Express By Holiday Inn Newcastle Metro Centre Hotel

I have just returned from a 02night stay at this hotel and I can honestly say that I have never experienced such a high level of customer service in a hotel. We enjoyed the cavery on our first evening which was great value for money as the food was hot, fresh and as it was buffet style you could have as much or as little as you wished. The rooms were big the only thing is nowadays you expect all hotels to have a lift which although there were only two floors this hotel I would have expected a lift. There was apple parking and the staff were very helpful in giving us directions to the nearest shopping centre. The gym and weight rooms were small but had everything you would require (having just stayed at a hilton the facilities in the Holiday Inn were superior) and once again the staff on duty were very friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone.

We stayed for one night at the Holiday Inn Seaton Burn whilst visiting a friend in the area. On balance the experience wasn't great, but did have some redeeming points! The reception staff were very pleasant, the room was large and the location was perfect for us as we didn't want to be in the centre of town. Our friends who used the pool and other leisure facilities said that these were nice. On the negative side, there was urine on the toilet seat in the bathroom when we got there, and the shower curtain had seen better days. The room itself was extremely hot. The hotel website states that all rooms are air conditioned and there was an air conditioning unit attached to the wall in one corner. When we tried to crank it up, it made a noise like a tractor and pumped out hot air. After numerous attempts to get it started, we gave up. The friends we were with also had the same experience. I would say that the units need a major overhaul. We were just unlucky to be staying there during a heatwave! On departure, our friends also were told that there were two breakfasts charged to their room which they hadn't had. Again, however a credit to the reception staff as they sorted the confusion out. We paid £68 for the room for the night on an internet rate, so don't feel too bad that it wasn't a great experience. Had we paid the prices displayed behind the reception desk (£135 for the same room we had), we would have been more disappointed.

As a Priority Club member I tend to look at the IC hotel group first in Europe when visiting a location (OK they have got me hooked because it often works for me in terms of where I visit... although I also stay at other independents and chains too). But the points promos and internet booking deals are very attractive. We had a wedding to attend outside Newcastle upon Tyne recently and I got a very good advance Internet deal (Executive club room for 2 including breakfast for £76.50 for one night) Absolutely excellent service point was that our flight arrived early on the day of the wedding, and although normal check in was 2pm, I phoned in advance to discuss the issue facing us and they found us a room from 10:30am onwards and did not charge any extra. This had been noted on the system when we arrived, and they made sure we had a room. That was tremendous - and they were really helpful in securing this. Not many hotels will do this in my experience (in the UK or elsewhere). Hotel looks like it was formerly a Moat House Hotel architecturally (not a good thing in general in my view, I have to say) . However, it has a nice well heated indoor swimming pool/sauna/steam room/spa pool and exercise complex still called Club Moativation. The rather formulaic layout means that it does not have the most modern of Holiday Inn decors and misses the Japanese influenced decor and screens of the new hotels in the UK We had an Exec room, which had some upgraded facilities (free water, juice, upmarket toiletries, but only one towelling dressing gown) and was clean with scarily well polished wooden surfaces (you could almost do miniature curling on the tables), and good storage and an in room safe. Room was large and had enormous bed (3 pillows wide) plus sofa (suspect it converted to a another bed) and armchair. Rather small bathroom but well appointed., with fast running hot water. Decent AC unit build into the wall (very like old Holiday Inns in the US), if a bit noisy also necessary in UK when temperatures go above 80 deg F. Sky channels had a problem from Friday night through to Saturday morning, but radio and terrestrial worked OK. Remote cotnrol had alarm, but no sleep feature (very irritating nowadays) and no sound in the bathroom. Hotel was very quiet Friday, but Saturday morning we noticed quite a lot of noise from the airport. It is 15 minutes by taxi or courtesy bus from the airport but the noise probably depends on the wind direction.. Decent Holiday Inn style breakfast (cold and hot buffet) with cheery staff and clean tables, although floor around the self service hot and cold drinks area could have been cleaner and safer. Hotel has quite extensive public lounge areas (including tables with power and internet points). These areas are well used by locals and visitors, giving the hotel a friendly ambiance. Staff well trained (everyone was trained to say "Holiday Inn Newcastle- how may I direct you?" and to give their name) - but Friday reception staff much more customer focused than those on Saturday. There is a courtesy bus to the airport every half hour in theory - but we booked it well in advance but were badly let down on the Saturday morning - and we nearly missed our flight. Overall a very good stay, although the edge taken off by the problems with the courtesy bus

