Holiday Inn London Brent Cross

The staff were friendly, the hotel was clean, and it was fine, though nothing fancy. Our double bed was okay, but the sofa bed was pretty terrible. We knew when booking that it wasn't especially close to central London, and Leicester Square was about a 15-20 minute Tube ride away. The drivers on the shuttle to the nearby mall or Tube station were all great. The service only ran for a few hours a day, though, and you had to call for a pickup. There wasn't a bar, cafe, or convenience store right nearby, but at least the hotel has a bar. A good place to stay, recommended. I'm from Toronto, Canada.

The bar prices were the one drawback: £3 for a pint of diet coke and £6 for a Jack Daniels and coke, though you'll pay that at any city hotel. I enjoyed my stay and would definitely return. It's a nice, clean, comfortable hotel with the sort of home comforts you'd expect from a chain. Our good-sized room had a full bath with shower, toilet, and basin, plus coffee and tea facilities, a hairdryer, a desk and dressing table with a large mirror and a nearby power point, a full-length mirror, and an easy chair. The beds and bedding were top quality, as were the coffee, tea, and milk. The food was good, with plenty of choice at the self-service meals, and there was plenty for vegetarians.

The food is very good and there's a good selection. The hotel itself is fairly average and could use a lick of paint. My room wasn't that clean, with months of dust and rubbish under the beds and sofas. It was pretty grim, and housekeeping didn't seem to have cleaned properly. Reception or office staff also couldn't follow instructions. Two different people had been asked not to reallocate rooms because of a late check-in, but it still happened. Bring valuables into your room: the hotel is notorious for break-ins, especially vans.

The road noise was hard to ignore. The hotel sits beside a main road at the base of the M1, and our window looked out on what seemed to be a dumping site. You can't really get there on foot. They do offer a shuttle from the train station, but we weren't told about it until after we arrived. The staff were lovely, friendly, and helpful. They helped arrange a shuttle back to the station in the morning and explained the dining arrangements and where to eat breakfast. The bedroom was alright and the bathroom was clean, though dated. The TV was slow and difficult to use. Overall, it was okay, but it didn't wow me.