More about Holiday Inn Express Portsmouth Gunwharf Quays
Much Much better than expected
by TripAdvisor Member hedgi
Group of us went to Portsmouth for weekend when I heard we were staying in a Holiday Inn I must admit I was dreading it I thought it would be awful - HOWEVER I was so suprised it was extremely clean, tidy and with helpful staff. The hotel is right in the hub of the shops etc. Our rooms were lovely and clean and the bed was comfy!! no lumpy matresses there. For a Saturday night in peak season I was suprised that it only cost £95.00 for both of us including breakfast which was very nice which included croisants, toast, yoghurts, cakes, juices and cereals. I would highly reccomend this hotel and if I go back to Portsmouth would definately stay there again.
What a rip off !
by TripAdvisor Member timbers30
I booked this hotel as I was having my hen night at Gunwharf Quays and thought it was ideal due to the location but was very disappointed. My mother in law paid for the room at a rate of £89.95 as we checked in we were advised we have to pre-pay for the room, what's that all about. Nowhere on my confirmation does it state this only if your a no show ! We went to our room which was clean but very basic indeed. We had no glasses for water (a basic necessity I believe) only mugs. A pityful select of hot drinks the bare minimum of a couple of t-bags and coffee oh and don't forget the sugar. No hot chocolate or biscuits. When we went down to breakfast the following morning looking forward to our full english we were confronted with a pathetic selection of a couple of yougurts, grapefruit, crossaints and cereals. Even a continental breakfast has cheese, ham, eggs etc. It was very crowded and dark with people pushing to that last crossaint ! I certainly would'nt pay for an evening meal there or use the bar. We thought by booking a Holiday Inn Hotel we would expect the same standard as elsewhere. The only saving grace is that the staff were helpful and cheerful making the best of the limited facilities they could offer. Just don't go there I've stayed in hotels at have of the price and ten times better.
rip off prices I agree!
by TripAdvisor Member Mrs_Sparkle
I have stayed at this hotel several times ( only because I have had to for its location) everytime I stay the price has gone up by £10 and the service just gets worse! Despite Holiday inn offering discounts this location is never discounted even though the breakfast is the worst I have had anywhere in the UK. Like the previous reviewee we booked a birthday weekend for 4 as we were shopping and dining at Gun Wharf quays We Paid £89.95 per room. When we came down to breakfast at 8,30am the breakfast room was full no seats anywhere, it looked like a school canteen with mess and crumbs everywhere. To top it all they had run out of most items so we gave up in the end and didnt have breakfast even though we had paid for it. Its about time another hotel chain gave Holiday inn some competition at this location as the service is absolutely awful!!
Good Hotel
by TripAdvisor Member lastag
My husband and I stayed two nights recently at this hotel whilst attending a wedding in Portsmouth and had a very pleasent experience. We arrived before the 2pm check in but this was no problem and our room was ready for us to go straight to. We booked several months in advance and I think we paid a rate of £74 per night which they did charge us for on our credit card before we arrived. This was no problem - I was worried they might ask us to pay again, so I had taken a copy of our credit card statement with us just incase, but they were full aware that our room was prepaid. Rooms were clean and pleasent, bed comfortable. The staff were very friendly too. Ok the breakfast is not the best but on both mornings we ate breakfast we had no porblems with any of the food running out - plenty of cereals, bread, fruit and croissants. Agree with another reviewer - some cold meats should also be available. Its right in the centre of Gun Wharf Quays which is a lovely area with plenty of shopping, bars and restaurants and just a few mins walk from the naval dockyard. I would stay here again.
Great hotel in a great location
by A TripAdvisor Member
I just spent 2 nights at this hotel with friends.
First thing I should point out is its ideal location. This was the main reason we choose this hotel and it didnt disapoint.
The hotel is on three floors with about 50 rooms a floor so there can be a bit of walking to do.
The rooms were clean and beds were so comfortable I had no trouble getting a good nights sleep. Considering the hotel is in an area with a lot of pubs and resturants I thought it could be a little noisy but I didnt hear any outside noise and heard very little from the corridors (certainly not enough to bother a light sleeper). It was also nice to have a sofa in our room although my friends who were in a twin room did not have this.
People have commented on the breakfasts so I thought I should too. I do understand why people have said it was overcrowed and there wasnt much food left. On the Saturday morning we went to breakfast about 10am and it was absolutely packed. There wasnt too much left although what was there was nice. The Sunday morning we had to leave earlier so we went for breakfast at 8.30 and the place was fully stocked and only a few tables of people so I really guess the time you arrive matters.
