Service areas of highways usually are places where options for food, beverages, fuel, and toilet facilities are conveniently provided. Motorists do not need to exit the highway to find what they need, as service areas are designed to minimize the amount of time one needs to stop before continuing on with a road trip. Imagine my surprise that I stayed overnight at a hotel property in a service area of a highway, as I have never experienced that before.
I Stayed Overnight At a Hotel Property In a Service Area of a Highway. Hotel Review.
The hotel property in question is the Holiday Inn A55 Chester West in Wales. The name of the hotel property says it all: A55 is the highway at which the service area is located.
Instead of a proper numbered exit with a blue highway sign, the hotel property is located off of the exit ramp to the service area — which is also called Gwasanaethau in Welsh — with a smaller white highway sign. For the purposes of context, proper numbered exits are marked with a green highway sign in the United States; whilst rest areas and service areas are marked with a smaller blue highway sign. No one would think to stay at a hotel property at a rest stop or a service area.
We were welcomed by a gregariously friendly woman behind the front desk after the rental vehicle was parked in the car park. We found out that Deb was hired only two weeks before our stay; but she presented herself with such warmness and professionalism that I thought that she was employed at this hotel property for years. Other members of the staff were professional and friendly as well. This may sound corny; but I felt like we were welcomed into their home.
Even better was that she surprised me — and herself, for that matter, as judged by the expression on her face — with an upgraded room. I thanked her for the upgrade.
A small couch and a table were in the hallway near my room. The furniture and decor were rather homey — but that is what lent to the comfort and coziness of this hotel property.
The room to which I was assigned had a sign affixed to the door with the words Holiday Inn Executive Room.
I slept well in the bed, which was clean and comfortable. On the bed was a spiral bound book with the title of Discover Great Days Out In North Wales.
By the wall near the bed was a small couch, a floor lamp, a small wooden table, and an even smaller wooden table with a everything that is needed to prepare coffee, tea, or hot chocolate…
…which included the coffee pot, two mugs, two packets of Cadbury instant hot chocolate, assorted packets of Tetley tea; assorted packets of Nescafe coffee, assorted packets of sweeteners, four small cups of Lakeland Dairies whole milk…
…and one package of Meredith & Drew scrumptious shortie swirl shortbread cookies; and one package of Meredith & Drew wonderfully white chocolate chip shortbread cookies.
A miniature refrigerator was stocked with a bottle of Harrogate still spring water, a bottle of Harrogate sparkling water, a can of Coca-Cola; a can of diet Coca-Cola; two Mars candy bars; five small cups of Lakeland Dairies semi-skimmed milk; two small cups of Lakeland Dairies whole milk; and two glasses. All of the items were nice and cold. I must admit that I had never seen a miniature refrigerator equipped with mood lighting before.
At the wall opposite the bed was a wooden armoire, a desk, a cabinet with three drawers, a large flat-screen television, a mirror, a miniature chair, an adjustable chair on wheels, and a portable heater in case the room was cold.
Inside of the wooden armoire were two white terry cloth robes; an ironing board; an iron; a safe; an oscillating fan; two pairs of slippers that were sealed in cellophane; two spare towels; and five wooden hangers. The entrance to the room shows where the full length mirror was located, with the door to the bathroom located opposite the mirror.
An electric hair dryer was located in the top of three drawers.
The Bathroom
The bathroom was equipped with a vanity with a sink; a toilet; an adjustable shower wand and full bathtub; and a heated towel rack which was not hot. The four blue squares that are seen on the wall in the shower area were actually thick blocks of translucent glass. Unlike many other shower facilities in bathrooms in hotel rooms in Ireland and the United Kingdom, the bathing area had a full shower curtain to prevent wayward water from splashing out onto the floor instead of one of those partial partitions that seem to serve little purpose.
A magnifying mirror on an extendable accordion hinge, tissues, and a scale to weigh oneself were also in the bathroom. Not all bathrooms at hotel properties have tissues.
Parsley stem is the scent of the hand and body wash which is supplied in bulk dispensers that are on the walls of both the sink and the shower. Purple kale is the scent of shampoo in the shower; while chia seed is the scent of the body lotion near the sink. Strangely, I liked the aroma of parsley stem on my hands whenever I washed them. The manufacturer of these toiletries is Soak, which specializes in “superfood skincare”.
Views
The views from the room were generally those of the highway and the car parks.
Although these views are certainly not bad, I have stayed in hotel rooms with substantially worse views — such as the view from this room in Glasgow in Scotland only two days prior to this stay.
Both windows of the room can be opened just enough to let cool air come in.
Final Boarding Call
My stay at this hotel property felt quiet, comfortable, clean, and cozy. I enjoyed it. Members of the staff were incredibly nice, polite, friendly, and accommodating. I highly recommend staying at this hotel property when in North Wales. I did not partake in breakfast or any other food item during my stay; but Deb recommended that we go to a nearby supermarket and try some Bara Brith, which is a traditional Welsh tea bread that is flavored with tea, dried fruits, and spices. We followed her recommendation to sample Bara Brith and other foods that are of Welsh heritage.
The total cost for the room for one night was £71.10 or $94.26 in United States dollars, including all taxes and fees. I thought that was a great value for what I received.
This hotel property is conveniently located off of the westbound lanes of Highway A55, which is apparently also known as the North Wales Expressway. Starbucks, McDonald’s, and an eating establishment called OK Diner are all within walking distance of the hotel property. Petrol from Shell is also available if fuel tank of your motor vehicle needs to be filled; but you can get better prices elsewhere and save at least ten euro cents per liter.
Perhaps hotel properties that are located in rest areas and service areas off of highways is not such a bad idea if the logistics are worked out favorably.
Holiday Inn A55 Chester West
Westbound A55 Chester, CH7 6HB
United Kingdom
44-1244-550011
Free parking is available on site.
All photographs ©2024 by Brian Cohen.
