Not our first stay or review but had to comment as at the weekend we had an overnight stay and from check in to check out staff were brill. On arrival we were dismayed to find out there was a march planned in town and we couldnt attend the casnio of our choice but a member of the staff stated if they could leave the building they would have taken us and picked us up(and I think they would have). The quality of the evening meal was a nice surprise as it was lovely, the waitress although again very nice forget to serve us our desert. gain the gentleman in charge was very apologetic).
We managed to get membership of the MINT casino just across the road so the evening ended up being really good.
Just to add the hotel room had everything needed and was very clean and modern, the shower had good pressure and all the nice extras which seem to be disappearing in all hotels.
Breakfast was great and plently of everything you could want. Overall the hotel is excellent and I would not hesitate in recommending it.
Didnt use the pool but it was empty and seemed really nice. Not to forget the hotel has free parking which in a town centre is a plus.

We went on day trips. The reception staff was very helpful with our needs. The down side is the room was very noisy it was located right accross from the stairway leading to the stairway. Everytime some came up the stairs and opened the door it slammed. You could also here other people in the next room. The last time I went to Bolton we stayed at the Pack Horse. But that hotel has since closed down. The Pack Horse was more old english charm.

I normally stay with the Holiday Inn/Crown Plaza group of hotels as I find their accommodation and service are of a consistently high standard.

I was surprised to read comments about this particular hotel as some of them were not very complimentary to say the least.

However as I needed a hotel close to the centre of Bolton I went ahead and booked for a 2 night stay accompanied by my wife.

Having now returned from Bolton I have to say that I cannot agree with the adverse comments previously posted.

I found that from checking in to checking out the service was of a very high standard. They even agreed to change channels on the TV in the bar so I could watch the football on Sky sports.

The food at breakfast was excellent and so was the one meal we had in the dining room on the first night and a bar meal we had on the second night.

The room was clean and well appointed and there were no noise disturbance as previously reported.

There is a free car park and I found no difficulty in finding a space.

During my stay I had a conversation with the hotel general manager and found him most charming.

I would recommend this hotel to anyone wanting accommodation in central Bolton as it is easy to get to and there are good parking facilities.

i stayed here for two nights at the expense of the hotel after a disastrous stay in july please see previous review.i am pleased to say it was much better this time.in common with other queen moat house hotels and apparently a chain policy if u dont preauthorize a credit card they will not allow access to pay movies.i have never had this problem before as i have always bokked on internet previously with credit card details. this time i was in a room with appropriate extras for executive status and theses were delivered. the lockers in leisure club had been fixed and the cganging room was much warmer.the breakfast is still not as good as comparable his the items are still overcooked and the plates are too hot however there are plenty of helpful staff around but for my reservations about the breakfast i would have given it 4 stars this time the duty manager came up to ask me if everything was ok i am not sure if after 6 months he recognized me but overall this was much bettter

I wanted somewhere to stay so I could visit the Trafford Centre in Manchester. All the nearby hotels were not available for the weekend I wanted, so decided to try this one. Check in was very quick - I'm a priority club member so I was handed an envelope with my room card in it. I was not given any information. When I got to the room, the card wouldn't work so I had to go back downstairs to have it validated. The man knew I was staying 2 nights. When I returned the following evening, the card wouldn't work, so I had to return to the reception again to have it validated! The underground car parking was always full and so I parked on a nearby street - free after 6pm and all day Sunday. I later discovered that there is another residents car park. The restaurant staff were very pleasant and a delicious breakfast was included in the price.

Overall it was very good value for money and staff were very pleasant.

Average hotel but OK for Bolton. Internet service did not work and neither did the in-room safe. Maids who cleaned the rooms were very loud every morning and disturbed your sleep - you were definitely getting out of bed when they arrived on your floor!

Worst was the hotels cancellation policy - we tried to change our reservation 3 months before we made the trip and were already locked into the booking - make sure you really want to go there before you book.

Overall average but not a bad deal for the money.

