Holiday Inn Kenilworth - Warwick by IHG

Dinner was a frustrating mess from start to finish, and we left with no confidence in the service. We had to remind staff that we had booked a Dinner, Bed & Breakfast package, even though I'd shown the confirmation email after the receptionist said it wasn't included. He said he'd tell the bar staff, but apparently never did. At dinner, we were told adults got one course from the main menu while children got three. The hotel's own website said adults also got three. We chose from the main menu, then were told there was a separate DBB menu with nothing my husband could eat. After I explained all the conflicting information, they reluctantly agreed to let us have one course. We asked for the children's meals, for our 3 and 4 year olds, to come out as soon as they were ready. I still had to chase them, and their starter and main arrived together. Our mains came before our starters, and when my fish and chips finally came, the chips were the wrong type. The fish was completely inedible, it was off and I had to spit it out. The manager offered a discount, but it shouldn't have taken things getting this bad. Staff training, communication and basic food quality need urgent attention. We also found out at check-in that parking cost an unexpected £10, which hadn't been mentioned when booking. We won't be back.

I waited an hour and 15 for a chicken burger at dinner, and it only arrived after I prompted the staff. It was cold and overcooked, so I left more than half. I'd ordered pudding at the same time, but had to remind them about it too. The custard was congealed from not being heated enough, and the pudding was only lukewarm. I spent two hours there as a table of one. Reception wasn't any better when I went to give feedback. The staff member just looked at a loss and didn't know what to do, so it fell on deaf ears. The room was basic and not as advertised online. There was nowhere to charge my phone by the bed, the bedding had questionable stains and a crusted bogie when I pulled back the duvet, the pillows might as well have been bricks, and the air conditioning didn't work. Thank goodness my business paid for the stay. I travel quite a lot for work and this has to be the worst hotel I've stayed in for a while. I'm up at 5am writing this after terrible sleep on the uncomfortable bed, before a work meeting. I wish I'd braved the 2.5 hour drive in the morning instead.

The location was ideal, and the staff were amazing and very friendly. My room was clean and comfortable, but I could hear practically everything through the paper-thin walls. A party downstairs on Saturday night was so noisy it kept me awake well into the night. I also heard people walking past my room and a door or mattress creaking in the room above.

The hotel was quiet and in a good location, and breakfast had a nice selection. The lobby and breakfast area were clean, modern and tidy, which made me expect the rest of the place to be in similar shape. Instead, much of the hotel felt tired and the rooms needed refurbishment. My first room was okay, but the bathroom door badly needed replacing and the room itself needed work. Then, at 10pm, water started leaking through the bathroom lights. We waited in the lobby for a while before staff helped us move rooms. The replacement was very hot, so we had to use a fan, and the TV didn't work. I slept okay, and breakfast redeemed the stay a little.