The week after Mothers Day my Mum and I met in London for an overnight stay to enjoy some time together without the kids constantly disturbing us. I'd bought the hotel room as my Mums Christmas present and got a very good deal via Groupon. If I'm honest I hadn't really known where I was booking for, as it was advertised a bit cryptically on Groupon. It just said 4* Kensington Hotel with Full English breakfast for two and spa access for £97 in March. It was only upon investigating the postcode that I discovered it was the Holiday Inn.
I'd also bought the same deal for my husband and Miss M to stay there in February and that was just £86 and I had a Groupon 10% off code. With both deals, I was able to go via Quidco too and claim 5% cashback on both bookings. So both bookings turned out to be excellent value for a stunning hotel, that I will happily book in to again.
Arrival at the Hotel
The hotel is literally a 5 minute walk from Kensington High Street tube station and this makes it so easy and accessible. There are shops, coffee shops, restaurants, bars and everything you need very close to hand.
You're greeted by a doorman when you arrive and he'll take your bags if they are big or heavy. Check-in was very easy and not at all busy when we arrived at about 2.30pm. Officially the rooms are ready from 3pm but we were lucky we could access our room straight away. We were up on the 6th floor and there was two lifts to access the upper floors but one appeared to be out of order whilst we were there. It was easy enough to walk down though. I like that you have to use your key card to access the upper floors, that makes you feel safe.
Public Areas
As you walk in the hotel to the left there is a nice Starbucks coffee shop, which is 24 hours and that's so useful. There is also a very large bar area with plenty of comfy seats and it looks stylish and somewhere you'd happily meet friends or colleagues. There is also lots of big seating areas in the lobby so you can relax or wait for a friend. Of course we didn't use them but we saw loads of conference rooms at the hotel too.
Standard King BedroomThe key access system worked well and was easy to use, unlike some hotel ones which seem very temperamental. Upon walking into the room you are struck was how clean and modern it is but also there is a feeling that the room is pretty compact. Because you have an enormous (and super, super comfortable) super king size (6ft) bed in the middle of the room it does leave limited walking space in the room but to be honest for a night or two for two people it is plenty enough.
Mum and I had a side of the room each and we weren't getting in each others way. There is plenty of space in the double wardrobe, hangers are provided and there is an iron and board, and safe in there too. The other furniture is clever as well, like the hospitality/ desk area has an open space underneath with runners for you to store your luggage.
The TV and the hairdryer are wall mounted to give you maximum space and there are so many plug sockets and a variety of lighting to suit your needs. You can also control the heating/ air conditioning and we slept at a very comfortable temperature.
The free WiFi was good and easy to connect to, we had a tea and coffee tray in the room but I'll be honest I was disappointed with this as it was sparsely stocked with very average products and no biscuits. You can chose your pillows to suit your taste and there are black-out curtains to ensure a really good nights sleep.
Full English Breakfast
As the breakfast was included in our package price I was keen to try it and my husband and Miss M had said it was really good when they had stayed the month before. Mum and I were also not disappointed. The Boulevard restaurant is a really good size and as such even coming down for breakfast at peak time of 9.30am we were able to get a table easily.
Hot drinks are served to the table and then you can help yourself to everything else. There is a huge selection of juices, breads, pastries, fruits, cereals, cheese, ham and other cold items. As well as two counters for cooked breakfast and you can ask for an omelette made to order or use a special pancake machine to make yourself mini pancakes.
It was also easy to find staff if you needed them and they were happy to help. Breakfast is served 6:30am to 10:30 am weekdays and 7:00am to 11am on weekends and bank holidays.
Imagine Spa
Mum and I didn't end up using the spa as we had such a busy day on the Friday and then ending up going home earlier than planned on the Saturday due to unforeseen snow! Our Groupon tariff included access to the spa for two of us but it normally costs £5 per person for hotel guests.
My husband and Miss M used the pool and whirlpool when they were there and said it was really relaxing. Miss M was a bit disappointed it wasn't more fun but then what do I expect from a 10 year old? My husband said it was a beautiful spa, well kept and very clean.
There is also a well equipped gym that you can use and lots of beauty treatments and massage that are available to book for an additional fee.
We had a super stay at the Holiday Inn, Kensington and I will happily book there again as the hotel was super clean, very well presented, had friendly and attentive staff and an ace full English breakfast buffet.
If I was looking for something not so great about my stay the only thing I can think of is that the tea tray was a bit lame and maybe that the space between the sink and the wall to get in the shower is tight if you are a larger adult. These would not detract me from staying again though and I'll definitely explore Groupon again if I do as the price is good and you can often get a further discount and Quidco cashback too - what's not to like?
Why this pin this post for later?
Thanks to the Holiday Inn Kensington for some of the images used.
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