Holiday Inn, Leicester

...place to stay - the Holiday Inn, St Nicholas Circle.

Leicester is one of those places in the East Midlands that you tend to drive past on the M1 without a second thought or glance. It only achieved city status relatively late in life (1919) although it is one of the oldest towns in the country. Leicester's very fabric is riven with history and the small area around the Holiday Inn is more concentrated than most. The Romans established ...
...the Shires Shopping Centre. The Holiday Inn sits in the middle of a very busy traffic roundabout which is part of the Inner Ring Road. It is an eight-storey rectangular block with outward facing windows and shares its island with an NCP car park. This rather unprepossessing first view is heightened by the short drive which winds from St Nicholas Circle and ends between these two buildings.

The hotel has 188 guest rooms (of which 104 ... more

Earlier this year like so many dutiful parents we were involved in organising the round of Open Day visits that our daughter was making prior to her making her choice of University placement. As the fates would have it one entry on her short list was the De Montfort University in Leicester. There was only one contender on our short list as a place to stay - the Holiday Inn, St Nicholas Circle.

Leicester is one of those places in the East Midlands that you tend to drive past on the M1 without a second thought or glance. It only achieved city status relatively late in life (1919) although it is one of the oldest towns in the country. Leicester's very fabric is riven with history and the small area around the Holiday Inn is more concentrated than most. The Romans established a settlement (Ratae Coritanorum) where the Foss Way military road crossed the River Soar. It was known as Ledecestre in the Domesday Book. Richard III passed through the town on his way to the Battle of Bosworth (and was reputedly buried there after he was killed). Cardinal Wolsey died at Leicester Abbey on his way to the Tower in London. Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester was a favourite of Elizabeth I who endowed the City's Coat of Arms with cinquefoils in tribute. It was one of the centres of the Industrial Revolution particularly in hosiery and footwear.

I also have a deep personal history in this area. Four generations of my family have lived and worked with one mile of where this hotel now stands. I walked past the site four times a day to and from school between 1957 and 1964. I saw the old buildings bulldozed, the huge scrap merchant yard cleared and the ring road diverted, creating a huge traffic island which was to become St Nicholas Circle. I also saw this hotel being built. I left the City in the early 1970s and this was my first visit for 25 years.

THE HOTEL

The hotel is about three miles from Junction 21 of the M1. Entering the City, follow the Inner Ring Road (A592) past the Shires Shopping Centre. The Holiday Inn sits in the middle of a very busy traffic roundabout which is part of the Inner Ring Road. It is an eight-storey rectangular block with outward facing windows and shares its island with an NCP car park. This rather unprepossessing first view is heightened by the short drive which winds from St Nicholas Circle and ends between these two buildings.

The hotel has 188 guest rooms (of which 104 are double; 81 single bedded). Currently 148 are declared non-smoking rooms. There is an upper level comprising of suites and an executive club. The hotel was completely refurbished in 2002.

The foyer is approached by a large glass revolving door. The reception desk (which had two check in positions and the concierge station) is to the right. Next door was the bell stand with a storage area for left luggage. Their desk also offered a complimentary telephone to a local taxi firm (no waiting taxi rank here).

To the left of the main entrance was a corridor which looked out onto the drive. This had been divided up into small meeting areas furnished with a table, seats and a small desk. It could be used as an overflow bar. It was also designated as a non smoking area.

Straight ahead the foyer opens out into the bar area and behind that the Vermont Restaurant. There is also a small florist shop. The bar is almost semicircular around which there is a row of stools. Off to the left is the main seating (and smoking when we visited) area. This is a full service bar with bottled and draft beer and lager, wines and spirits and takes orders for sandwiches and light bites. At one end is the tea and coffee station.

The Vermont restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is an ambience of polished wood and marble topped surrounds. In decoration it pays at least a little acknowledgement to the American state of the same name with pictures and models of lighthouses, boats and sea memorabilia.

The hotel boasts many facilities that we did not have time to sample including an indoor pool, sauna, solarium and a fully equipped fitness centre. They also have conference and meeting rooms and a business centre.

The area immediately around the hotel (within the perimeter of the roundabout) left much to be desired. There is no garden. There was uncollected rubbish cast aside on the walkways. The paving tended to be cracked with weeds pushing up between the slabs.

Leicester has always prided itself on its cosmopolitan make up. The hotel boasts staff who are fluent in Chinese, Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish.

