Holiday Inn Peterborough West

The restaurant staff always take great care with my wife’s gluten-free allergy, making sure she’s looked after every time. We’ve stayed at the Holiday Inn Peterborough Thorpe Wood for years, and the service continues to be outstanding. Charlie Twarog, the duty manager, makes us feel welcome as soon as we arrive. She always checks in, takes time for a chat, and treats us like part of the Holiday Inn family. Nothing seems too much trouble for her. She’s a real asset to the Holiday Inn group and a manager others could look up to. Thank you, Holiday Inn Peterborough. We’ll be back and will keep recommending the hotel to family and friends.

After a long day, it was nice to unwind in the leisure area, especially in the Finnish-style sauna at a pleasant 70°C, with a pool as well. We were on a business trip to Peterborough and chose the Holiday Inn on a local recommendation. Getting there from the motorway was easy, so arrival was smooth. The hotel was clean, comfortable and well equipped, in line with the usual Holiday Inn standards. All nine of us enjoyed dinner in the hotel restaurant. There was good variety, the food was well prepared, and service was friendly. Breakfast was simple but sufficient, as expected at a Holiday Inn. My only small gripe was low shower pressure, which made rinsing take a while, though it wasn’t a major issue. It was good value, and the pint of beer was reasonably priced and refreshingly cold. I’d recommend it for a short work stay or stopover.

My staff member could hardly eat anything and spent the evening worried, despite our £100 tickets. Her severe tree nut allergy had been declared with the food orders months beforehand, when we confirmed attendance in June or July for the 29th November awards evening. I’m extremely unhappy with how this was handled and want the matter addressed. The awards themselves were wonderful, but while we were waiting for food, a staff member said the dish she’d chosen couldn’t be served because they couldn’t guarantee it was nut free. They offered another option but warned that it may contain nuts. We asked them to check, understandably alarmed. They came back with the dish, said the packaging also warned it may contain nuts, and asked if she had her epi pen. An epi pen is for emergencies and only keeps someone alive until an ambulance arrives, it isn’t a fail-safe. We sent the dietary needs well in advance, yet nobody contacted us to coordinate until the event itself. That’s unacceptable. I tried to complain directly, but could only find a phone number. I was left on hold and eventually gave up.

On the first night of our three-night stay, the place was very clean and tidy, and the staff were professional, kind and helpful. We’d mentioned our interest in the pool when booking and were given a room just a short walk from it. We had a late supper in the restaurant. Our waitress, Kiera, was great with my menu questions and checked with the kitchen for me. The food was good. Service wasn’t speedy, but it wasn’t too slow either, and we were looked after without being pestered.