Stayed here on business with 2 colleagues for one night. We had some initial problems with our rooms - we had requested and were given non-smoking rooms, but one was obviously full of smoke and had been recently occupied, another was filthy and we couldn't gain access to the third. All of these issues were promptly sorted out by the staff, but in general I found the standard of cleanliness low. Obvious areas e.g. bed, bathroom are clean, but under tables and the windows/net curtains were a bit grotty. The hotel obviously caters for coach trips - the hotel was full of older people on tours. This is fine, but it does slow down services - reception, bar and restuarant were all jammed with people. The staff cope well and are friendly, but if you aren't on your holidays it can get a little wearing. Food was pretty poor. Dinner is a buffet/cavery and on a par with school lunches. Over cooked, then under hot lights until all origianl flavour has evaporated. Not pleasant. There is an a la carte menu - but looking at the state of the other meals, I wouldn't go there. Breakfast was better, but I stayed away from the cooked section. This was mainly on the basis on the most revolting tray of scambled eggs floating in a sea of scummy water - ugh! But, the hotel has reasonable facilities and the staff are the winning factor. They work hard to make your stay pleasant, they remember who you are, (no mean feat with the volume of guests they had) and are attentive. This makes up for the shortcomings and in a way justifies the costs, (food and drink isn't cheap). I would say they were the best staff I've encounted in a Holiday Inn. If the management can sort out the rest, this hotel would be on to a winning formula.

I stayed here with my partner, Jason, for two nights and used it as our base to see the sights of Northumberland. It's just off the A1 so was very easy to find, yet there was no noise audible from the traffic. The hotel is a little way out of central Newcastle, but we didn't mind as it is only a 15minute car journey away. The food was lovely and the waitresses were adorable, especially Lorna, who was ever so helpful. The rooms were spacious and well equipped. The beds were a little firm but Jason and I didn't mind that. We tried out the gym which was quite small, but was, again,well equipped. In the gym Dale (great abs!) was very helpful and also expressed a detailed knowledge of what to see around the area. In summary, the hotel is a perfect location for a base to see the wonderful countryside. Don't let the 1970's exterior put you off!

Treated myself to a night at the Holiday Inn because I had business in the area. Arrived early enough in the evening to enjoy a swim, jacuzzi and a sauna. The leisure facilities are nothing particularly special, but welcome all the same and everything was clean and well organised. The room was spacious and clean, with all the usual amenities. I had a view of the heating pipes, but for a one night stay I didn't find that a problem. The bathroom was a little small, but perfectly adequate - and the underfloor heating was a nice touch! I had a meal in the restaurant. There was a choice of a carvery/hot buffet or the a la carte menu. I had the carvery and enjoyed everything. The restaurant staff were friendly and polite and the maitre d' took care about the table he offered me to make sure I was in a quiet area of the restaurant away from a stag group and a family with young children. In fact, the staff were the real strength of this hotel - everything else was pretty much what you would expect from a large hotel chain, but they took it to an above average experience.

When we arrived here I was very apprehensive as the outside of the hotel was very unattractive and shabby. However the inside was lovely. Our room was a family room with 2 double beds and was very clean and modern. The breakfast was great ,loads of choice and the cooked food hot and fresh. The staff were very friendly will definately stay here again.

I stayed at this hotel for the night of my sister's wedding. The rooms are a good size, nicely decorated and our room had a juliet balcony overlooking a field with rabbits etc. The bathroom was on the small side but had nice fittings and underfloor heating which was great. The room service was not good as the sandwiches were overpriced and quite unpleasant. However, the breakfast was very good. Certainly one of the best I've had at that type of 'corporate' hotel. On the whole the staff were very good and friendly. The thing that let the hotel down the most was its organisation. The events and conference manager was quite stroppy with my sister who was waiting to get into her bridal car because there was another wedding party about to arrive (hardly our fault!). Many of the guests had problems with rooms not being ready or reservations not being on the system. The problems were all sorted out but it was a hassle we could have done without. By far the worst problem was the fire alarm going off at 6 in the morning. This had apparently happened because a guest was smoking in a non-smoking room. However, there were no signs in the rooms to indicate that smoking would set off the entire hotel alarm system. Whilst it was the guest at fault, a little more thought could probably have prevented him lighting up in the first place! On the whole this hotel was fine but could definitely be better. Also, bear in mind the hotel is not near Newcastle city centre. This was not a problem for us as we are local and know the hotel but if you don't know the area it's about 7 miles outside the city.

Stayed here for 3 nights in July for a short break to see a bit of Northumberland. Definitely disappointed as soon as caught sight of the Inn - looked very Motel like in style, dated and tired. Only the lobby was a pleasant surprise however, bright and spacious. The bedroom though was tired - old bedding, lights that didn't work, air con that only blew warm air - and the rooms were boiling hot. Very 70's in style. Food prices were shocking...£2.50 for a cup of tea, £11.50 for breakfast?? My advice for what it's worth - stay at the Travelodge next door!

A typical Holiday Inn – basic but clean Rooms are satisfactory the bed we had was huge!! Breakfast was poor – plenty of it but poorly cooked. You need a car as too far from city to walk. Fine for an overnight stay – but not the best.