Very tired chain offering. Room (mine was on the 4th floor) small, even by UK standards, large cracks in the walls around the window and the AC extremely noisy.Good location but that's about it. Underground car park is extremely cramped. Buffet breakfast okay but hte eggs were about to hatch due to being under the lamps so long! Internet connection an expensive extra.

I stayed here for work and thought the location was fantastic. The fact it had a gym and swimming pool was a plus for me too. I only use the gym, which is tiny - but good enough for a decent workout.

My biggest issue was the fact my room was dirty - I found hairs on the bathroom floor, what looked like blood on the shower curtain and my remote was sticky with something. The beds are also the most uncomfy I have stayed in as well (I travel alot!)

The food was ok - a bit over cooked and tasted like it was a microwave dinner. I couldn't fault the resturant staff - very pleasant and attentive. The reception staff were also nice enough!

Overall, I would probably stay here again as its in a perfect location for work and has a gym - but those are the only 2 reasons I would!

I have stayed in this hotel a couple of times and attended 2 weddings here. Friends have been married there on recommendation and were more than pleased with the whole experience. On dealings with Mrs Jones (wedding & events co-ordinator) they have been very happy with her helpfulness, professional guidance and suggestions as well as the personal care an attention to detail that she applies to their 'big day' along with the other members of staff.
Friends who got married here were extremely pleased with their package and found it exceptional value and have since made recommendations to other couples to use this hotel as their wedding venue.

I found reception staff to be very helpful and professional too (they can be a bit miserable at some hotels)

I did not eat in the hotel apart from the wedding catering which I found to be so much better than average. The interior chapel was stunning and quite unique to any other hotel venue I've been to. I was pleasantly surprised with the whole event. I understand that some rooms may be over-looked in most hotels as far as attention to detail with cleaning etc but I didn't experience this and I was very pleased with the standard & size of room for the price.

The only slight downsides are the car park is on the smallish side but I had no trouble finding a space. The bar was slightly above average pub prices but that's expected at hotel venues anyway. All in all, my experiences here have been very good.

Stayed for four nights while on a short break. I found the hotel clean and the staff very helpful. My room was of a good size - the only downside was poor TV reception in the room.

The hotel has two car parks, one at the side and one under the hotel - neither are huge but i managed to get a space each night. There was no free internet access in public areas which was disappointing.

I ate in the hotel on two occasions for dinner - the food was decent but no better, for two courses and drink it worked out at about £20.

For those looking to go a bit further the hotel is 10 mins from the M61 or about 10 minutes walk to the train station where the are frequent trains to Manchester (20 mins away)

Just returned from the Holiday Inn at Bolton centre. To be honest, coming from this part of the world myself, my expectations were not high and having read the reviews for the Packhorse, this was the only real choice for me.

We were greeted by a friendly and helpful receptionist who even changed our room from the fourth to the second floor as I dont like using lifts! most of the staff were helpful and facilities are good however, it is let down by a few basics. Dont expect liquors at the bar or even cream with the coffee (run out) also, no olive oil or balsamic vinegar to go with the bread basket even though this is presented as the main point of it (bread with dipping oils) for those of you who like brown sauce at breakfast this was also nowhere to be seen (strange, I thought all northerners loved HP sauce!)

Room service was answered courteously and helpfully and was expected to be 10 mins
However, they had run out of tomatoe soup (can you see a theme happening here!) and in the event it took 30 mins with no apologies on arrival.

Even with all of this, I would still say this is a good hotel that with a little extra work could be very good but perhaps if it had been my holiday hotel rather than just somewhere to stay for 2 nights, I may have got a little more fed up.

Just returned from the Holiday Inn at Bolton centre. To be honest, coming from this part of the world myself, my expectations were not high and having read the reviews for the Packhorse, this was the only real choice for me.

