set higher than 23C then it doesn't operate at all. So i go back and set it to 23C.
In the morning it's still cold so on leaving i pass by reception and ask for someone to check it. In the evening they say it was checked and nothing wrong, but still set to cool at 21C. a couple of hours later and still it's cold there and i pass by reception - They manually override the setting from there and "...it should be better...". After dinner i go back and no improvement, so i ask for a heater and they give a small electric oil radiator. far too small for such a room with a high ceiling. More complaints at reception, no more heaters available so i ask to change rooms but it's fully booked (i checked, it was). Shouldn't be so difficult to get a room warm - The corridors outside were warmer...

How is the exec. lounge?
n/a

What was good and what was bad?
good
Bed was comfortable, shower was nice
The building and it's architecture
Fresh cooked breakfast (although slow when fully booked)

bad
Very dim lighting
Cold room throughout the stay and would not warm up.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
I paid around £120euro/night with breakfast on a flexible corporate rate. Will be returning, though can't say i'm not disappointed after this visit. Though i hope when its warmer.



Iphone over-correction shows this much brighter than it really was

Much closer to how it really was. Bed brightest part of the room except the desk.

Ornate entrance hall and stairs with old tiling

Rotunda Restaurant. You need to book in advance if you want the mezzanine if you want the view down.

...and bar

Hotel's own beer in the minibar. Few hotels have their own named brew