I must admit that I had some reservations about staying in the Ramada Jarvis Glasgow Airport. I had stayed in airport hotels before now, and in my experience they were generally built to be functional rather than welcoming, as guests only ever stayed one night on their way to or from a flight. They tended to be noisy places as well, with the sound of flights taking off and landing (and often heavy traffic) intruding during your stay. In short, they were places you only stayed in if you had to, out of necessity rather than pleasure, and they did nothing to enhance your holiday. In this case though, I really did have to – living in Newcastle, I was never going to be able to get to Glasgow airport in time for a mid-morning flight without staying overnight in the city. Besides, staying just 500m from the terminal meant that if anything went wrong (delayed trains, oversleeping on the day of my flight), then I had only to step outside the front door to find myself at the check-in desk!

Having never stayed in a Ramada Jarvis hotel before, I found my first impressions were very good – the hotel was only a year old and very stylishly fitted out. They describe themselves in promotional material as being “chic and contemporary” and I couldn’t really argue with that description. The reception area was large, spotlessly clean, tastefully decorated and subtlely lit; it was obviously somewhere than welcomed business guests on a regular basis. (To be honest, I felt quite out of place in my jeans and scruffy trainers!) Checking in was reasonably straightforward, although the receptionist did have some trouble finding my booking as my name had been incorrectly entered into the hotel’s computer – rather than “Roberts”, I was down as the more Scottish “Robertson” – although it didn’t take long to get sorted out and an apology for the delay was offered. Armed with my key card and a complimentary newspaper, it was now time to investigate my room....

My night’s sleep in the Ramada Jarvis was very comfortable indeed. The bed came with adequate pillows and a duvet rather than those multiple layers of sheets that hotels normally use, the room was warm and I wasn’t aware of any intruding noise. Yes, despite being so close to Glasgow airport that you felt you ought to duck whenever anything took off, despite having one of the largest motorways in Scotland right outside my window and despite the hotel being busy with other guests, my room was peaceful and quiet. I would never have though I was so close to an airport and all its crowds.

· The Food
This Ramada Jarvis hotel comes equipped with its own restaurant, Bagios, where breakfast, lunch and dinner is served. It is located in the open plan entrance area near reception, which I didn’t really like – you were in full view of arriving and departing guests, which somehow didn’t feel very comfortable, not to mention the blasts of cold air that diners were assaulted with whenever the front doors opened. I didn’t sample the lunch and dinner in this restaurant, so I am afraid I cannot comment on it other than to say it is very overpriced (£9.50 for a lasagne!). My recommendation to anyone staying at this hotel is to take advantage of the courtesy bus to go over to the airport terminal, where you will have a wider choice of eating and at more reasonable prices.

· The Final Thoughts
Overall I would say that my stay at the Ramada Jarvis Glasgow Airport hotel was a positive one, although there is some room for improvement. My room was excellent, staff were helpful and efficient and check out was very quick and easy, but breakfast let the hotel down by being limited in choice, slow in service and lethal in toaster. The one night stay cost £59.95 for a twin room with breakfast, booked through www.hotelshopuk.com, which was not exactly cheap, but I have had far worse hotel stays for higher prices before now so I am mostly satisfied with the cost. However, at this price I would have expected better food and more toiletries provided in my bathroom.