Holiday Inn Aberdeen Hotel

Only staying for one night after attending event next door in the AECC. It was ideal for what we wanted. Quick check in. Kept bar open late night after the event. Rooms are a bit dated but we only wanted to spend time in it to sleep not relax.

This hotel caters almost exclusively for the Aberdeen Conference Centre itself, or for visitors to the nearby industrial estate. It is most expressly not intended for the leisure market or for stays of more than a couple of nights. The staff are the high point of the hotel, being friendly, helpful and engaging. The decor in the rooms and corridors is distinctly shabby and tired. Perhaps the low point of our stay was the breakfast which we ate in what can only be described as a canteen like facility decorated with turn of the century French posters advertising wines, aperitifs and beers. Heaven knows why the misguided interior designer thought it appropriate to decorate a hotel in the north of Scotland in such a fashion. One can only assume that there is a sister hotel in the south of France decorated in an equally inappropriate Scottish theme. The breakfast was abysmal and the taste of stale fat in our mouths lingered for some hours. Another hotel (a Holiday Inn Express) is being built on a site behind the existing hotel. One can only hope for an improvement once this is open in late 2008.

I have been to this property on numerous occassions but since it was bought over by a new company it has substantially improved. Even though they are knocking it down in a year they have spent considerable money on improving the hotel. Service and staff are much better. My only moan is price has been changed to match. I wish other hotels in Aberdeen would follow suit and realise that customers do matter

I stay in Holiday Inns a lot and was really disappointed with the service. 3 of us ate in the main restaurant. 2 starters arrrived and were frozen in the middle we sent these back to the kitchen, the problem was rectified and we moved on to the rest of the meal only to receive 2 cold main courses. We were now starting to get a bit fed up. 3 times during the meal waiting staff asked if everything was ok, each time we said no but they were completely uninterested in the replies. When we paid for the meal we were again asked if we had enjoyed it - we said no, and whilst we received an apology again we felt the member of staff was completely uninterested in our experience and just going through the motions. At breakfast we went to the buffet to find that most of the meat options were frankly not cooked and 2 items were still raw. We complained again and were told that "this is how chef cooks". We did not feel this food was even safe to sample and stuck to the croissant section. Very disappointing and well below the standard I usually receive from this hotel chain.

I stayed here on business recently and was expecting a slightly better experience than those encountered in Holiday Inns cheaper sibling Express by Holiday Inn. On arrival the hotel seemed to be quite busy with an obvious mixture of those on business and American tourists. After a hassle free check-in I headed straight for my room. The first worrying sign was the strange odour in the room. Then the dirty plate, the dirty towels on the bathroom floor and the unemptied bin. This was at 7.30pm. The previous occupant had made a decent attempt to leave the beds looking like they had been made so I assume housekeeping had taken one look in the door and assumed it had been cleaned. Oh dear. Back to reception it was, where I was given another room and a rather muted apology. My new room had been cleaned thankfully and the decor and fixtures were all as to be expected. To the bar for a couple of drinks. Mediocre although quick service ensued. A smile goes a long way. I decided against having a meal after eavesdropping on some less than impressed patrons. Reception staff, although efficient, seemed to have rather pre-programed responses to any questions and didnt make me feel particularly welcome. All in all pretty bog standard fare with a few added problems and I certainly wouldnt go out of my way to stay there again.

I advise people to take their own food due to the poor quality of ffod on offer at the hotel. Allow 50 minutes for a rare staek and over 1 hour for a microwaved pizza. When food does arrive it is evident that the kitchen is staffed by microwave technicians. The Duty Manager was called to view our so called serviced room. On inspection hair was in the bath and sink. One towel provide. Coffee and tea cups not cleaned. At least 2 years worth of dust in room. Blood on bed sheets. All in all not quite what I would call a serviced room. Duty Manager dealt with problem well, almost as if it was common occurance. Bar was full of drunken oafs for our three nights in the hotel, according to staff these are common occurances. All in all I would never stay at the hotel again even if company was paying for it. A utter shambles,more akin to Fawlty Towers without the humour

This is one of many, many Aberdeen hotels I've stayed in and one of many, many Holiday Inns I've stayed in. As a Holiday Inn, it's not one of the best. My room was clean, bright, spacious and adequate. TV channels were aplenty and everything worked. The hotel was just a little bit tired, but not too bad overall. However, on the 4th floor where I was, the corridor had an almost overwhelming musty smell that, as the week went on, got worse and worse - it wasn't nice at all. Food was not too bad - hideously overpriced, but not too bad. I reccomend ordering from the bar menu if you're sitting in the restaraunt. In fact the Indian option is cheaper if you order it from the bar menu. Service was good and the staff were friendly. The surroundings were industrial but mostly quiet - apart from the regular boy racers that drive up and down the dual carriageway just accross the way. Note that it's a good distance out of town and is about £8-9 each way.

