Holiday Inn Express Canterbury by IHG

The car park is run by a company that seems to lack integrity, which has put me off this place. I attended a course and entered my car details into the machine as requested. There was no email confirmation or paper receipt, so I had no way to tell whether something had gone wrong. The following week, I was surprised to get a £100 fine. I contacted Holiday Inn, and they said they’d ask for it to be cancelled. Later I got another letter offering to reduce it to £20 if paid within 14 days, after which it would go back up to £100. I entered my details in good faith, and still haven’t been shown any proof that they weren’t logged. It’s a shame because the staff are kind and efficient. But because of this, I wouldn’t stay here or attend another event here.

It’s a budget hotel, but a really nice place to stay. My room was a good size, comfortable and well equipped, and the breakfast was very good. The staff were friendly and helpful. I was surprised and very pleased, and I’ll definitely come again.

We’re very grateful to the staff at Holiday Inn Express Canterbury for looking after us so well. My dad is recovering from major surgery, and the team went out of their way to help with food, comfort and safety, and to make sure our room was clean and convenient. Everyone was warm, kind and genuinely helpful throughout our stay. A big thank you to Mr. Muralitharan Kanagasabai (GM), Ms. Dilashinie Weerasinghe (Guest Service Manager), Chef Mr. Sateesh, Chef Mr. Prince, Mr. Binoy Xaviour and the rest of the staff for their wonderful hospitality. We had an amazing experience and highly recommend the hotel for its service and lovely team.

Our first impression was, “Oh no, what have I done?” You drive off the A2 through a petrol station to reach the hotel. But don’t judge it by the outside. We arrived too early to check in, so I popped in to use the toilet. When I mentioned we were going into Canterbury, the man at reception suggested the park and ride. We put Park and Ride Wincheap into the sat nav. It was about ten minutes away, if that, and £4 for the whole day. The bus takes less than ten minutes to get into Canterbury. After a few hours wandering around and deciding what to do the next day, we returned to check in. Everyone was friendly. Dinner starts at 6.30, and our clean, tidy room had a TV and tea and coffee, so we relaxed until then. There was a small queue to order, but nothing major, and the staff were friendly. Dinner was lovely, with very good portions and not a single complaint. Breakfast was included the next morning, with everything you could want, and it was very nice too. We spent the day walking around Canterbury, then came back to the hotel because we’d enjoyed the food so much and wanted to try more from the menu. We had another lovely dinner, though we were too full to try the puddings! Over two nights, the staff were very friendly and the food was lovely. Great price too. I’d recommend it for a trip to Canterbury or the surrounding area.