Very central location for this Conference Day. However, agree with other reviewers that parking is a real problem. I was able to get the last space in the hotel's car park as I have a Disabled Blue Badge and a disabled parking spot was available.
The lunch wasn't the usual sandwiches, but was a nice variety of mini jacket potatoes, skewered chicken and vegetables, wraps and a choice of desserts. Also, there was plenty to go round.
Coffee/tea at break time was accompanied my Danish pastries and biscuits, so no-one went hungry!.
The conference room itself was clean and well-lit although it became a little warm until someone managed to adjust the air-conditioning! An altogether good experience.

Booked on last minute as we had missed the last train home, would recommend this hotel as its close to all pubs, it's clean and the staff are really nice. If I was going on a night out again I'd either double check the train times or book in advance

The hotel itself is nice enough and in easy reach of the town centre to grab something to eat on the evening.

The issue I had was with car parking. There is only very limited parking on site. The first night I managed to park on the road outside and fortunately no parking ticket arrived. Second night no such luck. I had no money for parking and the machine didn't accept cards, which was hardly surprising given that the car park looked like a replica from the Get Carter movie! That's probably wasted unless you're from the North East. So to cut a long story short, I ended up driving round Preston to get some money and change. When I checked out I mentioned this and apparently it is explained on the website, which is fine unless you book using a third party. Lesson learnt.

Final minor point as I love to complain, breakfast was nice, but no marmite. Why do some Holiday Inns have it and some don't?

Having stayed here now twice, the hotel and it's staff are really quite nice, the thing that lets them down is the car parking situation and the somewhat noisy guests that walk the corridors at night!

Having stayed here 3 nights a week for a year during 2015 I thought it time to write a review. Firstly if you work in or near Preston centre then there are few choices, this being one. It is a tired hotel with friendly staff , average food, service is an enigma, from excellent to breakfast being a mad rush and customers left forgotten to fend for them selves , it's a very strange atmosphere here almost a multi national chain with a B&B culture...beds are ok, not the most comfortable but not the worst (Macdonald Tickle trout wins that award!) If you have the elite points and want to add to your points accumulation then stay, if you are not prescriptive about where you need to stay then try the Salmesbury hotel or the Marriott

So normally I don't review Hotels in the UK but for this one is thought I'd make an exception as I belive in Credit where Credit is due and here it is most definitely .

My lil cuz was getting married in Preston and with most being from london they organised a group wedding booking at good rates. Even thou I have lots of family here I thought I would
Join the wedding gang and stay at the hotel.

When I first heard it was Holiday Inn , my expectations immediately dropped to a bog standard, budget no frills type place, however was I wrong.

From the point of booking I have had the most amazing service. Natalie who took my bookings was excellent, polite kind courteous and sorted our room out.

We have a 4month old lil baby I'm toe, so I decided to bring a carry cot to sleep in at night.

When I got to the hotel the car park is very small but the only downside

Catherine who checked us in again was so bubbly and friendly, she quickly checked us and she was so kind she insisted that we have a travel cot for baby, and quickly turned that around for us

I then met Dina and Natelie who took my original booking and every time I was in reception they always welcomed us and had a good chat, laugh. They also
Looked after me for parking as there
Was no parking and they let me park on the forecourt and kept an eye on my car as well... They could have just turned me away and said go pay for parking across the road but they didn't.

The room is fairly sized very clean and modern defo not expected, the room I got had large view of the outside and the curtains were blackout (good when you have. A baby) . The bed was comfy and got a great night sleep. No complaints whatsoever and anyone who knows me knows I'm very fussy person.

As it was pre wedding night we were drinking in the bar till I think about 2-3am, the drinks were very reasonably priced and the atmosphere was good

Brill location as town is literally a few mins walk away with lots of bars restaurants and shops.

Overall I was absolutely overwhelmed by the service and the team here I wish others could take this as an example and just on my experience I give my 5 stars, but don't get me wrong the rooms and hotel were good too. Not to be classed as a budget hotel as my expectation was Initially

100% recommend this hotel, I would defo stay here again

Stayed in this hotel for over three weeks and found all the staff extremely friendly and helpful.
Restaurant staff are very friendly and helpful and assist with specific menu requests.
The reception staff even helped when my laundry was late back by sending someone out to buy me socks.
The hotel is a little dated in places but definitely made up for by the great staff.
Well done all!

Ok, it's a rather dated property, in need of a little TLC, but it's clean and comfortable. Breakfast was great, huge buffet, well cooked and presented food. But the best thing about this property is the staff, from check in to bar to restaurant, everyone is friendly and welcoming and appears genuinely keen to "go the extra mile". Parking is a bit of an issue, but the hotel doesn't hide this fact. Well done Holiday Inn Preston, you have shown that people make the difference!

