Holiday Inn A55 Chester West

Jules deserves a special mention for cooking an awesome traditional Full English, I’d stay here again just for that. Garman was also more than happy to run around the restaurant and make sure we had everything we needed. We were travelling from New Zealand and stayed at the Holiday Inn A55 over Christmas. After such a long journey, having to pay an extra 20 pounds to check in a few hours early was disappointing, hence the four stars. Otherwise it was comfortable. The staff were friendly, the clean rooms were well looked after, and they were quiet and dark enough for a very restful night. Well done :)

The staff were excellent, friendly and helpful, which was a plus. The room was clean and well equipped, but there weren’t enough outlets, and more importantly, none near the bed for charging my phone. I use it as a clock, so having it across the room was inconvenient and annoying. The room was also very hot. With the window open it was noisy, as it was near reception where smokers gather outside. I’d already turned the thermostat down as low as it would go. Little niggles like these spoiled what should have been a pleasant break.

The rooms were a good size, clean and well kept, with a comfortable double bed, though not a king, and lovely pillows. Breakfast isn’t included, but there’s a fast food place next door. Inside, the hotel feels a bit dated, with a rattly lift and questionable decor beyond the lobby. The air conditioning and service let the stay down. We checked in around 11pm and the thermostat showed 23°C. We set it to 18°C, but by morning the room had reached 26°C and was almost unusable. Others in our party had the same problem. Since the hotel is beside the A55, opening the windows overnight wasn’t an option. We would have brought it up at checkout, but nobody asked how the stay had been. I’d happily come back if the air con were fixed, but otherwise it isn’t worth it.

I slept like a baby, the bed was amazing, and the room was lovely and warm. After my bath I deliberately wore white socks, and they stayed white, which really surprised me since that’s never happened before. Given that the hotel’s on the A55, it was surprisingly quiet too.