Great staff from reception to breakfast cannot be faulted.No heating or air con in our last 3 visits.Breakfast again good and replenished regularly.The last straw was a guy high on drink or substance or both with a bloody face cut trying to get in the lift….. appeared to be well known by staff as they all rushed to the lift…..Previous lift only weeks before was a guy going to breakfast drinking lager in liftSafety and experience are key to a comfortable night together with warm or cool bedroom…… unfortunately these comforts are no longer available!!!Such a shame and we move on despite brilliant staff they deserve better.
General Manager, Owner at Holiday Inn Express Stevenage By IHG, responded to this review
Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback.We are delighted to hear that you found our staff—from reception to breakfast—friendly and attentive. Your kind words will be shared with the team.We note your concerns regarding the heating, air conditioning and safety incidents you experienced. Guest comfort and safety are important to us. However, some guests may occasionally consume drinks outside typical hours due to their night-shift work schedules. Guests can order drinks 24/7 from the bar.We are sorry that these issues affected your stay and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back under improved conditions in the future.Best wishes,The Team
User:796malcolmf
Trip type: Solo travel
Probably not the best
29 Dec 2025
Stayed here for one night and it wasn’t the best.NegativesAC still isn’t working and having stayed here earlier in the year it wasn’t working then.A sign saying that they was on the case to repair was still there and can only assume they’re coming from Mars or no budget it to fix it.This meant no heating as well although an electric fire was provided. The hotel seems to be in a decline status and in desperate need of a refurb. On arrival a sign saying that breakfast will run out as they don’t have any stock to top it wasn’t brilliant l, although it is free. Albeit a lady in front of me at Reception wanted to make a big thing of it and was clearly just after discount. Had a meal in the hotel with a friend who joined me in the evening and it wasn’t the best to say the least! Staff Well this is a positive/negativeThere was a lady behind reception who I thought was really unhelpful (I think she spoke with a French accent) who clearly couldn’t be bothered to show any enthusiasm on arrival and whilst visiting reception couldn’t be bothered to speak and asked her a couple of questions around my Platinum status and wasn’t interested,to say she needs to try a different career is an under statement!Staff Positive A young lady called Anna and a lad called Ben in the morning could definitely show the woman above a thing on customer service and communication skills.They clearly both worked hard with a smile on there faces to try their to make my stay good.These two made up for not the best stay and would encourage me to visit again. Thanks
General Manager, Owner at Holiday Inn Express Stevenage By IHG, responded to this review
Thanks for your detailed feedback, Malcolm.We’re pleased to hear that Anna and Ben made a positive impression and worked hard to make your stay enjoyable.We’re very sorry to hear about the issues you experienced with the air conditioning, heating, breakfast availability, and your meal, as well as the interactions with one member of our reception team. We understand how these matters would have affected your overall experience and regret that your stay did not meet expectations.We appreciate the time you took to provide such detailed feedback. Please contact us directly if you’d like to discuss your stay further. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again under better circumstances.All the best, The Team
User:LisaJayneRodgers
Trip type: Couples
Better than the stay we had earlier on this year
01 Oct 2025
2nd stay this year .. even after a not so good stay earlier on the year we booked again due to the location and convenience Only one life working which was a bit of a pain and no air con but thankfully it was not too warmBreakfast was more than adequate We will book again when we want a stay in the area as such good value for money @ £65 a night for a double room with breakfast
General Manager, Owner at Holiday Inn Express Stevenage By IHG, responded to this review
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re delighted that you chose to stay with us again and appreciated our convenient location and great value.We apologise for the lift issue and the lack of air conditioning, but are pleased that it didn’t impact your stay too much. It’s wonderful to hear that you enjoyed breakfast and felt your stay offered good value for money.We look forward to welcoming you back to Holiday Inn Express Stevenage for your next visit!Best wishes,Linda - Hotel Manager
User:simonsY1376OL
Trip type: Business
Ok hotel, going downhill
30 Sept 2025
I have been using this hotel on a semi regular basis for my work trips to Stevenage. Sadly, it appears to be going downhill rapidly. The air conditioning has not worked since July. They are waiting for the engineer, i would suggest that either he's not coming or has been, and they did not like the price, so instead, they have chosen cheap plastic fans for the rooms. One lift is not working. On my last stay, there were bare wires in the room. This time, the thermostat on the shower didn't work, so I was able to steam clean the flesh from my bones. I don't think that I will be coming back again in a while
Hotel Manager, Owner at Holiday Inn Express Stevenage By IHG, responded to this review
Thanks for the review, simonsY1376OL.We apologise that the air conditioning wasn’t working properly during your stay. We are aware of the issue and are taking steps to resolve it. We are also sorry to read that one lift was not functional; this is something we do our best to get sorted as quickly as possible, so thank you for raising it. We note that you also encountered issues in your room with the shower temperature and visible wiring. We hope that you will give us another chance to provide you with the experience you deserve.All the best,Linda - Hotel Manager
User:Lilmisspurple
Trip type: Family
Will never stay in a holiday inn express again!
16 Aug 2025
Stayed here as a family of 4 for 2 nights. Very disappointing. Our room smelt very strongly of cigarettes, including the bathroom. I went straight back down to reception to ask to be moved and was told there were no more family rooms available. I asked for 2 double rooms instead but they said we would have to pay an extra £190! There was no apology, no solution offered. I was visibly upset but polite but the staff clearly didn’t care or want to help. We booked a room for 2 adults and 2 children but the sofa bed can only sleep one person (or 2 very small children). Luckily we had family nearby one of us slept there, otherwise one of us would have had to sleep on the floor. The selection of food at breakfast was good. However many of the plates, bowls and mugs were dirty, I struggled to find a a clean cup. We will never use Holiday Inn again.
Hotel Manager, Owner at Holiday Inn Express Stevenage By IHG, responded to this review
Thanks for the review, Lilmisspurple.We appreciate you choosing to stay at our hotel for two nights with your family; however, it’s disappointing to read that you didn’t have the experience we had hoped for. We’re sorry to hear that you encountered an issue with the room allocated to you, specifically regarding its odour. Our team will always do their best to make the necessary changes, but if we’re operating at full capacity, we may not be able to provide you with a different room.The sofa bed can accommodate two children up to the age of 12. We apologise to hear that you found it unsuitable in terms of size. Room details and information should be visible on the booking channel you used to reserve with. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to give our reception team a call.It’s fantastic to read that you found our breakfast good, and we appreciate the feedback about our breakfast plates, bowls and cups. This will help us identify areas for improvement in future services. We hope you’ll give us another chance in the future to make things right with a more enjoyable experience.All the best,Linda - Hotel Manager
Stevenage, Hertfordshire
About Holiday Inn Express Stevenage
User Rating & Reviews
10 Feb 2026
29 Dec 2025
01 Oct 2025
0204 505 9777