Holiday Inn Express Aberdeen Airport

The front desk team at Holiday Inn Aberdeen Airport were warm, capable and professional, and the hotel itself looked clean and well cared for. It’s a shame the restaurant experience wiped out those good impressions. My steak was meant to be medium rare. I even said I’d prefer it rarer. Instead, it came as a dry, triangular piece that seemed to have been finished in the oven. The middle was pink, but most of the outside was overcooked and bland. I told the waitress, and she took it away. The manager then said cooking it was “at the chef’s discretion” and that I should have ordered it rare. I didn’t want to keep arguing, so I took the plate back and said to leave it. She told me she didn’t like my tone, then asked if I wanted it cooked again. Her manner was rubbish. I tried the juicier middle, but left most of it. It was the worst steak I’ve ever been served. I used to manage at Holiday Inn Express, so I was shocked by how defensive the response was. There was no real apology or ownership. We cancelled dessert, and the waiting staff replied “cool.” When I left, the bill showed only a total and I was told to sign it. There was also a sarcastic thank you. I stopped talking because I didn’t trust myself to say anything else. Even the careless handling of the bill added to the sense of poor service. A straightforward problem could have been dealt with politely, but it turned into an argument. The restaurant’s attitude overshadowed what could have been a pleasant stay, especially given how welcoming the hotel and front desk had been.