Holiday Inn Express Taunton East by IHG — Hotel in Great Britain

I visited this Holiday Inn Express for a one night stay. I booked two of their double rooms with sofa beds as there was three of us stopping over for the night.

We were visiting Taunton for a friends wedding and before I arrived I realised we might need to check in earlier than the 3 o'clock stated as the check in time. I phoned the hotel directly and they were more than happy for us to check in an hour or so earlier. This allowed us to get ready for the wedding. From that point onwards I realised that the friendly and welcoming nature of the staff would be a real plus point and make our stay a lot more comfortable.

We arrived early (at about 2pm) and checking in was a doddle. We were made aware of all the available facilities, times of breakfast/check out and given two adjacent rooms. Both rooms were clean, bright and welcoming.

We returned from the wedding in the early hours and once again the staff were welcoming, helpful and directed us in the direction of their small snack kiosk (by this time we were starving!) which was very convenient!

We arose (relatively early for a Sunday) and headed down for breakfast. Breakfast consisted of a small 'help-yourself' area from which you could get cereals, toast and preserves, hot and cold drinks and a limited selection of cooked items. There was a small dining area and plenty of staff willing to assist and clean away dirty items.

We checked out an hour or so later after using the showers (which were of a decent temperature but could have used a bit more pressure) and getting pur belongings together. Once again when dealing with reception everything was straightforward, easy and dealt with in a polite and friendly manner.

Overall I would recommend this hotel for any short one night or two night stays. The price was comparably good, but you need to make sure you book early otherwise the price begins to creep up. It obviously doesn't have a full set of amenities that some hotels of a higher price bracket would do but it suited for our situation. The breakfast was a little bit lacking and the shower could have done with a bit more oomph. However, the friendly, helpful and welcoming nature of the staff made sure we had a great experience albeit for just one night.

My Rating:...

When I arrived, the check-in area was bustling, but as always, the friendly staff jumped into action to keep things moving smoothly. They truly made the experience pleasant and welcoming, just like you'd expect here!||When it comes to the hotel, it's starting to feel like IHG Hotels are a bit pricey for what you actually get. Sure, you'll find a clean and acceptable room here, but the obligatory noisy, inefficient aircon system might leave something to be desired.||If you're an IHG member, just a heads up that specifying your room on the floor of preference won’t really make a difference since they’ll assign you a room in a location they want to.||If you can, skip using your IHG member points and book through sites like Booking.com or Hotels.com to save over £10; it makes you wonder about the perks of being an IHG member. Just to clarify, this isn't a critique of this particular hotel but more about the overall value of IHG membership! It really undermines the whole idea of a lowest price guarantee when you’re just paying for your IHG points, doesn’t it?||Alright, back to the review! The hotel is pretty much what you'd expect, but I wouldn't recommend the food. For £7.95, you get a plate of 6 BBQ chicken wings that are more greasy than tasty. They call them 'WOODFIRE WINGS', but they definitely haven't been near any wood or fire—more like a quick spin in the oven or maybe even the microwave!||After using the same microwave or oven that I think is not functioning properly, you get served lukewarm lasagna on a plate, paired only with two dry slices of garlic bread, and they boldly ask £16.95 for it. Adding a medium glass of wine, the bill totalled over £32, which is unreasonable by any measure.||After I brought the problems to the staff's attention, they suggested returning the meal to reheat it! However, reheating food that wasn't prepared properly to begin with is unacceptable, so they offered a refund instead.||Although the hotel has certain qualities, as mentioned earlier, the dismal menu options greatly diminish any credibility IHG may wish to convey in providing quality and budget-friendly business accommodations.||Come on, IHG, sort your act out and do something to start to set yourself apart from the...

Booked as a stop over and the hotel and room were clean.

Check in was efficient.

The negatives

We tried to eat at the Harvester next door but was packed so decided to ask reception for advice

The lady recommended somewhere about 10 minutes away, but whilst talking my wife saw the menu on the screen at reception.

That seemed a great resolution, until we were informed that they were only serving sandwiches and panini's.

So not fancying that we set off, en route we went past the Holiday Inn so went in there to see if we could have dinner, but they had a coach party turning up, so off we went, on arrival at the recommended pub/restaurant we were advised they stopped serving food at 19.00.

So then walked to a nearby Pizza Hut.

On returning to the hotel we decided to have a drink, and I was amazed to find people eating burgers and chips, and pizza !

I raised this and the same lady then said there were only 2 people running the whole hotel that night and they were packed.

So perhaps she was discouraging us from eating there earlier, but I wasn't impressed.

On check out we were asked if 10/10 and I confirmed 'No' and explained that we were told sandwiched and Panini's. The reply was that you don't sell sandwiches. I pointed out this was what we had been told, again the response 'we don't sell sandwiches' my temper now was being tested, but I smiled and again pointed out 'THAT WAS WHAT WE WERE TOLD !' she then informed us it was the light menu, and yes there was lot's we would have chosen.

So after having driven for over 4 hours thanks for that !

Double beds which seem a relic of the past with competition offering king size, and the worst pillows going.

So despite being a dedicated IHG guest and spending so much with the chain am Spire Elite, I certainly won't stay at this HIE or recommend it, and in honesty even bother to stay at HIE...