I have to say it - but this hotel is one of my favourite hotels in the world. Just everything about the Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown is perfect. I'm as you will know a big fan of the Indigo brand from IHG. I've stayed at a number of them and another one of my favourites is Hotel Indigo Bath. But the Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown tops this in every way. It's my must go to hotel in Dubai when I stay in the city and for everything that it has to offer there isn't much more that it has to offer. Nestled amidst the towering skyscrapers and bustling streets, this boutique hotel offers a tranquil oasis that provides the perfect escape from the city's hustle and bustle but also close…

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I love a good Indigo Hotel! Of all the reviews you'll find on this site - the Indigo brand is one of my favourites. So when the team at Hotel Indigo Bath asked me to do a review for them of their newly opened hotel I was more than willing! The Indigo hotel chain which is part of the IHG group of hotels is their more boutique brand. Not so much copy and paste like you might find in a Holiday Inn. More the type which plays on local history, the local styling etc... Earlier in 2020 I stayed at Hotel Indigo Stratford and this was an excellent example. Lots of theatrical references, playing on the Shakespeare name etc... I couldn't therefore wait to get to Bath and see what…

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So I first came to Dublin about in 2006 time I love the city and it's with lots of great bars clubs and a fantastic friendly population. The Beacon Hotel isn't in the city centre but is outside of the city in the area of Sandyford. I first visited here in about 2018 and since then the hotel has undergone some refurbishment and refresh, having said that, in it's previous incarnation it wasn't exactly poor! I arrived late at night (hence the dark room photos)but I had a very warm welcome from the front desk. Upon entering the room the first thing to strike you as the size of the both the room and bathroom. This isn't a small box room, it's a large spacious room with large bed, lots…

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I've always liked Bath as a city, it's probably because I spent a load of my childhood growing up and living in Cambridge that I've always found the city to be a great place to visit. The mixture of the old stone work, the historical buildings, the narrow streets, and all the charm that this brings always makes for a nice trip to Bath. Due to the lack of choice of Hotels, I had a bit of an upgrade to a standard that I wouldn't usually go for on my recent stay here. The M Gallery Francis Hotel sits high up in the Accor range of hotels. This is no Ibis! Recently renovated it describes itself as "an exemplary ensemble of Georgian townhouses on Bath's original classic square". Quite frankly…

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In the last year or so I've become a bit of a convert to the IHG chain of hotels. A number of reasons really - but I find them to be good value and a bit more consistent than my previous chain of choice with Accor. Due to location of meetings though I stepped away from the usual Holiday Inn or Holiday Inn express and stayed in the Crowne Plaza in Basingstoke. The hotel is situated just off a main road quite close to the city centre. As always I arrived quite late in the evening - so didn't really have time to explore the neighbourhood around the hotel. Parking was ample for the car and was free (which makes a change from a few of my recent stays!) On…

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After a short xmas break I was back on the road again! In the first few weeks of 2017 a short hop from Stansted with easyjet took me to Glasgow for an industry conference and exhibition. Given the conference was at the SEC there is really not a better place than the Crowne Plaza. Situated literally 2 minuets from the doors (or if you can work out the internal network of passages you don’t even have to go outside!) This modern, clean business focused hotel is a great place to stay. Not having stayed at a Crowne Plaza in a while I found the booking process on the website to be fast and efficient and this was continued to the standard of welcome at the hotel. The reception staff knew the…

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I don’t often stay in Central London due to the close proximity to home and travel being simple, but due to a late finish and early start in December 2016 I tried out the Z Hotel Victoria.  Following on from the very successful “simpler” room format mastered by the likes of Easy Hotels, there is a new breed of Hotel chains like Z Hotels which keep the rooms simple but in theory more cost effective. Pitched between the Easy Hotel and normal hotel chain its meant to bring luxury to simpler rooms. It’s possible to book the rooms with or without a window. Having stayed in windowless rooms before I can honestly say I don’t like them – so on this occasion I stayed away from these options when booking.…

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The Final stay of 2016 saw me staying at the Mercure Nottingham City Centre hotel. The hotel is situated right in the middle of the city centre. When walking into the room you can see the free ear plugs (as well as the extra double glazing) – a nice touch but a clue its where it is! The hotel dates back many years and thus off the main corridors it’s a network of small passages and landings to finding the room rather than a more modern planned layout.  However once in the room it was modern, spacious had bonuses such like the addition of sockets by the bed. The bathroom was clean and tidy. In the room there was also the addition of Sky Sports on the TV which I…

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Mercure Dartford Brands Hatch Hotel & Spa is set in the beautiful countryside close to Brands Hatch motor racing circuit, where you can take in a whole hosts of motorsport events (a good favourite of mine as a proper petrol head!). Located just a few minutes drive from London Golf Club the M20 and M25 Motorway. There is a good sized pool, spa and gym facilities on site.  The first impressions on the room was although it had been recently overhauled with a fresh motorsports theme was that it really smelled of smoke! I did pass this on to the management and they said it would be investigated. On the room itself it was clean, large and presentable. The bed was comfortable and selection of pillows were provided. Even though I checked in at…

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The Brigstow hotel is set on the banks of the River Avon, very close to the city centre and some of the best bit's that Bristol has to offer! Some great restaurants are within walking distance, the @Bristol science centre is close by if you want something to do and if you are looking for a bit of evening entertainment the Bristol Old Vic and Bristol Hippodrome are again both within 5 min walk. The room was clean and tidy and very presentable as a business hotel. I must say I did feel that the room was firstly quite dark even once the curtains were open - but certainly with my travel I'm mostly in the room in the evening. The broadband was simple to connect to and I had no problems…

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