Holiday Inn Lancaster (I)

Disappointed. Always used IHG Hotels. This was a 2 night stop off for the lakes on the way to Scotland. Staff are rude and uninterested. Hotel restaurant ok, but barely an hello or thank you. Lift really dirty (dust and cobwebs in the corners). Room service got our order wrong after taking multiple calls to answer. No apology. Then pool closed on the last day at 2pm. Staff illness. Chose IHG over cheaper alternatives because of the pool. Pool facilities also dirty and in need of TLC, as was the room. Eg door chain broken, do not disturb sign ripped. A shame.

We arrived at the hotel expecting another pleasant stay, having visited several times before without any issues. Instead, we were met with complete incompetence and a shocking lack of customer care. Upon arrival, we discovered that part of our reservation had been cancelled, despite it being booked months in advance. Most concerning was that the cancelled room was for my disabled sister. After travelling four hours from home, the last thing we expected was to be told that her room was no longer available. The attitude of the reception staff was nothing short of appalling. There was no apology, no empathy, and certainly no attempt to take responsibility for the situation. We were repeatedly told to contact Booking.com, while Booking.com insisted that the hotel had cancelled the reservation. Rather than helping resolve the issue, both parties seemed more interested in passing the blame. To make matters worse, the hotel’s proposed solution was to split our group up and send half of us to the Holiday Inn in Haydock—around an hour and a half away in the opposite direction of where we were travelling. It was an utterly ridiculous suggestion that demonstrated just how little they cared about the inconvenience they had caused. What should have been the start of a relaxing trip turned into a stressful and frustrating ordeal due entirely to poor organisation and dreadful customer service. Returning customers deserve far better treatment, especially when a disabled guest is involved. The only positive aspect of the evening was that we eventually found accommodation at The Royal in Heysham, where we received fantastic service, a warm welcome, and delicious food—everything that was sorely lacking at this hotel. Needless to say, we will not be returning. To add we also had difficulty receiving a refund but after several phone calls that has now been sorted.

Had a really lovely stay! The lady at reception, I think her name was Abby, was absolutely fantastic during our check-in and made everything smooth and welcoming. Also, Maya, who checked us out, was very friendly and lovely to talk to. The room was massive, breakfast was lovely, and the location is perfect for anyone visiting the Lake District. Just a small thing there was a chocolate wrapper in the room when we entered, and there was no body wash provided. Apart from that, everything was great and we really enjoyed our stay!