Express By Holiday Inn Wandsworth - Battersea, London

Author's product rating:   

Advantages:	Great rooms, showers, TV choice, air - conditioning and great location
Disadvantages:	No restaurant, not much parking, little pricey

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

For those of you who have read my other reviews, you’ll probably know I’m a picky sod. Give me any product or service and I can guarantee to find something wrong or something I don’t like. The review of this hotel is no exception, but I’ll still endeavour to explain why I think the ‘Express by Holiday Inn (Wandsworth)’ is the best place I’ve ever stayed.

Background to the Industry

Holiday Inn is a term that most people who have ever stayed a night away from home are familiar with, even if you’ve never crossed one of their thresholds. However, about 10 years ago Holiday Inns in the UK weren’t all that prolific and with the explosion of ‘budget’ hotels such as Travel-Inns and Travelodges, Holiday Inn were in danger of becoming out of touch and out of step with the rest of the market.

That’s why they imported one of their American Brands across this side of the pond and started building new hotels, christening them “Holiday Inn Express”. The idea was to create a chain of hotels in convenient locations, with a modern basic room, value prices and good car parking; essentially the same as what the competition was doing.

For those of you who don’t know, the rights to the Holiday Inn name are owned by a British company, Six Continents, which are based just down the road from me in Burton on Trent. This was the company created when Bass (the original owners) sold off their brewing divisions and decided to concentrate on hotels. As well as a change of ownership, Six Continents also bought the majority of the old “Posthouse Hotels”, and imported them into the main Holiday Inn brand. For some reason (and I assume it was to avoid public confusion over the various brands) everywhere in the world (except the USA) all “Holiday Inn Express’” were reborn as “Express by Holiday Inn”.

After getting a new name, the new hotels programme was accelerated, with new sites springing up all over the UK. Some were the traditional ‘side of the road’ type places, but increasing they were being built in towns and urban areas. As the individual hotels aren’t actually owned by Six Continents (they are franchised), prices can vary depending upon location from about £30 - £120 per night.

Why did I stay There?

I found this hotel almost by accident. I did a lot of work with clients in London so was working away from home quiet a bit. Traditionally I would stay at another Express by Holiday Inn site, in Colliers Wood, South London (they call it Wimbledon south, but it’s a long way from Wimbledon!).

One night I went to check-in at ‘Wimbledon South’ but they were overbooked and hadn’t got a room for me. I was transferred to the new hotel in Wandsworth. Because I had booked through the internet, my room was guaranteed so as such they were obliged to pay for my taxi to the new hotel, my taxi to work in the morning, as well my first night accommodation. They did this without argument and within about half an hour I was pulling up to this jolly nice new building a few miles away in Wandsworth.

First Impressions

The taxi dropped me off outside the front door. The place was obviously brand new as all the plants in the front garden look like they’d only just been planted. Across the road were some cranes and a building site. It was dark outside so I didn’t get a really good look.

The reception area was brightly lit and the desk swooped around into the lounge area because it had a bar at the other end. There were also vending machines selling drinks and chocolate, should you wish to indulge in midnight snackery. The check-in was painless enough, and after an exchange of credit cards I had my room key. I also noticed the standard tariff of £85 was £5 cheaper then where I had originally booked.

I was directed to the lifts which were just around the corner. My room was on the 6th floor and pretty well signed.

The Room

I inserted my ‘key’ in the card slot on the door and duly entered. The receptionist had explained I had to place my room card in the box just inside the door to turn the lights on. Fortunately the box was lit up so it wasn’t too much hassle. I always think this a good idea, because it means I’m less likely to loose my room key, plus it saves energy.

The room was decorated nicely, and it had the same furnishing as you would get at any other Express. It basically involves an open wardrobe, desk area, bed, sofa, bed-side tables, Telephone and a TV. There’s also a small cordless kettle, and range of tea and coffee and a couple of mugs (proper mugs, not dainty tea cups!). The lighting is also quite nice because you get a range of adjustable halogen lights as well as an up lighter in one corner. It was also spotlessly clean.

I noticed it was a little stuffy so I went to open the window, which didn’t seem to allow much draught in – the only thing it let in was the roar of the traffic from the road below. There was a notice stuck along the bottom saying “Window operation by management only (together with a translation in French)”. I thought it was a little odd as I wasn’t aware of any window opening qualifications which could be required, so I just ignored it.

