Very much a business orientated hotel this one located in the corner of a business park, whose resident businesses provide the majority of the custom. The facade is impressively modern, with black shiny cladding, awhooshy, Star Trek stylee automatic doors, and moody modern lighting. Plus points: - clean and tidy
- friendly and efficient staff
- a pretty serviceable menu in the Bar and Grill Foodwise, the dinner menu is pretty good, with an emphasis on meaty dishes; they advertise that all their beef is from Derbyshire, aged, etc., and I've heard no complaints. The kitchen also does a good line in starters, high points including calamari ( so simple, so easy to screw up), and a very nice game terrine. If I was to sum it up, it's an uncomplicated, and perhaps slightly old fashioned menu, but probably well suited to the clientele and with a serviceable wine list. The rooms seem to be large, reasonably comfortble, and boasting the mod cons one would expect lots of exposed brick and is-it-a-wardrobe shiny wood. On the downside:- my room had a monsoon shower, but no bath- the shower produced a stale-smelling trickle of water, not the gushy tropical downpour one would hope for
- the sink appeared to be able to produce hot water, but not cold . Not great for shaving or brushing your teeth
- breakfast, some mornings, appear to be not-quite-ready after the restaurant has opened; quite inconvenient if you're looking for an early start
- the room service menu is rather staid and changes irregularly; incidentally the menus in the room have only a vague resemblance to what is actually available
- the bar is fairly pricey £9.50 for a double G & T seems a bit steep, even to a Londoner. I could also whine about the room being over heated, the sheets over-starched, or noise in the morning, but in my experience these are true of most bigger hotels anywhere in the world, so it would be somewhat unfair. read more