We were greeted by a friendly and helpful receptionist who even changed our room from the fourth to the second floor as I dont like using lifts! most of the staff were helpful and facilities are good however, it is let down by a few basics. Dont expect liquors at the bar or even cream with the coffee (run out) also, no olive oil or balsamic vinegar to go with the bread basket even though this is presented as the main point of it (bread with dipping oils) for those of you who like brown sauce at breakfast this was also nowhere to be seen (strange, I thought all northerners loved HP sauce!)

Room service was answered courteously and helpfully and was expected to be 10 mins
However, they had run out of tomatoe soup (can you see a theme happening here!) and in the event it took 30 mins with no apologies on arrival.

Even with all of this, I would still say this is a good hotel that with a little extra work could be very good but perhaps if it had been my holiday hotel rather than just somewhere to stay for 2 nights, I may have got a little more fed up.

The Holiday Inn in central Bolton was suprisingly good!. I drove to the hotel and found they had free secure underground parking - I nice start. At reception I was quickly checked in, the staff were friendly and explained the hotel amenities etc ( it has very nice onsite pool and gym etc).

The room had a decent bed, mini bar and tea and coffee faciltities, TV and aircon. It was clean, and the furniture was in good condition.

The general appearance of the hotel was good, with a decent bar / lounge area and restaurant. I only partook of the breakfast - which was very good.

Overall its a good dependable 4 star hotel.

Holiday Inns' are the hotel/motel equivilent of a McDonalds, in that no matter where you are in the world, at least you know what you'll be getting.

They are without doubt overpriced (my room for one night was sixty-eight pounds), which I dare say is down to them being used by a large number of business travellers on expense accounts. However as a 'leisure traveller' they are considerably more expensive than other chains such as Travelodge and Days Inn etcetera.

That said, the standard of rooms and facilities compared with a Travelodge equivilent is much higher, though that doesn't say much to be honest!

One thing I MUST applaude Holiday Inn's for, is that they still offer guests smoking AND non-smoking rooms. I am sick to the back teeth of being advised by websites that "Non-Smoking Rooms Are Available", only to find out that this isn't an option, but in fact mandatory. Grrrr!

While I'm on the smoking versus non-smoking issue, the other thing that gets right up my nose about a lot of hotels in the UK these days, are large red signs in the rooms saying (and I quote); "It is illegal to smoke on the premises. Fine up to one hundred pounds."

It is NOT illegal to smoke in hotel rooms in the UK, and don't let any member of staff tell you otherwise. The most recent UK non-smoking law states that it is an offence for people; "to smoke in an enclosed public area". However given that you are paying the hotel (any hotel) for the privilege of it NOT being a public area for the time you rent it, the non-smoking laws DO NOT APPLY. Hotel policy is something very different to a law. And as such, no hotel in the British Isles has the right to deduct any additional costs from your credit card for having lit a cigarette in your room.

Anyway moan over, back to the Holiday Inn on Higher Bridge Street in Bolton. It's basically just a run-of-the-mill chain hotel. Clean and comfortable but nothing special either way. Value wise, you'll always find a better deal at a Days Inn chain hotel in my experience. Some of which also still offer smoking rooms. All that said, I still say if you can get a good rate for your planned stay, the De Vere Whites Hotel at the Reebok Stadium (see my review) is probably, though not definitely, the nicest hotel to stay at in Bolton.

When I booked this deal by tlephone, to the Holiday Inn in Bolton I was amazed at the bargain I got for the two rooms I booked. I did not expect the hotel to be four star standard after reading many reviews on this website, however I was surprised at how good our stay actually was, taking into account the lovely spa pool/swimming pool and sauna which is available for guests use, free of charge. The check-in was very smooth, the receptionist didn't demand ID when I informed her of the party name. Every member of staff which we encountered were polite and pleasant. The rooms were extremely comfortable even if the view from window was of a roof and nighclub in the street. One downside which I would like to draw attention to, is the very small underground car-park and the very small over-spill car-park outside. I am sure not every guest brings their car, however I would worry had we not been able to grab the last space on saturday, where else there would have been to park our car?
The hotel beds were very comfortable and we all managed to get a decent nights sleep except that the previously mentioned night-club proved to be a bit annoying for my friend who's double room overlooked it, as he had to lean out of the window during the wee hour of sunday morning to ask a very drunk, loud woman spoiling for a fight, to knock it on the head as he was trying to get some sleep.
We read the room service menu, and agreed it seemed very over-priced so didn't bother eating in the hotel. The restaurant near reception looked very nice though as we passed through.
I can understand if other guests have paid the top rate to stay in this hotel that they would feel a little cheated, as it was not absolute luxury compared to other hotels carrying 4 stars that I have stayed in, however we all had a great time, and would definitely book again if the tarriff was the same again.

