Hotels near Hartwell Pocket Park, Northampton

Had arrived from the Hilton in Harrogate which was brilliant. Had high hopes for the brand when I arrived at this hotel. Walked in to reception and all I can say is appearances can be deceiving. Once you look past the chandeliers and flowers it’s evident this isn’t up to the usual Hilton standard. The first receptionist I spoke to was either shy or new. Very basic service, more time spent looking at the screen. Had to ask the usual questions, breakfast times/location:car parking payment etc.. Got told it was on my key card. That’s great but I’m asking you in person and having stayed at many hotels this is usually standard. The rooms are very basic and the hotel does need modernising. The receptionist kindly moved me (thank you Eva) as I could hear everything in the original room I was allocated, and the adjoining door between my room and the one next door didn’t seem to secure.. I found the family room I was given slightly more modern but the beds creaked awfully. Luckily I always take ear plugs. Bathrooms had those horrible shower heads that emit shed loads of spray, not ideal if you are trying not to get your hair wet and just have a wash. They do provide shower caps though. There is also a reminder to be vigilant with the shower curtain as the spray shower heads soak everything! Food in the restaurant was mediocre but prompt. Hilton prices without quality. Had the risotto which was essentially pea and cream, no taste of mint. It was a huge portion though and served quickly. Girls on service were very friendly but had to be reminded as to service. I was also given pudding without a spoon, had to go exploring as there were no staff to help find one. Pudding was bizarre, a lemon sponge thing on a bed of granola. Tasted like a dandelion. Had intended to use the gym, but to be honest I didn’t want to stay here longer than I needed to. In sum, not awful but not great. Standard no higher than a Holiday Inn, albeit they are more modern and don’t charge their guests for parking.

Very quiet considering it's right next to the A14, i didn't hear anything from the traffic. Supported by a Starbucks and a Petrol station. The hotel was great the staff were all very helpful and happy to help with any questions i had. Clean towels, tea, coffee, milk refills means that you could stay there without going anywhere if you wanted to just chill out on your own. With a TV and my crime magazine i was happy to chill in the evening. Would be really happy to book this hotel again in the future.

Stayed here at the weekend with friends; lovely room, enjoyed the evening meal and a fab breakfast. Would recommend. The only downside was that there is a service charge payable on all drinks that you are not notified of. We queried our bar bill as it didn’t make sense and was told by a member of staff that on all purchases a 10% charge is payable. There is no signs up around the bar area notifying you of this. We were told that the staff are not allowed to tell you about this. To me that seems fraudulent. Surely you can’t be charged for something that you don’t know about every time you go up to the bar and purchase a drink? Not sure if the staff get this money or the company. If this is company policy are they breaking the law by not notifying you of this? Please be wary.

This was a last minute booking, literally got to the hotel and crashed and the woke up early in the morning and was out of there. Did not really get to check out the hotel but did the job. Oh and their breakfast is good.