Coventry East (M6,Jct2)

Very welcoming and nothing seemed to much trouble . The lady that checked me in went above and beyond for me and my granddaughter. It was such a lovely stay . My granddaughter didn’t want to leave 🤩. Would stay here again in a heartbeat. And recommend to my friends and family too to stay here

I chose this hotel primarily because of its proximity to the M6. Handy for the NEC, where I was an exhibitor for a couple of days. The surrounding neighbourhood is mostly industrial estate, so it can feel a bit isolated. Other than the on-site restaurant, the nearest alternatives are at least a short drive away. The hotel itself is pretty much what you would routinely expect from the Premier Inn brand. What was slightly discouraging was the stagnant pool of water at the entrance to the car park - alas there is no other way in - which means having to drive through an ankle-deep puddle, which is not very welcoming. Clearly there is a drainage issue which needs addressing and is only discouraging because it is clearly a lapse in standards - or at best an oversight that prompts questions on what else might have been overlooked. On the plus side, the lady on reception was helpful and welcoming, friendly without being too overfamiliar, and as a former hospitality manager myself, I appreciate that kind of old school hospitality. All the staff were pretty much on point throughout, including in the restaurant. A pity I cannot say the same for the evening meal. I gather the restaurant next door was previously a Brewers Fayre outlet, now operating as the hotel's own eatery. It was very quiet when I visited - with only three or four other tables occupied. There was only one member of staff on duty, tending to both the restaurant and the bar apparently single-handedly. Whilst he was very courteous and efficient, the food itself was disappointing. I ordered tomato soup to start, which considering the restaurant was near empty, took ages to arrive. When it did it was barely lukewarm, and the croutons had become soggy. These are all signs that it had probably been sitting on the pass for so long it had gone cold, and the croutons had soaked well into the soup. There were far too many croutons anyway, it was wrong on pretty much every level. Truthfully, that soup should never have left the kitchen, and the fact that it was felt acceptable to serve that to a customer is very disappointing (see pictures). My server did ask me on more than one occasion of everything was OK, so top marks for doing the necessary - but I did not mention it as I was not interested in sending anything back. I had coincidentally ordered a second starter - as I am sometimes minded to do - which was the barbecue chicken wings. This was better but overwhelmed with barbecue sauce (see pictures). It was too much, and not particularly well presented. It would have been more conducive to serve the barbecue sauce on the side. My main course was the smothered chicken, which was OK but nothing special. The chicken and the cheese and bacon topping were all overcooked and too dry. Again, probably sitting under the heat lamps too long. Conversely, my buffet-style breakfast in the same restaurant the following morning was nothing short of excellent. The young lady on duty was courteous and efficient

Lesley on reception was so friendly and helpful greeted us beautifully and gave us all the information we needed about the hotel and surrounding facilities. The beds were very comfy too. Decent budget hotel in a good location to break up a long drive.