Holiday Inn Northampton by IHG

The staff are lovely, polite, and accommodating, and clearly take pride in their work. Food was good, came out fairly quickly, and there was a good selection. Breakfast was well organised too. No complaints about that. Rooms and bathrooms were very clean and well looked after, with nothing out of place. My only suggestion is to replace the tired carpets in some rooms.

Roshan and Bob were fantastic hosts when we came to view the property for a second time. It was helpful to see the ceremony rooms all dressed up so we could picture how they’d look. The bar and restaurant staff were excellent as well. I didn’t catch one of the lads’ names, but he was spot on. The food was good, and the specials were a nice touch. I’d recommend the delicious lasagna. The rooms were clean and functional, but a little dated. There were broken elements on top of the wardrobe, and the pillows were rock hard and need replacing. A bit of TLC wouldn’t go amiss. Check-in was a little muddled: we were given a time but weren’t sure whether the room was ready, and the woman at the front desk couldn’t reach housekeeping to check. We were very happy with the visit, just a few things need adjusting. The scores are more about the property overall than the staff.

The hotel was quiet and restful, and the staff were pleasant. Breakfast had a wide choice of good quality options and was a great way to start the day. The only trouble was the A/C heater. It was hard to set at first and blew warm air too strongly over us. Otherwise, a nice stay and very good value.

The Christmas party on 20/12 was a real disappointment for what it cost. My roast was served somewhat cold and wasn’t very good. The music was the biggest letdown. People nearby asked the DJ several times for more upbeat songs to improve the atmosphere, but the requests were ignored. There were only two bartenders, and they seemed disengaged and unhappy. Service was very slow, with unreasonably long waits to get a drink. I hope these problems are addressed for future events.