Holiday Inn Glasgow East Kilbride

I’ve stayed here a few times, but I think I’ll look elsewhere now. Today the recently serviced kitchen equipment failed, so there were no eggs at all, and the heating is always faulty too. The restaurant manager seemed to think it was fine that I couldn’t have the poached eggs I’d planned on, and didn’t intend to refund the breakfast cost. I had to get the manager involved, and eventually did receive a refund.

Breakfast was good, and the restaurant team and all the other staff we dealt with were excellent. That made it more frustrating that the building and its upkeep were in such poor shape. The room was shabby, with furniture falling apart, including stitching coming loose and the vinyl trim peeling off a chair. The shower door wasn’t fixed at the bottom, so it wouldn’t close properly, and the bath screen left a gap that let water soak the floor. Even the toilet paper was so thin I had to fold it 12 times to avoid putting a finger through it. The WiFi kept dropping because the signal was so weak. TV channels were in a bizarre order, and retuning the cheap old TV didn’t fix it. The fridge and drinks weren’t replenished on the second day, though reception arranged more for us. It feels far from an acceptable standard. The staff can only work with what they have, and I suspect the company’s senior management is responsible. I waited before posting to give the hotel manager time to respond, but heard nothing. Don’t book unless you get an exceptional deal.

The room was roomy and clean, and the bed was super comfortable. Staff were first class, friendly and glad to help, and the food portions were massive. The hotel and rooms are starting to look a little tired.

For over £200 for two nights, I expected a better stay. I contacted the hotel after leaving and got no reply, though IHG customer services did respond. They offered IHG points instead of a partial refund. The staff seemed not to care much, and this franchised Holiday Inn badly missed even basic expectations for cleanliness and service. We were first put in a room with dozens of flies in every corner, on the headboard, walls and lamps. Reception reluctantly moved us, but there were more flies by the window outside the door, and the AC rattled loudly, showed an error code and couldn’t be switched off. After I insisted this wasn’t acceptable, we got a third room. That one had no such problems, but the bathroom was still poorly maintained and unclean. At first staff said the flies were looking for warmth as the seasons changed. The night staff later said there’d been a major boiler leak in the weeks before and thought the damp might be causing them. The warped woodwork in the corridor outside our room fits with that explanation. The hotel badly needs a refurb.