This is a very large hotel in the centre of Preston. First impressions that it is rather unwelcoming. The reception is on the first floor and the whole hotel feels that it is dated and needs a makeover. There is limited parking on site but there is free parking available a short walk away.
We had a drink in the bar which was large and not very comfortable. The meal in the restaurant was good. The staff were friendly and helpful. The restaurant and bar was not very warm and we retired to our room to warm up. The room was small but comfortable. Bath with shower over the bath very tiny. No power shower and water not very warm. No minibar and no room safe. Safes seem to be available next to the reception which seemed strange. There is a mini gym on the 7th floor.
Breakfast was very good indeed. Lots of choice both hot and cold options. The hot buffet was nice and hot. There was no option to have freshly cooked eggs as is offered in some other Holiday Inn hotels.
All in all a very average stay. In future we will use the Holiday Inn Express in South Preston. A modern hotel with walk in power showers. Breakfast is not as good but overall a better option.

The car park is small so you may not be able to park on site.
The rooms are clean tidy and well equipped.
WiFi is a bit slow but available throughout.
Check in was fast and room was available even though we arrived 2 hours before check in time

Spent 3 nights there as a couple. Location was good and very easy to get to although parking was a challenge. Included breakfast was good. Good bar service in the evening. We were disappointed by the bed and bedding and the bathroom was a little small

We stayed here for one night on the way to Glasgow. The Hotel is a fair way out from the Train Station but a short taxi ride will get you there.

Check in was smooth and quick. The room was very dated but to be fair everything worked as it should.

We used the bar for a snack and a few glasses of wine which was nice enough.

All staff we encountered were friendly and helpful.

I wasn't expecting a great view from this hotel - though they did recognise my status and give me a nice room on the top floor -, and I wasn't disappointed, with a view of the (in)famous bus station. By car it's a little tricky, as the car park is far too small and the bus station car park, while physically close, requires a certain cunning to drive to. I wasn't impressed that the staff allowed some people to park illegally in the car park, blocking me in and delaying me by some 15 one morning, meaning that I missed my connection. When I needed them, though, the staff were excellent, friendly and polite.

On foot the hotel is a little out of the centre, but everything is walkable if you don't mind the busy main road which runs behind it. The room (and the ambience generally) was rather 70s, but all was spick and span - I really couldn't complain about the accommodation itself. The road problem was most apparent when asking my satnav for a route from the hotel car park towards Clitheroe - the drawn route involved two separate loops before heading off in the right direction!

If you *have* to go to Preston (and, let’s face it, it is not something you would normally choose to do really) then the enormous Holiday Inn, just off the main ringway, is probably a good bet.

Opened in 2001, it is clear that the exterior was designed to fit in with the surrounding brutalist, 1960s architecture that dominates this part of the city - including a foul bus station in dire need of renovation. Or demolition.

Preston is a combination of unloved and dilapidated Georgian buildings (soot blackened cornices, gargoyles with their faces worn off etc) and Wilsonian city revitalisation. Fifty years on, there’s nothing vital about it. Long story short: the Preston Holiday Inn is in the grotty part of a particularly grotty city.

Our expectations had only one direction to go, so we blithely overlooked the automatic doors that didn’t quite fit together and the climb up two flights to reception. We will never again mention the smell of stale cigarettes in the hallway outside our room or the strange man who bellowed “bless you” across the breakfast room when my girlfriend sneezed. Instead, we will accentuate the many positives this modest hotel has.

Our room, was basic, but clean, pleasant and tastefully decorated. Supplied toiletries were a cut above for the Holiday Inn’s weight class.

My partner and I commented on the Japanese style, built in wooden sliding blinds that covered the double glazed windows instead of curtains. A great idea for shutting out the light.

When open, our room length window afforded a widescreen view over the whole of Preston, which was the only thing I can really complain about.

Heating in the room was easy to control with air conditioning and a good old fashioned radiator. The mattress was a little on the soft side, but that didn’t seem to matter. We both would have had two perfect night’s sleep, if my partner had not kicked me in the shins during a nightmare on the second night, leading to a brief domestic argument at 3:00 in the morning. I have tried to find a way to blame the Holiday Inn for this, but I cannot.

The staff were uniformly helpful and friendly, few as they seemed. It would be easy to imagine this team as part of a reality TV documentary series about a regional hotel, so distinctive was each character - and clearly, each pushed to their respective limits by short staffing. There was a slight tinge of very British panic behind each pair of eyes.

But there was also sincere kindness. We saw one staff member go out of her way to chat with and help orient a pair of very elderly ladies at breakfast, genuinely caring that their needs had been adequately met and that they were comfortable. And neither did she chastise the bald, tattooed behemoth and his bloated son who had mistaken the buffet breakfast for the salad bar at Pizza Hut, piling enough bacon, eggs, beans and hash browns onto their plates to feed an African village for two weeks.

