Holiday Inn Bolton Centre by IHG

The breakfast and bar areas were bright, airy and modern, with plenty of breakfast options. Alpesh, who was working at breakfast, was especially welcoming and helpful, and seemed to love his job. He couldn’t do enough for us. The rest of the team were courteous, well mannered and helpful too. We stayed at the Holiday Inn in Bolton for two nights, and it was the friendliest hotel I’ve stayed in. The service was outstanding. I’ll definitely come back.

My complaint is about customer service only, not the property or its facilities. I was meant to stay overnight in April to visit my uncle in Bolton, travelling from Glasgow for a late check-in. At 17:45, just 15 minutes before I was due to leave, he told me his friend had died and that he was heading to Luton immediately. I knew the free cancellation deadline had been 16:00, but given the late notice and circumstances, I hoped they might show some understanding, perhaps by offering a voucher instead of a refund. I booked through Booking.com. They passed on my request to waive the cancellation fee, but said the decision was the property’s. The reply was simply “request declined,” with no explanation or acknowledgement of what had happened. I thought that was poor service and an overly rigid response. My sister and brother-in-law were travelling with me, and they managed to cancel their room after 16:00 without a fee. I’d expect the same decision for all of us, whether that meant we all paid or none of us did.

The place has a great atmosphere, especially on Fridays when it’s packed with people enjoying themselves. My room was good and warm, with great heating. I didn’t get the receptionist’s name, but she was helpful when I checked in and made sure they changed my double bed to a king size for my six-night stay. I hadn’t realised how much difference it would make. I slept peacefully.

The staff were a real highlight, from the courteous people at reception to the dining room team. There was a young man there, I think his name was alphesd, sorry if I’ve got the spelling wrong, who was so friendly and kept cracking jokes. We stayed overnight at the Holiday Inn in Bolton and had no complaints. The room was clean and lovely, the bed very comfortable, and both dinner and breakfast were great, with a good choice of food. One of the best hotels we’ve stayed in. Definitely top marks from us.