Crowne Plaza East Midlands Airport by IHG

The breakfast let the stay down. It was meant to run until 9:30 on weekdays, but with about an hour to go there was hardly anything left and no sign of a refill. One staff member was handling the buffet alone and couldn't keep up. I was very disappointed, especially since breakfast cost me £40 for the three days I stayed. The staff were friendly, and the fitness centre is fantastic and modern. The spa area was also fantastic and clean. Rooms are dated, but well kept.

I was here for business. The restaurant food was good, although service was quite slow, perhaps because it was busy in the lead-up to Christmas. My room was cosy and well equipped, with a nice modern shower and strong water pressure. The heater was the main drawback: it's right next to the bed and blows hot air straight at your face when you're lying down. Its bright light also makes the room less suitable if you need complete darkness to sleep.

Breakfast was the biggest disappointment. It was a much lower quality buffet than we remembered, and though we were told it ran until 11, we arrived at 9:05 to find no food left. There were no sausages, fried eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes or black pudding. We waited 20 minutes for some items to be replenished, and the mushrooms and black pudding never came back out. Tea and coffee are no longer served at the table, just a low-quality self-service machine. As we left, several tables were uncleared while three staff members stood chatting. The place had a general feel of poor management. We've stayed dozens of times under the previous owners, and this visit was very different. The room had a new, large TV, but the bed and bedding weren't what they used to be. Deep mattress toppers have been replaced by an ill-fitting mattress protector, and the pillows were hard and lumpy. The usual free extras, like a shower cap and cotton wool pads, were missing too.

We were there for two days and three nights, and the refurbishment has left the hotel looking great. The main thing I want to mention is the staff. Everyone, from reception at check-in and checkout to the bar and restaurant teams, was brilliant and worked tirelessly to keep our event running smoothly. I'm not sure if Joana is the manager or supervisor, but nothing was too much trouble for her or the team. A brilliant group of people.