Holiday Inn Darlington-A1 Scotch Corner by IHG

I had made an error with my booking and Alex sorted it out with no issues whatsoever-great staff all so friendly

The breakfast was lacking in ready prepared hot items, we had to wait approx 20 mins for them to be replenished. The bread ready for toasting was also empty.

The rooms were clean and tidy. The hotel was well maintained. The staff at reception was amazing and very helpful. The breakfast could have been better due to hot items not being replenished in a timely manner.

I stayed at the Holiday Inn Scotch Corner for a one night stopover en route to a wedding in Barnard Castle with family. As someone who has stayed at many IHG hotel, sadly this was one of the 'weaker' properties. By way of positives, the staff here are very friendly and helpful (they are probably the best thing about the hotel). The staff member who served us on the front desk (Nick) was very pleasant and efficient and made us feel very welcome. The same standard of customer service was shared by all staff we encountered. In addition, the rooms themselves were clean and tidy, as you would expect with any Holiday Inn Hotel. The breakfast buffet was also fresh, plentiful and good quality - again, no different to any other IHG hotel. However, after you leave the well-presented reception area, you start to notice how dated the hotel really is. The cruddy lift that takes you to your room felt like it was about to break down and smelt of cigarette smoke - which was warning sign number one. When I got to my room (207), it was only after I looked at it more closely I realised how tatty it was. I have attached an array of images to illustrate what I mean, which is probably only a sample of all wear and tear in this hotel. To keep it short, there were marks and stains on the walls and ceilings throughout the room and bathroom. My parents were staying in room 206 which had the most shocking bathroom window I've ever seen. All of the above could be overlooked if you were paying £50-£60 for a room because as mentioned, the rooms were clean and adequate. However, the room rate was closer to £200 and these rooms were allegedly 'executive' rooms - at this price, the wear and tear I have pointed out is a lot less acceptable. The hotel restaurant wasn't the best. I was really looking forward to sampling their glazed confit pork belly (sounds lovely), except for the fact they didn't have any! I opted for their special which was the chicken tikka masala. This was an OK dish, nothing spectacular. However, size of the actual curry was quite small - the meal looked big due to all the accompaniments it came with. I was also disappointed that when we went down for breakfast, half the tables were covered in dirty crockery due to a coach party which made me feel unwelcome! I've stayed in many hotels that have had coach parties but this shouldn't dampen everyone else's dining experience. In addition, someone had turned up the toaster far too high which led to my pain au chocolat getting absolutely cremated! The final thing to comment on is the leisure facilities this place offers (ie. the gym and swimming pool). I'm always happy to pay a bit extra to visit a hotel with a pool but on this occasion, I wish I hadn't bothered. The pool closed at 6pm, with the final entries being 17:15 which is ridiculously early so put me under pressure to rush to it. Upon seeing the grim state of the changing rooms, I contemplated turning around. I couldn't face the changing room showers as these looked rank so had to use the one on the poolside. The pool, sauna and steam room were surprisingly good once I started using them. Overall, whilst every hotel ages, unfortunately management have let standards slip here. If the hotel wants to stop getting negative reviews from disgruntled travellers, until they can renovate, they seriously need to consider what they charge for their rooms. Unless the room rates are cheap and you are only staying for a night or two out of convenience, I would recommend choosing another hotel in the area over this one. The addition of an on-site leisure centre is not worth extra time and money.