Hotel news: Glasgow Marriott refurbishment, Holiday Inn Winchester rebranding

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• Tariq says:

  14 Jun14 June 05:00

  The rooms at the Glasgow Marriott are fairly small IIRC. From the picture it looks like they’ve achieved more space by taking furniture out of the new design. This refurb will surely put pressure on the Hilton which is really only a block away and wasn’t in much of a different state from the Marriott.

• Ross says:

  14 Jun14 June 05:22

  Not really a full refurbishment. Gym isn’t being touched (I used to work out there 14 years ago and it’s still the same sad and tired machines today!!) and the toilets and bathrooms in all the bedrooms are still the same gauche bathtubs with shower curtains and tiny corner sinks. Hideous.

• Andrew. says:

  14 Jun14 June 06:16

  The Voco picture looks odd. I can’t quite work out how you get into the bathroom.

  • lumma says:

    14 Jun14 June 19:41

    There’s a shadow on the wall from the grey/blue wall on the white wall behind the coat hanger. Assume that’s the entrance to the bathroom

• BJ says:

  14 Jun14 June 06:31

  The description of the Glasgow Marriott location is stretching it quite a bit.

  • numpty says:

    14 Jun14 June 07:33

    It is quite a few blocks away from where would be considered the financial district and would require a walk through what is sometimes, apparently, and I am far too naive to know, a bit of a red light district.

    • BJ says:

      14 Jun14 June 07:51

      Also notvwithin tve boundaries of what most perceive to the evebts campus. I always recommend friends and family to avoid this hotel but if they must to use only a taxi after dark.

      • numpty says:

        14 Jun14 June 07:58

        Yes, there are so many new hotels in Glasgow at the events campus, riverside, and more central I do wonder why people book the Marriott other than for the car park. If it is brand loyalty, then there is the new AC Marriott just off George Square.

        • Toppcat says:

          14 Jun14 June 14:22

          The AC is pretty decent. It’s my go-to base for a weekend in Glasgow

    • Peggerz says:

      14 Jun14 June 11:43

      @numpty
      Young Ms. P is booked into The Marriott on her regular trips to Glasgow and hasn’t seen the ladies of the night on patrol nearby. You aren’t harking back to the heady days of Blythswood Square before the Kimpton – which alledgedly has red lights in its windows paying homage to the districts previous clientele – was opened there?😎

      • numpty says:

        14 Jun14 June 12:47

        No, I’m recalling my friend moving into his new flat along the road from the Marriott being asked if he needed a hand with anything 😉

        Also on the same street my student niece walking along the road to get back to west end after a night out and eventually seeing sense in deciding to getting a taxi, and the driver pointing out where she was.

        • BJ says:

          14 Jun14 June 13:09

          +1, I would not want my niece in that area alone after dark. Unless things have changed in recent years it was not a good place to be.

  • Toppcat says:

    14 Jun14 June 14:24

    Agreed! That’s not a very nice location… Certainly not events campus or the financial district!

• Peter K says:

  14 Jun14 June 07:10

  “voco is another IHG brand…but with looser brand standards. It will allow the hotel owners to deviate from what is currently expected at a Holiday Inn”.

  I’d say it’s more that they want to trade up without being held to the brand standards of a Crowne Plaza.

  • SammyJ says:

    14 Jun14 June 08:50

    Agreed, we often stay at that Holiday Inn and regularly comment that it’s so much nicer than you’d expect from a HI. Voco will be a good fit. The rooms are bland in comparison to the lobby/bar so hopefully that will improve.

    Wasn’t impressed with the introduction of the £10 parking fee though, and don’t stay half as much now as I did previously!

    • Barry cutters says:

      14 Jun14 June 09:13

      I stay a lot too to visit farms in Hampshire , it’s lobby is lovely since the changes made and breakfast is better now it’s moved from level minus one to ground floor to accommodate the spa , spa pool I chargeable and as a spire ambassador , now spire diamond I’ve never had an upgrade there in 30 x 3-4 night visits over the last 3-4y.
      You tend to get quite a few bus loads of Americans / Chinese people in the summer on tours

      I don’t like the food and tend to drive in to Winchester or use Uber eats – Deliveroo doesn’t work as it’s a bit far out.

      Overall the management need to start treating loyal guests better – although can’t see that changing with a move to voco

      • Tim says:

        15 Jun15 June 07:33

        “Overall the management need to start treating loyal guests better”. Indeed, I stopped staying there years ago. This is the of the handful of Holiday Inns that never ever upgraded me, even when they had Executive Rooms for sale.

• Mark L says:

  14 Jun14 June 08:09

  I’m not overly impressed with the Glasgow Marriott refurb. I spent about 50 nights there last year. Room refurb are not great, they have removed all fixed desks, and replaced with a little mobile desk that ban barley fit a laptop and notebook, which isn’t great when you need to do some work. Bathroom has also been done on the cheep, essentially they have removed a shower curtain on the bath and replaced with a glass screen.

  That said, Its just off the motorway and although technically in the Glasgow LEZ zone, the entrance to the car park is before the LEZ cameras so you can park without being fined. Its also very close to the finance area, just 5 min walk. In all my time walking early in the morning and late at night, ive never experienced any issues or seen any ladies of the night.

  The exec lounge is reasonable, with several hours of snacks and wine, which is always a nice touch. Im a bit of a Marriott Bonvoy fanboy, so I will continue to stay here despite it not being the best Marriott, just don’t have high expectations

• Peter says:

  14 Jun14 June 08:48

  Holiday Inn Winchester
  This development is next door, very short walking distance to the Hampshire Science Centre and Planetarium. This is an absolutely fabulous place for children. Interactive, engaging with light shows and such an absorbing experience of science. A well worth trip + VG parking.

  • SammyJ says:

    14 Jun14 June 08:52

    It’s never been open when we’re there!
    Shame the HI now charge £10 for parking.

• ChrisM says:

  14 Jun14 June 09:35

  I remember the Marriott when it opened in early 1980s (as a Holiday Inn) being the poshest Hotel around. It nearly didn’t get granted a license as the bar could be viewed from the reception area – how things have changed with the Greatroom concept – I think Glasgow’s licensing laws may have changed too.

  We enquired about having our wedding there in 1986 and they were well in themselves, stating that if they accepted our booking for 100 guests, but an enquiry came along for a 300 person conference, they would cancel us!

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