OUR STAY

We travelled to Leicester by train and took a taxi to the hotel. Because of the one way system and narrow streets, vehicle traffic through the city can be both circuitous and slow. Although the hotel is only about two miles from the station as the crow flies you do need to allow adequate time for your journey. Our trip back on the Wednesday evening turned out to be a nightmare, the taxi taking over 50 minutes to get through the rush hour. Bear in mind also that you have to ring for you cab (ours took fifteen minutes); it isn't waiting in a rank outside.

The check-in facilities were completed with the minimum of fuss and our expenses were covered with the imprint of a credit card. We were allocated two rooms on the third floor - one immediately to the left of the lifts; the other directly opposite. The room opened directly from the corridor. Immediately to the left was the en suite bathroom; a fairly standard affair with shower over the bath and sink in the composite marble top. There was a good supply of large and small towels, toiletries and a hair drier.

The bedroom proper was furnished with two queen sized beds - small by American standards - and we chose to use one each. Each had two pillows and adequate coverings. In use they were comfortable enough. There was plenty of hanging and drawer space. Opposite the end of the bed stood a unit which housed a cable television. This could also receive pay-per-view movies. Further into the room was a desk and chair, on which there was a telephone and lamp, and an easy chair.

The room boasted windows that opened (not that we undertook this lightly given the noise and fumes from the major traffic gyratory outside) but this was unnecessary as there was an efficient air conditioning system. The windows were double glazed which provided good sound insulation when closed. Over the far side of the road we had views over the Jewry Wall site - our daughter could see out to the canal toe path. The curtains screened the light adequately. We were given coffee and tea making facilities and there was a locked mini-bar (not sampled!). There was even a trouser press.

The room was provided with a high speed internet access (connection fee £15) which again we did not use.

We sat in the coffee bar end with snacks and a drink on two occasions. We had drinks in the bar with a cousin who still lives in Leicester. We were discussing family history matters and the seating area near to the entrance was very comfortable.

The evening meal (starter, steak dinner and dessert) at the Vermont Restaurant was reasonably priced, about £35 per head, quite well presented but unmemorable. The restaurant was almost empty. Breakfast was served in the same place in buffet fashion with the usual range of cereals, toast, grilled items (bacon, sausage, egg) but were gave the impression that there was a hurry to clear the restaurant. We were given "quick check out" checks even before the coffee cups were drained.

I did have one contretemps with the Link ATM in the foyer. It failed to deliver the full amount of a withdrawal (one note stuck up the chute; two others retained in the bowels of the machine). The receptionist was helpful in setting the ball rolling to get me a refund.

THE ENVIRONS

Immediately to the north of the hotel are significant examples of Roman (the Jewry Wall and baths excavation) and Norman (the eleventh century St Nicholas Church) Leicester. To the east, stands the 14th century wood framed Guildhall next door to St Martins Cathedral (and my old school). To the south lies the Castle Gardens which lie in the lee of the remains of Leicester Castle and has a monument to King Richard III. Nearby is the beautiful Church of St Mary de Castro and the De Montfort University. To the north lies the West Bridge over the canal and the river Soar where there are remnants of the old Great Central Railway and of famous industries (Pex and Foxes Glacier Mints).

It is not immediately obvious how you get off the island once you leave the foyer. There are two traffic light controlled pedestrian crossings. There is also an elevated walkway which stretches across the road and the island from the Castle Gardens to St Nicholas Church. Once you have achieved this, Leicester is a very compact city. The High Street plays host to a large shopping centre - The Shires. A maze of small streets and arcades lead into Leicester Market which is the largest covered market in Europe and where you can still find the fruit-and-vegetable stall owned by the family of a football personality who started his career with Leicester City. The hub of the city is the Victorian Clock Tower. Leading away to the south is Leicester's shopping street, Granby Street.

BOOKING

We booked our stay on the internet (http://www.superbreak.com/) about six weeks before we were due to travel. Our booking worked out at £64 per person per night which included a full breakfast. It is also possible to book through the parent website Intercontinental Hotels Group (http://www.ichotelsgroup.com)

FINAL COMMENTS

The Holiday Inn is rated 4* and given the provisos mentioned above does struggle to reach that appraisal. The rooms were comfortable enough, the service was quite good, the bar and restaurant were quite reasonable. Despite its immediate surroundings it is right in the heart of the City and within walking distance of the central attractions. So my "good" is a rating within it's 4*. Yes, knowing these limitations, we would stay there again.
 

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