Time for another hotel check – this time focusing on a Holiday Inn Express.
This one is located on the outskirts of Droitwich.
Price Paid
Weekend rates put this Holiday Inn Express at £100 or so a night, averaging around £81.
We have a tradition of only seeing hotels at night in this blog. This is a fact of life. Let’s move on from it.
Where is it located?
This Holiday Inn Express is located a minute away from the M5, Junction 5. It’s within a 30-minute drive to Birmingham or 30 minutes to Worcester and a short drive to Droitwich itself.
Parking
Parking was offered at the hotel, free of charge. Car registration was required at check-in, however.
Check-in
With the hotel prepaid, all that was needed to check in to my hotel was my name. Upon check-in, I was asked to sign a check-in docket. I also added my IHG membership number at that point (as this hotel room was booked for me by a 3rd party).
Checkin desk.
Reception sofa.
Vending machine and self-service
Breakfast and general area.
With that was issued a key card, to access the hotel. The key card is used to access the room – there are no checks to utilise the lifts.
The room was located on the first floor – a short walk away from the elevator.
To the rooms
The Room
I did not request a room layout – so I had a double bed that was made of single beds.
The room was adequately spaced to move around and keep items in. Not the largest room, but more than adequate for a single person or a couple. More than that could be challenging.
The bed was reasonably firm enough and comfortable, – enough for me to get more than a reasonable night’s sleep, although I managed to lose my phone briefly between the two beds.
There were tea and coffee-making facilities, along with a kettle, with water from the tap as needed.
The TV was relatively modern and was good for some minor entertainment – if a little small.
There’s nothing to make you get out of a hotel room than local politics on the telly.
There is also an ironing board with an iron – oh for the number of times I would love to see this at a German budget (or not so budget) hotel.
As for the bathroom, it was clean, with built-in amenities for shower gel and hand-wash gel. It’s nice to see a full bath in the room. There was the clever use of the bathroom door also being used as the toilet door too.
Even the carpet was in good condition. Which is nice.
The heating was controlled via an air conditioner which was nice to see.
However, this air conditioner had a drip problem, with it dripping water during the night.
Power outlets were minimal in the room sadly – with none near the bed – although plenty on the wall where the TV was and near the desk. There was a USB-A outlet near the bedside, which is a nice touch to see.
Wi-Fi
The Wi-Fi was unprotected, just requiring customers to connect to the hotspot. Performance was adequate for a night stop, with it under10Mb both ways.
There were no paid-for option tiers.
Breakfast
Holiday Inn Express offer their “Express Start” breakfast option, which is included in the rate. The combines hot and cold items, as well as special diet options too.
Cereals.
Pastries
Cold items
Hot items (Sausages, Bacon, Scrambled egg and baked beans).
And course, there was tea and coffee.
Because the United Kingdom runs on tea. I run on coffee, but that is besides the point…
Other dining options
An “At any time” pizza offering was available, along with some vending options during the hours when breakfast was not available. The reception also has a bar too.
There was a vending machine available within the hotel as well.
Local Facilities
If you need food and nibbles, there is a Harvester nearby. For those who are lazy, there’s a 24-hour McDonald’s next door.
Check out
Check-out was simple, with reception manned. My key and room number were noted as I deposited my keycard and thanked for staying.
With that, I pootled off into the day in some rested comfort.
Overall
For a night stop – it was pretty good. The bed was good enough to get rest, with decent enough internet connectivity. The only issue was the dripping air conditioning.
Otherwise, not a bad property if you are traversing along the M5 in the West Midlands and need a place to stop that offers breakfast as part of its offering.
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