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.

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 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 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).

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 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.

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.

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.

Pictures of Holiday Inn, Leicester

View from our window: The Jewry Wall

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

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.

THE ENVIRONS

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.

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)

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.