Had a 2 night stay at the Holiday Inn. It was good value for money. Check in was good....Reception staff very friendly, My room was nice all you needed, however the bathroom was a bit tired ( Tiles) and nightmare it had one of those old fashioned hairdyers !!!

Breakfast was good, buffet syle and had a good choice and very relaxed for a solo traveller. Hotel has a pool, but didn't have time to use it. The bar area was quite lively and very nice decor.

Found it difficult to get taxis around Bolton...would recommend the hotel for a stopover.

Quick and easy check in, large comfy room, attentive lounge staff. All in all a memorable stay. I will use this hotel again. Super location in the centre of Bolton.

Stayed for two nights whilst attending a wedding at the hotel. We got a complimentary upgrade on check-in and a free newspaper - Bonus. We were attending the wedding of a friend and when we heard that it was being held at a holiday inn I must admit I wasn't sure what to expect! Well... what a surprise to find that behind the corporate facade was hidden a beautiful converted church that had been modernised and maintained to a very high standard. The wedding itself was fantastic with great food and helpful staff. Breakfast the next day was spot on with a late check out offered on the sunday. We stayed on for lunch and it was good value at under a tenner. The hotel is not in the nicest part of town and you have to pop over the road to use the cashpoint at a nearby pub as they don't offer cashback, but that is the only negative. Didn't have time to use the leisure club but I'm sure if it was anything like the rest of the hotel it would've provided a real treat. Overall a very pleasant experience and I hope some of my other friends get hitched soon!

We stayed at this hotel recently for 2 nights as we were attending my cousins wedding. What can I say, the function room where the wedding was held was AMAZING, a converted church called the Cloisters (think I got that right) this has to be the best wedding I have attended and an absolute ideal wedding venue.
We checked into the hotel late on the Friday evening and from start to finish thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The organisation at the wedding was excellent , all the staff were very warm and welcoming and the food was very nice. The bedroom was very comfortably and modern (think they had recently been refurbished) and the buffet breakfast both mornings was very tasty.

Had an excellent weekend at this hotel and have just made enquiries about holding my own wedding there next year.

Would recommend this hotel for an enjoyable stay and an excellent wedding venue!!

Having read the reviews on Tripadvisor, I approached my stay at the Holiday Inn Bolton Centre with some trepidation. However, as with many things, if you expect the worst you can only be pleasantly surprised!

Whilst the street the hotel is on is not particularly attractive, it's only a short walk to the town centre where the offices I was working from are based. Check in was friendly and quick, especially given how busy the hotel was on my first night. A coach party had arrived (with little prior warning I believe) and taken the staff a little by surprise. The tour party had taken over the restaurant so I had to eat in the lounge that night, but that wasn't a problem. I ate in the restaurant on my second night when it was much quieter and whilst the food was ok, the service was very slow (although the staff were pleasant).

My twin room was a reasonable size and much of the furniture looked quite new but it's probably been a little while since the decor had been refurbished. The bed was comfortable and there was a choice of pillows too. I used the in-room wi-fi access and found it to be expensive (£12-15 for 24 hours) and also quite slow.

The hotel appears to be a large meeting and conference venue and therefore geared towards business travellers which suited my needs fine. I have stayed in better, but it certainly wasn't as bad as I had been expecting based on previous reviews!

