Holiday Inn Express Liverpool-Knowsley, Liverpool

Author's product rating:   

Advantages:	Price, position, staff
Disadvantages:	position (if you don't have a car)

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

When staying overnight in this part of the world, I normally use the Premier Travel Inn at Aintree but they wanted £79 midweek excluding breakfast so I decided to investigate other options.

Having passed the HI Express numerous times on my way to/from Liverpool, I had a look at their website was pleasantly surprised to find the room price was only £55 including breakfast. The hotel has 80+ rooms over 4 floors and has a lift.

I chose a smoking room and the only one available was a family room with double bed and double sofa bed for the same price. The room itself had tea/coffee making facilities, hairdryer, tv, internet access (wired), extra pillows and enough hanging/storage space for a few days stay. The bathroom was very clean and a good size with a walk-in shower. I think most of the rooms have showers so, if you're a bath person, it might be worth checking on booking.

The continental breakfast is served in the bar area and there is plenty of it including fruit, cereals, yoghurt, bread, croissants, tea, coffee and juice. There is also a complimentary newspaper available in the mornings.

There is a bar but no restaurant in the hotel. There are, however, a whole host of takeaway menus available in reception and these all deliver to the hotel. There are also vending machines for soft drinks and snacks in reception and the Suites Hotel next door has a restaurant.

Position is good if you're driving - at Junction 4 of the M57, it is aproximately 8 miles from Liverpool City Centre and 6 miles to Liverpool/Everton football grounds and Aintree racecourse. Obviously being at a motorway junction and on the edge of an industrial estate, it is not going to have the local amenities of a city centre hotel, but it depends what you're looking for. You can travel by bus to the City Centre but this entails a walk to the bus-stop (5-10 mins) and a change of bus about halfway. I'm not sure how frequent the buses are but Traveline (www.traveline.org.uk) should be able to help.

I'm not sure if they've had/still have a problem with car crime in the area, but there are plenty of notices advising not to leave valuables in cars and the car park is covered by CCTV. There are ample parking spaces and we didn't have any problems.

The staff are very friendly and happy to assist whenever they can. I asked for extra coffee and milk for the room and this was immediately forthcoming. HI Express also have various toiletries availabe for free if you forget anything.

As part of the Intercontinental Hotels Group, you can earn their Priority Club points on stays at HI Express if you're a member.

Overall, this stay was better value than a lot of the budget chains at £55 (including breakfast for two people) and I will definitely be staying again.