Stayed here for 3 nights, staff very helpful and pleasant. Gave us a room on the top floor as they had a party staying on the Friday night. Comfortable room nice and clean. Complimentary breakfast which is very adequate for us, as we do not have big appetites.
Very central situated, compared with prices in other Hotels we would definately return.

I stayed in the Holiday Inn Express in Newcastle City Centre in Sept 2011 (in the toon for the Great North Run). The hotel was very busy with many runners in town. The staff were very efficient, booking everyone one in quickjly without fuss. The room was clean, basic enough but more than sufficient. A comprehensive buffet breakfast was included in the rate which was appreciated. There wasn't much of interest (to me at least) in the immediate vicinity but the hotel is only a 10 min walk or so from Newcastle city centre. Its around 5 minutes form the nearest Metro station (we got the Metro from the airport).

One minor gripe; When we stayed the Internet kiosk was not working

In summary: this hotel is a great value hotel which I don't hesitate to recommend.

Good location for Metro Centre. Room clean. beds comfortable, could have done with 2 chairs as it was a twin room! Breakfast good except for hot buffet, only eggs, sausage and beans. beans ran out quickly and on asking we were told there weren't any more. In a hotel?
Let down by rowdy party on 2nd night in close proximity to our room. As hotel was not busy it would have been a good idea to put them away from families and couples as predictably they came in at 2.45 and were very noisy.
Check in was good, pleasant and efficient.
Good deal with Easybreaks, including £17 voucher to spend at Frankie and Bennys for evening meals. Staff there were very good.
Urban location.
Durham well worth a visit.
Would use this hotel again on the same deal.

This hotel does everything you would expect from a Holiday Inn Express - decent service, clean rooms, comfy bed and a decent buffet breakfast. It's also 10 mins walk from the city centre and has cheap parking (free overnight!) right next door. So far, so good....!

Really, there's nothing to complain about at all, until 3am that is, when the drunken revellers (think multiple stag & hen parties) come stumbling, shouting, crying, singing and banging along the corridoors completely unchallenged by the hotel staff. On this stay we heard moderate noise from 3am to 5.30am - it wasn't unbearably loud, but even my fiance who sleeps very heavily was woken by it when some drunken chap has lost his key and pounded on an adjacent door for a good 10 minutes trying to rouse a friend sleeping inside. Once the door opened cue hysterical crying from a woman who had it seemed, come home with the sleeping friend and who was then unceremoniously sent on her way at 4.30am so that drunken man could reclaim his bed. This among general rowdiness over the couple of hours didn't lead to a fantastic nights sleep. That said, this wasn't too bad in contrast to last time I stayed here when I had the misfortune to book on a weekend when Newcastle's much loved football team were playing at home and the hotel was complete bedlam from 11pm to 7am with the police called and arriving with sirens blaring 3 times.

Overall, know what you're getting yourself into and if you can, ask for a room at the far end of the corridoor, the further away you can be from the lifts the fewer people will be tramping past your door in the early hours and also on the back of the building so that you won't overlook the crowd of smokers outside the entrance. Also, avoid this place like the plague on match days. If however you will be so drunk that you'll sleep through anything, and/or actually are on a stag or hen do, this is the place for you.

NB: It's probably lovely and quiet through the week!