Holiday Inn Leamington Spa - Warwick, An Ihg Hotel

“The best IHG hotel we have stayed in”

We travel regularly from Scotland to France and back. We usually stop at a Holiday Inn Express near my daughter's home near Banbury. We have always found Holiday Inn Express better priced that a Holiday Inn and most HIE allow dogs to stay. Recently however we have noticed the cost to stay at an HIE… more

We travel regularly from Scotland to France and back. We usually stop at a Holiday Inn Express near my daughter's home near Banbury. We have always found Holiday Inn Express better priced that a Holiday Inn and most HIE allow dogs to stay. Recently however we have noticed the cost to stay at an HIE has increased considerably and the car park charge has also increased. In addition to this there is a charge of £30 for our dog to stay. To me this is an outrageous charge as despite claims from the hotel checkin staff that the room is deep cleaned when a dog stays in a room the cleaning staff told me only if there had been an accident did they do anything extra when cleaning the rooms. We searched for dog friendly hotels and we were surpised to see the Holiday Inn Leamington Spa listed. We entered the dates we wanted to stay and we were delighted to find that the hotel was less expensive than a nearby HIE, the car parking was free and the charge for pets was on £10 per night. When we arrived at the hotel we had just driven up through France and then up to Leamington Spa. We arrived four hours early for the advertised checkin however Nick, the hotel general manager, could not have been more helpful and said he would try to find us a room. The room earmarked for us was not ready but he managed to find a room for us and we were able to go to it for a welcome rest. Breakfast, unlike HIE, is not included but by booking breakfast on arrival we saved £12. The room was large with the usual amenities; usb A and C charging points, flat screen tv, WiFi, tea and coffee making facilities and working air con / heating. The hotel was very easy to find and had a large car park. The restaurant area was bright and welcoming. We ate in the restaurant on the first night and I have to say I was impressed by the quality of the food. I think food at HIE is frozen and then cooked but it was obvious the food at Leamington Spa had been freshly made. Reasonably priced as well. Look out for the special offers eg a burger and a pint of lager for £16:95. Breakfast the next morning was also excellent. There was a counter of prepared fresh fruit, yoghurt, cold cooked meats, cheese and crackers, a counter with hot food sausages, eggs (scrambled and fried), hash browns, baked beans, bacon, mushrooms et al, breakfast cereals and fresh fruit, fresh bread and croissants, cinamon swirls etc. Our stay was enhanced by the customer service provided by the staff. We were warmly welcomed by each and everyone and it appeared that their main aim was to ensure we enjoyed our stay. Simple little things like asking if we would like a bowl of water for our dog when in the pet friendly part of restaurant. In particular Carol who worked in the restaurant deserves a special mention. Always smiling and always busy but always had time to answer any questions. The only thing I would say is our room although spotless needed a bit of a refresh. The usual suspects; a spot of paint and a bit of sealant in the shower. This however did not distract from our stay.

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