On my way to the bathroom, I found the reason; a little panel on the wall which said “Mitsubishi”. I pushed the ‘on’ button and the mysterious controls came to life; with the small display lighting up saying said “22 degrees”. After some button pushing, I found that this was an air-conditioning controller which was accompanied by the appropriate icy blast from the vent above. I hastily shut the window to keep the traffic noise out and the cold air in. Why the notice couldn’t have said “Air Conditioned Room – Do Not Open Window”, I don’t know. I think it would have been quiet easy to miss the little panel and spend the whole night in a noisy, warm bedroom.

After establishing my temperature I explored the bathroom. This again was very modern but it only had a shower, sink and toilet. For those of you enjoy a horizontal cleaning experience, you’d probably be disappointed in the lack of a bath. Personally, I think showers are a much better idea, so I wasn’t complaining. By the sink you get a dispenser of Dove soap (which leaves your skin very soft) and in the shower there’s a dispenser filled with some sort of shower gel / shampoo. It’s not exactly Panten Pro-V, but it does the job. Talking of the shower, this is one of the best I’ve experienced. There a good range of temperature and pressure adjustments and you can really get that power shower feeling.

Moving back to the room, the bed was large and comfy. The unfussy design was refreshing and you get a plain white duvet with a couple of pillows. It’s fairly easy to get a good nights sleep, but the wooden headboard isn’t very forgiving if you head-butt it!

The TV had a good range of channels; all the normal ones, plus Sky One, Sky News and a few others.

Check-Out

Check out is as simple as checking in. There was a small queue, but new members of staff appeared from the office and there was no real delay.

Facilities and Location

If you’ve been observant, you may have noticed I didn’t mention the food. There’s a good reason for that – the hotel only does continental breakfast. There is no restaurant for an evening meal and no option of a fry-up in the morning. I don’t eat anything containing yeast, so I normally skip the croissants and toast breakfast altogether. The breakfast is included in the price of the room, so you can really stock up from the help-your-self buffet if you wish.

For something to eat in the evening, there is a Outback Steakhouse across the road (which wasn’t built on my first visit) as well as a 24 hour McDonalds about 2 minutes walk away (which normally does me fine!).

Parking can be a problem. If you bring your car, you’ll either get blocked in or not have anywhere to park. If you arrive late you can use the B&Q car park next door from 8pm to 8am. It’s nice to find a London hotel with parking facilities, even if they are limited.

As far a public transport goes, Wandsworth Town train station (Southwest Trains) is less than 5 minutes walk away, and is only one stop from Clapham Junction, with easy access to the commuter lines.

If you like buses (which I don’t), there a good selection running down the main road towards Central London (via Battersea). If you do not know where Wandsworth is, it’s south of the river, to the west of central London. The hotel is situated on the main road (A3205) which leads directly into Battersea and is close to the A205 South Circular, and A3. By train you can get to central London in about 15 minutes, but be aware trains do not run all night.

Having visited the hotel since my first visit (well, probably about 50 or so nights in the last 2 years), the once building site has now gone. It’s a range of riverside apartments, which now open up a lovely walk along the side of the Thames which is about a minutes’ walk away.

Extra Benefits

Staying at this hotel you can also collect “Priority Club” points. I signed up for this one day, and now have over 30,000 points, which is a few free nights or a couple of cases of wine. It’s free to join and worth doing.

You can also book through the Priority Club website, which stores your preferred hotels, credit card information and room choices (double, smoking for me!) Your priority club number also gets you corporate rates instead of full price plus you can cancel the room up until 4pm on the day of arrival. This is great for me because I’m always changing arrangements at the last moment.

Pricing

The standard room rates are anywhere between £80 and £90 per room per night. This is a little pricey, but not bad for a London hotel. The price includes breakfast and is for up to 2 people.

Summary

This is a great hotel. If you need to work in Central London or the South West London area, it’s a great choice.

Don’t expect marble bathrooms and chandeliers, just great rooms which offer everything you need for a good nights sleep. The whole place is also spotlessly clean and the air-conditioning is great for the summer.

I do think this place is a fantastic find and would recommend anyone to stay there.

Thanks for reading – Rob.