

5
Excellent Atmosphere for disabled guests
I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, Leigh, for two nights as part of a National Holidays coach tour. I contacted the hotel beforehand to request a room with an accessible bathroom and Ashleigh replied to make clear, "Yes that is completely fine, we can meet this request. I can offer you an accessible Twin Room."
The room had a red cord close by the bed I used. For getting out of it, the bed was at a reasonable height. Website images having informed me that the pillows would be too bulky, I brought my own. There were clothes racks at both standing height and seated height - and fitting the hanger into the hook was manageable.
Taking a shower in the wet room was great, with adequate safety rails and body wash and shampoo bottles within easy reach. (There is a seat, but I didn't use it.) Unfortunately, the water failed to drain away sufficiently - but a gentleman staff member came with a squeegee and mop and dried the floor.
This leads into the lovely atmosphere, that I seek to praise especially. As with other hotel chains, Holiday Inn Express have a policy that, basically, the staff will do everything they can to make your stay a happy experience. In the case of their hotel in Leigh, it is true. What I found most significant about the arrangement is that I at no point ended up feeling embarrassed or humiliated.
I don't enjoy crowded spaces, so instead of eating in the dining room I took advantage of the opportunity to put my breakfast in a bag and take it away with me. I asked at Reception about this and was told where the 'to go' bags were, and to use them to help myself to whatever I wanted. Nobody looked at me askance; nobody checked how much I was taking. It was wonderful.
I should add that I found the food very nice. It comprises a limited cooked breakfast and toast / baps, as well as yogurt, fruit (including fresh oranges, apples and bananas) and also bakery goodies, including muffins and croissants.
I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, Leigh, for two nights as part of a National Holidays coach tour. I contacted the hotel beforehand to request a room with an accessible bathroom and Ashleigh replied to make clear, "Yes that is completely fine, we can meet this request. I can offer you an accessible Twin Room."
The room had a red cord close by the bed I used. For getting out of it, the bed was at a reasonable height. Website images having informed me that the pillows would be too bulky, I brought my own. There were clothes racks at both standing height and seated height - and fitting the hanger into the hook was manageable.
Taking a shower in the wet room was great, with adequate safety rails and body wash and shampoo bottles within easy reach. (There is a seat, but I didn't use it.) Unfortunately, the water failed to drain away sufficiently - but a gentleman staff member came with a squeegee and mop and dried the floor.
This leads into the lovely atmosphere, that I seek to praise especially. As with other hotel chains, Holiday Inn Express have a policy that, basically, the staff will do everything they can to make your stay a happy experience. In the case of their hotel in Leigh, it is true. What I found most significant about the arrangement is that I at no point ended up feeling embarrassed or humiliated.
I don't enjoy crowded spaces, so instead of eating in the dining room I took advantage of the opportunity to put my breakfast in a bag and take it away with me. I asked at Reception about this and was told where the 'to go' bags were, and to use them to help myself to whatever I wanted. Nobody looked at me askance; nobody checked how much I was taking. It was wonderful.
I should add that I found the food very nice. It comprises a limited cooked breakfast and toast / baps, as well as yogurt, fruit (including fresh oranges, apples and bananas) and also bakery goodies, including muffins and croissants.