Holiday Inn Express, Stafford

...wouldn't drag me into a Holiday Inn Express (aka Express by Holiday Inn), but I needed somewhere reasonably priced to stay near Staffordshire Country Show Ground that would accept dogs. My former Stafford hideaway, the Tillington Hall won't consider dogs unless they are guide dogs, and all the other 'larger chains' wouldn't either, so it was the HI Express or get up VERY early on the Thursday morning.

LOCATION
With 103 Guest ...
...commonly known as Express by Holiday Inn, STAFFORD M6, JCT.13. It is an ideal location for visits to Stafford, Alton Towers, Staffordshire University, the Potteries and the Staffordshire County Show Ground.

CHECK-IN
Reception was busy, alongside a bar, and I am sorry to say, very understaffed - sadly this seems to be a common feature of UK hotels in current times. That said, the staff were friendly and efficient when it came ... more

Under normal circumstances, following a few unpleasant experiences, wild horses wouldn't drag me into a Holiday Inn Express (aka Express by Holiday Inn), but I needed somewhere reasonably priced to stay near Staffordshire Country Show Ground that would accept dogs. My former Stafford hideaway, the Tillington Hall won't consider dogs unless they are guide dogs, and all the other 'larger chains' wouldn't either, so it was the HI Express or get up VERY early on the Thursday morning.

LOCATION
With 103 Guest rooms, it is conveniently situated a couple of hundred yards off Junction 13 of the M6 in Acton Gate, this place is extraordinarily easy to find. In fact, it is so close to the motorway it is commonly known as Express by Holiday Inn, STAFFORD M6, JCT.13. It is an ideal location for visits to Stafford, Alton Towers, Staffordshire University, the Potteries and the Staffordshire County Show Ground.

CHECK-IN
Reception was busy, alongside a bar, and I am sorry to say, very understaffed - sadly this seems to be a common feature of UK hotels in current times. That said, the staff were friendly and efficient when it came to check in, dealing with queries and serving at the bar.

If you want to add extras to your room, you will be required, in common with most hotels, to provide a swipe of your credit card for pre-authorisation. You will also be required to provide address details (if not already available) and your car registration number.

Once you have been 'processed' you will be issued with a card key for your room and despatched on your way. (You will need this card for your electricity in your room, so if there are a couple of you, it may be advisable to ask for more than one).

Split over three floors, this outlet is bright and modern. There are vending and ice machines on the ground floor opposite the lift, and it is very clean.

BOOKING
We booked a family room offering accommodation for up to 2 adults and 2 children. As the price (£62 for the room including continental breakfast) was the same for a twin or family room, we opted for the latter to allow us extra space with the dog. The hotel was booked through my own website which I cannot identify here, however, it can also be booked through www.ichotels.group.com - if purchased in advance you will pay £58.65 (non-refundable in the event of cancellation), IC Hotels best flexible rate for weeknights appears to be £69 per room.

THE ROOM
The room was spacious with a double bed and bed settee, small table area, desk working area, wardrobe storage space, colour TV and tea/coffee making facilities.

As with most modern hotels, the room was en-suite, although only offered a sink, toilet and small shower area - the water power was very poor and required some twiddling to get any sort of decent shower out of it.

Again, everything was spotlessly clean, bright and modern with ample lighting and electrical points.

Large towels were provided as were extra pillows. The size of the bed (a standard double) was a little disappointing after the 6 footers of the Premier Travel Inns, but nevertheless was sufficiently comfortable.

Wireless internet access is available in all guest rooms at a speed of 500K through my hot zone - costing £5 for one hour or £10 for 24 hours. (This is 24 hours from first use of the voucher, NOT 24 hours connectivity).

FOOD
The main downside of Express by Holiday Inns, is that they do not serve food for their guests - as someone quite frequently accustomed to travelling alone, this would be sufficiently good reason NOT to stay here. However on this occasion I was with my OH, and had my mouth in shape for a meal at one of the two adjacent restaurants, the Square Orange or Tom Cobbleigh's Restaurant.

Both situated directly opposite the hotel, Tom Cobbleighs is currently offering 2 meals for the price of 1, while the Square Orange offers 15% discount for guests staying at the Junction 13 Express by Holiday Inn.

Unfortunately, the puppy had other ideas, and we found ourselves hungry and in something of a quandary as to how to get some food. The receptionist quickly came to the rescue furnishing me with menus for a local Indian, Kebab House and Perfect Pizza, and the number of a local Chinese take-away, all of which delivered to the hotel for no extra charge. On recommendation, we opted for a take-out from the Perfect Pizza, despite being promised within 45 minutes, it took around an hour and 10 minutes to arrive, but on eating, late delivery was quickly forgiven as it was absolutely stunning. Reception staff did offer us the option to eat in the bar, but we decided on the room to give the puppy time to settle down.

Breakfast
Continental Breakfast at Express by Holiday Inn is complementary. At Coventry, the quality and cleanliness was appalling, the same cannot be said for Junction 13. The restaurant was spacious and well laid out, there was a choice of cereals, fruits. Yogurts, cheese, toast, juices, pastries and bread rolls, all washed down by freshly (machine) made tea, coffee or chocolate. The only thing really missing was a cold meat platter.

DRINKS
There was a small bar area with comfy seats, and smoking permitted. The selection of drat beers was not great, limited to Boddingtons, Stella Artois or Peetersen which I understand is a weaker form of Stella. A pint of Bitter and half lager came to £4.50, a glass of wine (very large) was £5 and a large G&T (35ml shots) was £6.95. Drinks can be charged to your room, and we spent a leisurely few hours in the bar watching the footie on Sky before returning to our room

You can add drinks to your bill, and for the first time ever, I was impressed to see full electronic integration at work; no signature was required and all drinks were charged to your room by swiping the electronic key-card for your room.

MY VERDICT
I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised. I am not a great lover of these types of outlets, however, the Express by Holiday Inn, Stafford restored my confidence somewhat, it was comfortable, clean and staff were pleasant and helpful.

If I had any criticism, it was the overwhelming feeling that the hotel was woefully understaffed, although talking to the staff, they did point out that in the morning they 37 rooms available, but by the evening they were virtually full. I would guess that its location possibly makes it frequently overlooked for advance bookings and it therefore tends to act as a last minute stopover for many. But if you are in this region and need reasonably priced clean comfortable accommodation then you could do a lot worse than the Holiday Inn Express, Stafford. If you want something with good leisure facilities and those little extra comforts and don't mind paying a bit more, then The Tillington Hall just off Junction 14 of the M6 is definitely worth a closer look.

NB: If you are taking pets with you, please ensure that you contact the hotel to advise them beforehand.

Express By Holiday Inn
STAFFORD M6, JCT.13
Acton Gate, Acton Court
Stafford,
ST18 9AP
Phone 0870 7202295
Fax: 0870 7202296

 

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