I stayed here on 2 seperate short stays during the heatwave in July 2006. The hotel seems to be a bit out of the way and is situated to the north of this beautiful city next to the conference and exhibition centre but in fact is only a couple of miles from the city and is nearewr stull to the Aberdeen "fun beach" The hotel is on the edge of an industrial park and next to an airport conning tower... the airport is 6 miles away. At night, after the obligatory boy racers have gone to bed, the only noise is from the odd nocturnal seagul and despite the window having to be open, the room was peaceful and quiet. The hotel menu didn't appeal to us at all, though I have to say it was very reasonbly priced with a 3 course menu for about £15 and a fine selection of Aberdeen angus steaks, we chose instead to check out the restaurants on the "Fun Beach" and we found an excellent choice down there of TGI Fridays, Chiquito's, Pizza Hut, BK, Frankie and Benny's and a couple of others too. There is also a Jimmy Chungs chinese buffet offering excellent value and variety. Back to the hotel then, The 2 rooms I sampled were of the standard you would expect, in fact one was of a higher standard than you would expect, the other was a similar room but was due for a lick of paint, large enough to take a folding bed if needed, plenty of seating, nice big TV and clean, very good indeed. The hotel lacks air conditioning, hello, this is Aberdeen, normally they don't need it, but I have to say, they needed it this week and a couple of guests were passing comment on it's absence but you can't imagine it needing A/C 99% of the time, all you can see from some of the rooms is the cliff top and the sea and I bet it gets pretty bleak up there in winter! Fantastic.. I must go back then. The main thing about this hotel though is not the building, nor is it the location, 2 miles from the beautiful city of Aberdeen, 2 miles from breathtaking countryside, it isn't even the plentiful car parking with more than 1 space per room available, it's the staff. Every single member of staff I spoke to, for whatever reason was well informed, polite, cheery and professional, from the Polish (I assume) breakfast waitress to the night receptionist to the cleaners they all say hello when they pass you and all smile at you as if you are a family friend and this makes all the difference. The guests in the hotel are a curious mix of Oilmen from the rigs, tourists and business people and the oilmen, in large groups around the bar at night make no more noise than my snoring, quality hotels with quality staff create a quality environment and the customers respect this and perpetuate it. Oh yes, the breakfast service was very good as indeed was the food and presentation but get there early... the rig workers have plundered the croissants and danish's by 0730 and you'll have to make do with about 6 different fruits, 10 cereals, loads of full scottish breakfast... terrible huh? I loved this hotel, not the hotel as such, the whole thing and I can't wait to go back the next time work takes me there. Brilliant!

I think the previous reviewer was confused as to which Holiday Inn in Aberdeen he was reviewing. The Holiday Inn (a former Posthouse) is just under 3 miles North of the City Centre at the Aberdeen Conference and Exhibition Centre - where the Ring Road meets the A90 going North to Peterhead. There are good bus links into the City Centre as it is next to a Park and Ride car park but the frequency decreases very significantly after 6pm or at weekends. There is not much else around but there is a drive through MacDonalds a short distance down the road. It is however well located if you have a car and don't mind being out of the Town Centre action. The hotel itself is a standard early 1970's Posthouse concrete block with a newer front to Reception (in the photograph). The rooms although small by current standards are quite well equiped (although I am not sure there is internet access from the rooms and where there are fridges for minibars these are only stocked on request). Bathrooms are equipend with baths with showers over - body and hair wash is proved in wall mounted dispensers. The rooms were well cleaned and housekeeping replenished towels and tissues quickly and without fuss. There are however a few signs of wear here and there - nothing serious or unpleasant, just an indication of a well used hotel although there obviously have been refurbishments from time to time. Reception and the Restaurant (a standard UK Holiday Inn Junction) are in a connected domed roof building which also includes the kitchen area. As a consequence we noted a strong smell of burnt food (possibly rather over done steaks or burgers) when we checked in. The Bar is an windowless and rather smokey area at the back of Reception - although there are a couple of tables that could be used in the glass area at the front of the building (no view). Reception staff were friendly and helpful. Breakfast was the only meal we ate in the hotel. We didn't intend to eat in the hotel and certainly didn't after the smell at Reception! The breakfast itself is the standard buffet provided by the chain. We had fun on the three days we were there by asking for the specially cooked items shown on a board e.g., kippers, smoked haddock etc. - none of them seemed to be available any day! Staff were friendly and efficient at clearing tables and in bringing tea or coffee from thermos flasks. In conclusion, if you are looking for a convenient base to explore the great surrounding countryside and attractions and intend to eat elsewhere this provides a predictable standard of accommodation. It also tends to offer very good rates if you book a special offer.

The cleanest hotel I have ever stayed in! Could not fault the hotel for it's bedrooms and public areas and this is no mean feat as I am an Environmental Health Officer. The location is superb being just off the main street, plenty of restaurants and bars right on the doorstep.If only all "budget" hotels were this good.Keep up the good work.