Hotel Indigo Gloucester The Forum by IHG

We had a pleasant stay and visited the popular rooftop bar a couple of times. The prosecco was very reasonably priced at £6.50 a glass. There doesn’t seem to be table service. Also, if you charge a food voucher to your room, cross out and sign the tip line. It looks like there’s still about a 2% service charge, whereas paying by card or cash doesn’t incur one, so you might end up tipping twice.

We used our welcome drink and snack vouchers at Crimson Spire around 730-745ish. The barman was polite, courteous and a top chap. The kitchen had closed, so we could only have nuts that evening. He said it would be open until the following night, and we came back before then for some very nice snacks, jacket potatoes and chicken skewers. At check-in, the welcome was great. They carefully noted our status level, offered rewards and gave us an upgrade, more than one level because it was our wedding anniversary. We got the fantastic Corner Suite: a big room with a table and four chairs, sofa bed, coffee table, small desk and chair, and a 65IN TV on a swivel mount that could be turned toward the bed or sofa. Shortly after, they brought a bottle of Moet, small cakes and two gift bags with various gifts. That blew us away. Breakfast was booked for about 830 the next morning at £15 rather than £20 on the day or in the restaurant. We were shown to a table, then waited 4-5 minutes before drinks were ordered and the hot food was placed. My wife is vegetarian and dislikes mushrooms, so she asked for the veggie breakfast without one, plus gluten free toast on the side. I had a full English. About 15 minutes later mine arrived, very small, with two strips of bacon so crisp they disintegrated when I tried to cut them, one sausage, one mushroom, half a tomato, a tiny ramekin of baked beans and a fried egg. Nobody asked how I wanted the eggs. My wife got no mushroom, but there was also no veggie sausage or hash brown. Her two slices of gluten free bread were toasted on one side and weren’t served on the side as requested. The continental area was almost empty, with no muffins, croissants, pain au chocolates, Greek yoghurt or toast bread. It was incredibly disappointing, the worst I’ve seen at an IHG property apart from the O2 Intercontinental lounge some time ago. My wife asked for Greek yoghurt to be replenished, and it was, but the bowl was so small that one gentleman nearly emptied it before she could get any. She had to ask again. I’ve seen this at a few Indigo properties, particularly Exeter, where they use little bowls the size of eating bowls, so a few spoonfuls clear them out. It wasn’t busy, and I don’t know why the staff weren’t replenishing things much faster. The F+B Manager needs to put practices in place to prevent this. Even at £15 each, breakfast was incredibly disappointing. The couple at the next table got the wrong order, and there were still mistakes when the corrected food came, so they were very disappointed too. The second breakfast, around 830, was much the same. We were shown to a table and ordered drinks and food after 5 minutes. It arrived some time later. My wife again got just one slice of gluten free toast, toasted on one side. This time she did get a veggie sausage, but no hash brown, and the plate looked disappointing, just a few items. Please make it more appetising. I know how much difference the chef can make. At Torquay a few weeks ago, the first breakfast was amazing, while the second was among the worst, with mistakes and food being recooked. My full English was a little better this time. The bacon wasn’t like concrete, and I was asked how I wanted my eggs, but it still wasn’t really full, as the portion was small. A little effort with presentation would go a long way. There was a large bowl of yoghurt on the second morning, and pastries and bread were available, but the selection still looked sparse. I don’t know how they could improve the way it’s stocked and presented. Will we return? Yes. A new hotel will have a few teething problems, and nothing worried us too much, just a few things to tweak. Thank you for having us.

The rooftop bar is great, and the hotel is good value. Rooms are modern and very clean, the bed was comfortable, and the staff were helpful.

The room had a great modern design, and the location is handy, next to the station and local Tesco. The call centre wasn’t helpful with my concerns, though the hotel staff themselves were very helpful. Breakfast was basically a full English, pastries and cereal.