Holiday Inn Express Colchester by IHG

Reviews

• PC

  Paul Cardy

  1 day ago
  1.0
  Would be 4* as the rooms and breakfast were fairly reasonable (if overpriced). However, the owners IHG seem to have decided it's perfectly reasonable to charge people extra to use a car park in the middle of nowhere. The sign says it's a public carpark on private land, but ignoring the contradiction it's nothing of the sort. Everyone staying at the hotel has to use it because there's no other way to get there and no one else would any reason to because there's nothing else there. So, despite paying a large amount for a room, the first thing you must do before you even get in the door is pay more money. Even Travelodges at motorway service stations give you free parking, but not here.
• SS

  Sebastian Oliver Schneider

  Aug 10, 2026
  5.0
  A generally nice, but somewhat dated hotel! We stayed overnight in a very clean room and enjoyed a good breakfast. While the carpets in the hallway were a bit worn, the staff were friendly and helpful! We were happy to stop over!
• CB

  Crispin Barton

  Aug 3, 2026
  5.0
  A really good visit. The only issue was the Aircon which kept giving up. To the credit of the hotel it was fixed promptly each time it was an issue. Service and the warm friendly approach of the staff was excellent which makes a big difference. Thank you to the team for the excellent service you provided.
• KK

  Kai

  Jul 23, 2026
  2.0
  Express by Name, Full Price by Checkout (Emotional Recovery Fees Not Included) They say you get what you pay for. Here, once the hidden dog fee landed, we paid nearly Holiday Inn prices — and got the Express experience. It started at check-in. I'd pre-selected an upstairs room, but was given the ground floor — they knew nothing about my selection. Then came a surprise £15-per-day fee for our little dog, which appeared nowhere on Booking.com. I was surprised — surprised, not exasperated — but the response I got was essentially a telling-off for not knowing: "You have to take it up with them! That's what I'd do! It's listed on our website!" An automatic pushback reflex. Zero customer service. Simple kindness and a little understanding would have been all that was needed. The same pushback culture showed up again with the TV. Our room's TV offered Netflix, but when my kids tried to log in, there was an internet issue. The staff member I asked was kind at first — he seemed junior and went to check with someone. He came back transformed: "We didn't promise Netflix, we're undergoing renovations, so it's not there." When I asked whether it was meant to be there — whether I was losing part of the package — I got "No, no! It's not our fault!" I hadn't said anything about fault. A very strange tell-off vibe, and by now clearly the house style. Breakfast was horrendous. Calling it a "free breakfast" when it's baked into a substantial room rate is off to begin with. It's advertised until 10 on weekends; we arrived at 9:55 on a Saturday to find a lone spot of scrambled eggs (powdered, I'm guessing) and nothing else. When asked, staff shrugged: "Yep, it's almost closed, so that's what's left." Two other guests pointed out it was still before closing time, to which the manager — judging by the uniform — replied, "It's common sense." That is the level of customer service at this hotel. With a group of guests now unhappy, she relented and brought out a few things — begrudgingly, like a child pouting — including sausages and bacon that looked like they'd been cooked in cornmeal. Bar service is supposedly around the clock. After hours of late-night work in the lounge, I wanted a nightcap before turning in — but there was nobody at the desk for ages. I spotted a staff member setting up breakfast and simply asked if it was possible to get a drink. The response: "I'm not gonna come out from what I'm doing here to get you a drink!" — delivered as though I were a belligerent drunk who'd stumbled in off the street demanding free juice, rather than a guest finishing a work evening. This from a man with his shirt half in, half out, barely speaking clearly. I didn't bother. Ten minutes later, while I was still plugging away at closing things up, he rolled out to the counter and shouted over, 'Do you want sumfin'?!' That, again, was the level of customer service. Then we went to the regular Holiday Inn — not Express — and it was a complete 180. Welcoming, kind, real food (bacon that didn't resemble pigs' ears for a dog), and no hidden dog fee, so the actual price difference was minimal for all of that. Lesson learned: don't go Holiday Inn Express thinking you're getting Holiday Inn. This product line is incredibly unrefined, at least in Colchester.
• CH

  Charmain Hamilton

  Jul 18, 2026
  3.0
  I stayed at this hotel on the 12th June check in and pay for 1 night checked out on the 13th June 6am in the morning. I checked back in on the 13th june at around 9.30pm I pay for the room when I got to the room it was dirty The bin was overflowing with rubbish towels on the floor dirty no tea or coffee there, excuse when I went downstairs was I should have put a clean card on the room door but how can I when the room was not paid for And I had just check back in they came to the room and empty the Bin and gave me some clean towels. I asked for some tea and coffee. I waited for half an hour went to bed when I try to discuss it at reception, I was ignored when I got home, I phoned up the hotel. I was told that someone will call me back the next day. This did not happen. I phoned a week later. I was told that James, the manager, sorted it out. I did not speak to James. The phone got cut off i gave them over an hour to phone me back They did not ? when I phone them back, I was told that James, the manager sorted out another customer with the same issue they apologise. The manager finished for the day, but they was going to give her a call I got back an email later on in the evening. Telling me the reception told me that I'd needed to put a card on the room door to let them know that the room needed to be clean so the manager chose not to investigate what had happened. The room had not been paid for I had not checked in and they would have seen this if they took time to investigate rather than ignore me.