The Intercontinental Hotels Group is a major player in the hotel industry. Its portfolio includes the upmarket Intercontinental and Crowne Plaza hotels, Holiday Inn and the more economical Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Hotel Indigo, and more. These hotels are distinct in terms of target audience and price range, but don’t exactly scream individuality.
People attach a slight prejudice to city hotel chains like Premier Lodge, Travelodge and Holiday Inn, which inevitably get lumped together in the same corner. We were no different, but our curiosity was piqued when we realised the Bloomsbury branch, a stone’s throw away from the British Museum, had four stars.
Let’s be honest, we were expecting little more than a room we could swing our bags in and a decent bed, but it turns out to be far better. Our spacious Executive room has a king size bed with two types of pillows: firm and soft. There may be nothing fancy about the furnishings, but it has all the facilities you’re likely to need: toiletries, an ironing board, hairdryer, tea and coffee, and a large flat screen TV. There’s a powerful shower as well as a bath, bathrobe, slippers and a minibar, mostly stocked with soft drinks.
There’s a restaurant (called Junction, no prizes for picking an attractive name) and an Irish pub on site which has a separate entrance; there’s a student night on when we visit. More enticing is the offer of 24 hour room service, again, we’re not expecting much from our sandwiches (there are hot dishes available too) but the tender chicken breast with avocado, and beef and horseradish with coleslaw are considerably better than the average Tesco sarnie. And it’s 2 am. If only every hotel did this.
Breakfast can be delivered to the room, and there’s a choice of pastries, fruits and yoghurt or this plus a fry up. It’s generously portioned and satisfying, priced at £15 per person.
There are some nags for business travellers: our 8 am wake-up call doesn’t happen, but breakfast arrives 15 minutes early at 8.15. Wireless internet is available but at a cost of £5 for an hour, £10 for 4 hours and so on.
So does being part of a major corporation make it bad? It may not be romantic or boutiquey, but it’s efficient and affordable, especially given the location.
Rooms start from £119 a night.
Visit their website here:
http://www.hilondonbloomsburyhotel.co.uk/
