Holiday Inn Stoke on Trent M6, Jct.15

I was in a tight spot after my car broke down, but I managed to get it into the hotel car park. Dylan was on reception overnight and helped me sort out what I needed. When I had to book a room, he arranged it quickly and made sure my dog was welcome too. In the morning, the woman at reception was just as friendly, helpful and accommodating with my dog. Thanks to both of them for being so kind. The staff made this the best experience I could have hoped for.

Reception were lovely, and the security chap was too. I was also allowed a very late checkout, which was great since I was leaving on New Year's Day and it was quiet. The building and facilities are showing their age, and my room was only OK. The car park was sufficient. The pool closed earlier than the scheduled time.

The hotel is practical and in a really convenient spot, though there's nothing flash about it. What stood out was the staff. The young guy who greeted me that evening was lovely, helpful and knew his stuff. Breakfast staff were friendly too, as was the barista making coffees, especially the young woman who made my cappuccino. I also appreciated that they hire locally and employ people with disabilities. Five-star service from the team.

We had more than 20 rooms booked for a major event, and after years of staying with Holiday Inn, this was easily our worst experience. We'll be back in the area for the same event next year, but we won't stay here again. We were refunded half the charges, but the stay was still deeply disappointing. The room descriptions and photos on Booking.com were misleading. Each room was meant to have a sofa bed, but none did. When we raised it, staff arrogantly said they use general photos to attract people and that the rooms don't actually look like them. The swimming pool was out of order when we arrived, and we were unfriendlyly told we were simply “out of luck.” At the bar, a tall man with dark, greasy, unkempt hair and a dark grey shirt refused to give his name. At 00:50 he shouted that we had 15 minutes to “disappear” to our rooms, refused to serve us any more and shut the bar, despite it being advertised as open 24 hours. We encountered arrogance, unfriendliness and unprofessional behaviour throughout. A disgrace to the Holiday Inn brand.