If we ever return to Preston, and I sincerely hope that we never, ever have to, we will stay here again.

I noted the hotel states it is adjacent to the iconic 1960s bus station, well it's fair to say it looks like the hotel is an iconic 1970s establishment.

Whilst my stay was fine, bed was comfy and food in 1975 restaurant very good - the decor in the bedrooms and public areas was like a Fred Pontins establishment from the mid 70s.

Don't know what the parking issue is, I got a space next to the front door, the reception check in was prompt and efficient, card worked 1st time, as was the check out, bill was correct 1st time.

Left satisfied and if you spend a few bob at Ikea freshening the place up a bit, you would have a great hotel.

Stayed here while on business in Preston. Good location for all amenities.
Usual holiday inn standards. Good! Staff freindly and professional. Rooms clean and fresh.
Breakfast good and plenty choice.!

Third visit. Service and room excellent. Car park was full but parked on the road outside without any issues. Breakfast was top notch with plenty of variation.
One of the ladies who looked after us at breakfast did an incredible job of looking after a gentleman who was blind...fantastic well done.

Used the hotel for an overnight stay to see a concert at the Guild Hall. As it is within 5 minutes walk to the hall it was most convenient. It wasn't ideal to find if you are new to Preston as I am as the sat nav was not too great at finding it, but it is also at the side of the bus station if you are travelling by bus. Parking spaces are a bit limited but there is an adjacent multi-storey if you are unlucky to get a space.
The rooms are quite small but nicely furnished with all the basic facilities. They were not elegant but everything worked without falling off the wall.
The staff and service was excellent. All of them were very pleasant and helpful. The dining area is quite small but very pleasant .We didn't dine in on the evening so cannot comment on the dining (only tried the lattes and found them to be average but expensive) but the breakfast, although simple, was well presented and cooked.
I am not sure I would wish to stay for a long period but for the convenience of location, and it is not an uncomfortable hotel at all, I would happily use it again.

Another work related stay but was quite happy as the room was a typical holiday inn room which i dont mind the beds in particular i always find very comortable
There is a limited gym here
The hotel is very central for preston itself so is ideal for a walk around the streets for drinking shopping etc
I will be quite happy to stay here again staff very pleasant and helpfull

Had to go to Preston last minute. I rang the hotel and informed them of my late arrival by train from London.
They kept the kithen open for me, and I got a nice welcome, which was nice as I was well tied after my mad dash to Preston.
The rooms are nice, and everything I needed was in my room.

Well done to you all

It may have three stars but the rooms are spacious and will provide you everything you need for a night or two whilst in Preston. It is easily accessible on entry into Preston centre and is perfect for heading in to town, dining or shopping. It does have a carpark but spaces are limited. There is a pay and display carpark right next to it though, so even if there are no spaces parking is available. It is a nice, clean hotel with friendly staff.

After many bad stays at similar hotes, I think I can actually say I enjoyed this one. We managed to park without any hassle, check in was quick and easy. The room was clean, beds comfy with a choice of hard/soft pillows. Aircon worked a treated. Powerful shower. No noisy door slamming in corridors like I've experienced staying elsewhere. The breakfast was fantastic, would 100% recommend booking on check in due to price difference. Overall, very pleased with our stay here (I was dreading it when I found out where my partner had booked!)

A to Z,entry to exit this is a good place served firstly by a very friendly/helpful receptionist with the same follow on service from those at breakfast and others cleaning communal areas. My friend was attending a business meeting in a hired conference room in the hotel(he said it was very good) and I used the lounge after 1200 checking out for work. It was all uninterrupted with friendly chat with cleaner. Breakfast choice was extensive and well cooked

As a seasoned hotel user it never seems to amaze me at how poor holiday inns can be and i only tend to stay in them as a last resort. Now if you were paying low rates i would still be disappointed but would not feel justified to grumble as you get what you pay for, not here though.

Ok so i arrive at around 1900 where the only place to park is out on the street next to the bus station and when i speak to the receptionist i am told i will need to move my car before 7 am as i would probably get ticketed and thats what you get booking at a city hotel!!!!

Well that is not strictly speaking true now is it! ok so we got off on the wrong foot with a really irritating situation with the parking which they dont give a t*** about as it is clearly my fault.

The hotel room was clean and tidy with a reasonably comfy bed the bar was of usual hotel prices with a reasonable selection of bar food all pretty uninspiring. The breakfast was standard fair.

All in all pretty standard nothing special but no major gripes either. A little overpriced and i will never return here as it is not worth the hassle with the parking. To be fair its my own fault as i have yet to be satisfied with a holiday inn

Staff were incredibly friendly and couldn't do enough from the reception to the bar to the restaurant. The rooms were the usual good Holiday Inn standard and really clean. The gin and tonics were to die for and the breakfast was fab. If you're going to Preston, I'd definitely recommend this place to stay!