A Chilly Night Inn

Holiday inn express, Salford Quays. Manchester From the tram to the hotel entrance, there are no dropped kerbs, meaning the only way to get in if you use a mobility aid, like a wheelchair or scooter, is via the road. Thankfully, the entrance is totally flat. It opens up into a brightly lit, warm reception. There was no lowered help desk. The staff were helpful as they provided directions of where the Vincent van Gogh experience was. We arrived 3 hrs before check in, hungry and cold, so were invited to get a cuppa and meal as we didn't feel safe enough to eat on the train, as this would mean removing our mask. However, when we went to order, we were told we couldn't order a meal due to the member of staff manning the desk alone, but they offered us complimentary hot drinks. After our drinks we went for a walk to find the Van Gogh experience. A goose attacked our bags! When we returned, hungry and cold with numb toes, my mum and I were just looking forward to a welcome blast of warm heat to soothe our frozen bones.

However, our fantasies were dashed as we entered the chilly room. After getting nowhere with the heating, (the air got colder the more it blew out), we asked for help from reception. A member of staff brought us a heater and extra blankets. The next morning, when checking out, we raised the cold room temp issue and were told the hotel only has air-con! no built in heating! Another thing I found strange was the placement of the wheel chair accessible room. It was on the 6th floor! in the event of a fire, the lift would be out of order, so how would I get out? The lift was quite good, although, no turning space for a wheelchair. A voiceover announced the floor and despite being difficult to see, had braille. I'm not sure if buttons lit up to alert deaf and hard of hearing . In the room, the bathroom was quite small and had no turning space. The sink was difficult to reach too, I had to really reach and stretch to the sink as it was built into the unit. I suppose the exercise was a good way to keep warm, but as my wheelchair couldn't fit under, the twisting was a tad uncomfortable. It had a small seated shower in the corner. Next to this is a white pull down bar beside the loo. I didn't much like the fact that it had no toilet roll holder and so this has to be balance on the other white bar/wall.

The bedroom was quite a good size, with turning room next to the comfy double bed. The food was nice. Very flavoursome. We had a curry dish. My vegetarian curry was delicious and packed with different spices. The breakfast buffet offered a mix of hot food, like eggs, beans, and sausage etc., as well as cereal, fruit, muffins, pastries and yogurt. It was a pleasant enough stay, but holiday inn express Salford Quays could definitely improve by: * investing in a heating system, so guests don't freeze. *It would be a good idea to have accessible rooms on either the ground or first, possibly 2nd floors, rather than the 6th! *Lowered reception desk to accommodate people in wheelchairs In the bathroom: *have black or dark blue bars instead of white as this will help visually impaired people . *expand it to allow turning room. *put in an accessible sink that a wheelchair can get to comfortably.