Holiday Inn Leeds Garforth

The reception staff themselves aren't who I blame. They work at the front desk and seem limited in what they can do. The problems were the hotel's condition, management and standards. This was the worst hotel stay I've had, despite travelling regularly for business and leisure and staying in many four and five-star places around the UK. I'll be making further formal complaints. I was travelling from Birmingham to Leeds for a family funeral early the next morning, with my grandmother, who is in poor health, and my grandfather, who has asthma. We were grieving a close family member, and the stay added stress to an already difficult trip. I booked through a third-party site where the hotel looked acceptable. I've stayed at plenty of hotels across the UK, and only after arriving did I look at Google reviews and see a very different picture. The room smelled strongly and unpleasantly as soon as we entered. It was freezing, and the temperature control didn't work. Neither did the room phone, so we couldn't reach reception that way. The place felt run down, badly maintained and unhygienic. Even the towels smelled bad, and the beds were so uncomfortable it was hard to rest. Given why we were there, our late arrival, and our mental and physical state, we couldn't find another place to stay. In any other circumstances we'd have left straight away. At 7am, breakfast was just as disappointing. There were no baked beans at all, the toast machine was broken, and the buffet was disorganised, with food laid out poorly and little sign of management. For £210, it was absolutely not worth it. I wouldn't recommend the hotel or even consider bringing my dog here. Don't waste your time or money.

I've stayed many times over the years for work, and I'll be back next month. Dinner was really tasty, and Lauren in the restaurant took extra care of me because I'm allergic to gluten. The rooms are clean, though a little tired, and the gym works fine but could use an upgrade. It's good value, and the service at the Holiday Inn Garforth remains excellent from arrival through to departure.

The staff were kind and helpful with the kids, and none of my complaints are aimed at them. Breakfast had a good range of options and was what you'd expect. For the price and a four-star rating, though, the stay didn't live up to expectations. The hotel badly needs investment and modernisation, and the staff deserve a better place to work. Our family room for four was a reasonable size. The kids' mattress was average and uncomfortable, while the double bed was comfortable enough but the bedding smelled musty. The bedside plugs didn't work, and the TV was initially broken, though I got it going. There were spots of mould in the bathroom and marks that couldn't be cleaned. The water looked cloudy, although the shower was warm and powerful enough. IHG needs to bring the property up to the clean, less worn standard you'd expect from a branded hotel.

The room was non-refundable, and I accept that I chose that option. Still, I booked the wrong destination by mistake and contacted the hotel just 10 minutes later. The stay was three months away, so there was plenty of time to rebook the room, and it wouldn't have cost them anything. They simply said the policy meant no refund. It was a genuine mistake reported straight away, so I found the lack of goodwill or common sense really disappointing. Be cautious with this company. They seem interested only in money, not good service or goodwill.