The only gripe I had during my stay is the shower gel ran out so I took it out of its holder in the hope the maids would notice but they didnt. But that wasnt really a big thing at all.
Overall I enjoyed my stay and would stay again.
Good hotel, excellent location, couple of minor issues
by TripAdvisor Member bristol_traveller_06
This is a fairly good hotel and it is located right in the heart of the Portsmouth Gunwharf quays shopping area & near the famous historic dockyards which is excellent.
We were there for two nights, arriving Saturday & leaving Monday. There were a couple of issues I found though:
1. They simply refuse to check you in before the 2pm "official" check-in time. Every hotel I have ever been to, at least tries to see if your room is ready but they simply said "sorry we don't check in before 2pm" which I thought was pretty bad customer service.
2. By default they won't give you luggage tags if they're storing your luggage. I have never had luggage lost but do not like to take any risks by not tagging my luggage (as it could be taken by mistake). The first time we had to store our luggage they did give me a tag when I asked. The second time the girl at the counter glanced over to the drawer where they are located and then simply said they had "run out" which I highly doubt, but we were forced to leave our luggage without a tag which I simply do not like.
3. The breakfast is good, however they seem to leave only one staff member to keep it replenished and on our second day several things, including clean cups for coffee, napkins and other things went unstocked for a while. Also the toast machines seem to have been put on daft settings, though this could have been a hotel guest who did that.
4. The shower head in our room required maintenance, we didn't get this done because we were only there for a couple of days, but it simply didn't stay up properly. Also for some reason the metal fixture for the shower taps got very hot in our room & so we had to put a face-cloth over it when using the shower in order to avoid burning ourselves.
Other than that though the rooms were clean, the in-house movies very well priced, the service was fairly good and friendly, though I got a slight feeling of being a bit of a nuisance just by asking for anything out of the ordinary (luggage tags for instance).
I would stay there again though mainly because of how well it is located. Also they have lots of arrangements with local restaurants and suchlike for discounts if you show your room key card which is pretty good.
Great Hotel for Weekend Break
by TripAdvisor Member BlackburnRovers
I stayed at this hotel with my 12 year old son for a weekend break in Oct. The hotel is well signposted as you approach the Gunwharf Quays complex with a separate lane. I parked in front of the entrance to check in then moved to the undergroung car park opposite (turn left in the car park and park 1 level down to be close to the hotel). Parking is free for first night and £2 each following day.
On check in the staff give you a list of bars and restaurants with discounts available, basically 20% off virtually all the restaurants. The hotel is ideal as once checked in and parked up the restaurants, bars, shops, cinema, Isle of Wight ferries, museums and old town are all within walking distance without having to cross any roads.
Hotel rooms were clean and better appointed than some HI Express hotels with very comfotable beds. Breakfast was good with usual continental items plus warm Danish, also tables were cleared and cleaned promptly. Bar open until 2:00 a.m. with friendly bar staff.
I would definitely return if visiting Portsmouth in the future.
Excellent location,excellent buffet breakfast..
by TripAdvisor Member Wegetaboutabit.
Stayed here with friends, excellent location for sightseeing. Short walk to Historic Dockyard. Just a few minutes to great shopping in Gunwharf Quays. Super restaurants nearby, particularly liked the Chinese with the 'all you can eat buffet'.
Take aways are also available to order in and eat in the breakfast area.(No restaurant in hotel)
Pleanty of choice for the buffet breakfast, pleasant, helpful staff.
Only down side is having to trail luggage from underground car park, and would be helpful if hotel had some reserved parking ( as does the casino opposite) think for what you pay to stay, they could afford this arrangement.
All in all, would stay there again, can't beat the location. Particularly when we had superb weather as well.
Terrific Location
by TripAdvisor Member RIAmericanLady
I don't usually book "businessy" hotels but the location was perfect - so close to the historic waterfront that we wanted to visit. The room was very comfortable, the breakfast delicious, and we loved catching a film at the cinema in the complex. The staff was very friendly and helpfu. An enjoyable stay.
Not what we expected
by TripAdvisor Member love-holidaying
We were put into a room which smelt of cigarettes and we had two single beds. This was my birthday present from my partner. We were told that we had to put up with it because we booked on line and paid a cheaper price. I recently quit smoking so the smell to me was very offensive, and with government push for quitting smoking this was not acceptable. Also breakfast choice very limited. They should perhaps look at service given by other hotels abroad. Worst hotel I've ever stayed in.
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