Stayed for the weekend which I really enjoyed good town centre location opposite main shops and able to park at hotel.

Room is maybe not the largest but I have stayed in much smaller but it was really clean with comfy bed and good bathroom (fantastic shower).

Pool and gym quite small but again clean and all staff were friendly.

Enjoyed breakfast hot and tasty could drink as much cappuccino as I wanted without paying more or waiting, were can you get that!

Overall good overnighter or short stay but you wouldn't holiday in Bolton!

Me and two friends decided that we would like a Saturday night out in Bolton and thought the Holiday Inn was a great location. Very suprised to find that there was parking spaces available (However, not sure how I would have felt if there were none).

The room was sufficent enough, bit of a squeeze, but we did have 3 people in a twin room so this was expected. The room was clean with a standard bathroom with the most amazing power shower!!

We decided to eat out but did have breakfast at the hotel and with hangovers, were very grateful for the late breakfast. Nothing amazing, but we were only paying a budget rate so was not expecting gourmet food.

Staff seemed very friendly and answered any questions we had on the area.

All in all, we will be staying again.. But I would agree, it would only be for a short stay.

Things that went wrong -

1. Car Park full, struggled to find a space, not good when it is situated in the centre of Bolton
2. Room dirty, bugs, hair on floor, toilet seat and bedlinen not clean.
3. Over charged twice
4. Dinner would just about feed a mouse.

Good Bits -

1. Excellent Staff who quickly sorted out room and upgrade to Executive Room
2. Over charging sorted out

I made the wrong choice for a celebration as the first night was a
theamed night (Rock & Roll)

Breakfast okay, dinner was small and extra to pay for steaks, wine expensive.

I doubt if I would stay again.

I stayed here for two nights on business. Having never stayed in a Holiday Inn for some years (i've often chosen other chains above them), i wasn't sure what to expect.

The room was perfect. Very clean and comfortable. Extra pillows and towels in drawers (and a choice of different pillow types at reception). The radiators were ajustable so the room was cosy throughout my stay. The only downside of the room was there was no bin in the bedroom, just a small one in the bathroom.

Breakfast quality is superb. All you can eat buffet with a huge selection of foods. The restaurant was practically empty on the Monday morning and everything ran smoothly. However, the Tuesday morning was VERY busy. There were plenty of tables but none had been cleaned after use so i had to find someone to clean one for me. As a lone diner, perhaps some type of system could be in operation as when i got up from the table for food and cane back, someone was in my space and i had to go hunting for another table. Perhaps 'table taken' signs could be used - handed out when you are waiting to be seated and then collected back when you leave the resaurant? even when busy and service slipped, the food stayed lovely though. the only downside was the milk provided for cereal was either long life or skimmed or something but tasted like the milk you get in hotels in Spain. It would be nice to see a variety of different milks.

the only other issues was internal doors slamming late at night.

oh, and remember to use your 'do not disturb' sign as the cleaners start about 7am!!

room service food is of a high standard. most was restaurant quality and very nicely presented.

use the swiming poool if you get a chance though..it's a lovely extra.

the staff are generally all very welcoming and i would certainly stay here again

My boyfriend booked this hotel as we were going to a birthday do nearby, and got a cheap rate of £65. For this price it was very good value. The hotel is located in the town centre, next to the Ikon nightclub.
The reception staff were efficient and reasonably helpful. They let us have a late checkout at 12, and got us a smoking room as requested. The room did suffer from some noise as Ikon has an outside area and we were staying on a Saturday night, so I'd recommend asking for a room away from that side if this kind of thing would bother you.
The room itself was fine, a decent size, and very clean. Nothing amazing, no added luxuries, but up to the standards you'd expect from a Holiday Inn,and as I say, good for the price we got it for.
I wouldn't recommend this hotel for a romantic weekend away or anything, but it serves its purpose. And although I do have a soft spot for Bolton, don't expect much from the town centre - it tends towards big chain pubs and tacky shops and takeaways (the areas further out in the hills are much nicer).