First looks are a bit deceiving in this case; yeah the rooms are small and in need of an update, but the staff are friendly and it's nice and quiet at night - good nights sleep. It probably would be a bit sticky in the summer though as there's no air conditioning. I've certainly stayed in a lot worse holiday inns, like Peterborough or CroydonMore
Whilst this hotel is in need of some modernisation it's a home away from home for myself and many of my colleagues. We can't fault the effort that the staff at this hotel will go too in order to make our stay a pleasant one. On the whole the range of facilities available is very good and the food menu has enough to tempt us to stay in on many occasions.
Dear Guest,
Thank you for taking the time to review the Holiday Inn Swindon.
All of our Tripadvisor comments are shared with the team at our daily morning meetings, comments such as your that refer to us a 'home away from home' are fantastic for our staff to hear to keep them uplifted for the day ahead to ensure we continue to provide the service standards that you have so kindly commented on.
Thank you again for your review and we look forward to welcoming you back very soon.
Kind Regards
Helen Norcup
My work requires me to stay away from home 3 nights per week and I am currently based in Swindon. I have tried a few other hotels in the area but have settled into the Holiday Inn and been there now for over 2 years. The reason I choose it over the other hotels is purely down to the staff. Yes the hotel is a little bit tired and could do with a bit of refurbishment but the staff make up for that in bucket loads. They are friendly, helful and welcoming, from Jan and the team in reception who ensure that you dont queue for ages to check in or out to the bar staff, you always get a smile and an efficient service. Yvonne' team in the restaurant in the evening are efficient and cheery at the end of a busy working day and you dont feel awkward being a woman alone in the restaurant having dinner alone. Lorraine and her team ensure you leave for work with a hearty breakfast inside and even if you dont have time they will prepare you a coffee and snack to go.
The rooms are basic, functional and clean and for what they charge I think it is value for money. As I stated before we stay there for the homely feel of the place which is created by the excellent staff that they have. Give it a try. You wont be sorry.
Dear Guest,
Firstly thank you for taking the time to review the Holiday Inn Swindon.
We are delighted to hear that you refer to the hotel as a 'home away from home' we aim to provide great customer service and provide a welcoming enviroment for all of our guests here at the hotel.
The team aim to go over and above to provide all we can for our guests and to ensure our guests leave happy.
All of our comments and feedback are shared with the team and this is always a fantastic positive way for the staff to start the day with reviews such as yours.
Once again thank you for taking the time to review the Holiday Inn Swindon and we look forward to welcoming you back very soon.
Kind Regards
Helen Norcup
Dirty sink - toothpaste and hair.
Slow room service - took over an hour to arrive.
Phone in room did not work so had to walk to reception to order food and then go back an hour later find out where it was. Then had cheek to charge £3 for tray service. Rooms old and tired not up to standard for price charged. Staff not interested just shrugged shoulders when told about dirty sink. Will not stay here again. Food was poor, not salt and pepper on tray, who puts icecream on hot dessert for room service, common sence says put in separate bowl. Pudding was microwaved and was therefore really hard and unpleasant.
Dear Guest,
Thank you for taking the time to review the Holiday Inn Swindon.
We are disappointed to hear that you did not enjoy your stay with us here at the Holiday Inn Swindon.
With all of our guests comments these are shared with both the staff and the management team at our daily meeting, we take all feedback from our guests good or bad and do our best to learn and put together training or procedures to prevent the same feedback from our guests.
We aim to give great customer service and for all of our guests to leave happy and we are sorry to hear that in this case thats not how you left feeling about the hotel, once again we would like to thank you for your feedback.
Kind Regards
Helen Norcup
Look, what’s important to realise about this site is that essentially it is someone’s opinion about a particular establishment on a particular day.
What is relative to my review is I am an easy man to please and as long as the basics are there I’m happy.
Also relative to the review is I got a dinner, bed and breakfast rate of £58.00, which I thought was fantastic, so originally I was going to title this review ‘you get what you pay for’, but even so.........
I remember staying at this hotel a couple of years ago and not being happy about something, but not remembering what it was, well it didn’t take too long to realise what it was.
The hotel is generally clean and all the staff we came into contact were pleasant enough.
It becomes apparent quite quickly that the hotel must be one of the older in the group because the fixtures and fittings in the rooms, while clean, are obviously dated.
At first I couldn’t remember what the dining room reminded of and then it came to me, an early 80’s motorway service station, complete with cheap tables and chairs.
We had dinner at the hotel (included in the price), we were told which items we could select and it was explained that we could have other items off the menu at a small supplement. I noticed at the bottom of the menu that they would add a 10% ‘discretionary’ service charge to the bill.
We were offered the wine list and the prices on it, in my opinion were over the top, averaging around the £18.00 - £20.00 mark. Now I know we are in a hotel and I know there is a mark-up but they must be getting that wine for £2.00 - £3.00. These prices were reflected across the bar with a pint of larger at £4.00.
The meal was adequate with the staff serving it polite and attentive.
We slept well in the room and woke up to find our bill had been pushed under the door in case we wanted to use the ‘express’ checkout.
I noticed they had added the 10% service charge to the whole of the restaurant bill, what I mean by this is someone had decided what % of the total bill would be taken up by the evening meal (without my knowledge) and added that to the bill and charged me 10% of that. How can I be charged 10% of an amount that I am not aware of?
We went down to breakfast, and while the cooked breakfast was warm the staff could have been quicker in replenishing the different items, there always seemed to be someone standing around waiting for an item of food (this seems to be a theme that runs through several Holiday Inns).
Just before checking out I popped to the loo at the side of the reception. Well it was disgusting. I won’t even tell you what was in the first two cubicles and the third was swimming in water. Now I know that the toilets are used by all guests at the hotel but for there to be an issue with all three cubicles either means they are un-lucky or they are not being checked, and this was 9.45 in the morning. And before you ask, no I didn't report it to reception because by this point I just wanted to leave.
So all-in-all a disappointing visit which I would put partly down to a lack of basic standards and a hotel that is in need of a refurb in certain areas.
At the start of this review I said I was going to call it you get what you pay for but I now think even at £58.00 you I was short changed.
Dear Guest,
Thank you for taking the time to review the Holiday Inn Swindon, we are sorry to hear that you did not enjoy your stay with us here.
We aim to provide great customer service and for all of our guests to enjoy their stay here with us at the hotel.
We are also disappointed to hear that you did not feel that you could not report your concerns with our team before leaving the hotel.
Once again thank you for your comments, these will be passed on to higher management for areas of improvement to be worked upon.
Kind Regards
Helen Norcup
We stayed here for 1 night on the way back home after seeing friends in Bristol. We used our priority points towards the cost of the room which was quite useful. We have stayed here before and never had any problems. Infact, some of the reviews on the decor are a bit unfair. Yes, in areas, some of the exteriors need a facelift, but that is more than compensated for the friendly staff, modern interiors and clean/comfortable rooms.
Check in - Great staff, very friendly and helpful sorting us out with some extra pillows for the kids.
Room - Good size room ,however compact bathroom with low water pressure for the shower. All clean however with working air con, comfortable beds and new HD TV. Ample towels, shower gels/shampoos and tea/coffee making facilities
Breakfast - Again, good choice of hot/cold foods, cereals, fruits, juices, as much as you want. Staff member was friendly however she could have done with some help to clear plates away, restock on items etc. We did not have dinner as we arrived late in the evening.
Pool - This adds value to the stay with a clean area, warm pool/hot tub/sauna etc. That was nice to do just before we checked out and headed for the local outlets.
Check out - No issues. Tip - If you book a room without breakfast then decide to have it when you check in, book it at reception rather than the restaurant as it is £4-£5 cheaper.
Overall, a great place to stay in my opinion, and will come back again when next in the area.
Dear Guest,
Thank you for taking the time to review the Holiday Inn Swindon and thank you for your loyalty by having joint our Priority Club Rewards scheme.
We are so pleased to read that you enjoyed your stay here with us here at the hotel, the great detail of your review is very helpful for other customers who may use Tripadvisor before booking our hotel.
All of our comments are fed back to the staff and its always a great way for the staff to start the day when there is a review such as yours where you have commented the staff were 'great' and 'very friendly'.
We are all delighted to hear that you will be returning when next visiting friends and we look forward to welcoming you back very soon.
Kind Regards
Helen Norcup
