Holiday Inn Ipswich Orwell, an IHG Hotel

I stayed a week in order to attend an event at nearby Trinity Park with my dog. I had an excellent stay - the staff, without exception, were the friendliest of any hotel I have ever stayed in - nothing was too much trouble. The room was a decent size and recently decorated and the bathroom appears new. Dogs are welcome in the bar area (where you can also choose to eat) and the breakfasts are fantastic. All in all, my dog and I were made to feel very welcome (and a special thank you to Maisie for the dog treats!)

The lady in the front desk was so nice, warm and friendly. I think her name was Esther, she welcomed us so warmly when we stumbled tired and worn into the hotel a late evning. She made sure we had everything we needed and her warm attitude made us feel so safe and welcomed after a long week driving through Europe. Her professional and nice catering towards us made the first impression so good that we paid for an extra night

Plenty of parking at the Hotel which was great! Room was so spacious, bed was very comfy & the bathroom had just been renovated to a beautiful finish. I had a slight issue with the sink plug jammed shut so I popped down to reception & the night manager (didn’t catch her name but I distinctly remember her wearing a medical boot), was so so helpful & had the nightshift maintenance guy come fix it within 10-15 minutes so thank you for being so efficient. I had bought some food with me & the staff on reception were happy to store it on their fridge overnight which was a bonus. All in all a very pleasant stay with all the staff being so friendly. Would definitely stay again!

Some outstanding staff - Ester was wonderfully welcoming when we arrived in the middle of the night, Sean and Natalie were just as wonderful and informative the following morning: Sean went out of his way to let us know that, as guests, we were VIPs, even going so far as checking that the noise from another guest's TV wasn't heard from our room in spite of our protests to the contrary! Natalie gave us a charming trail suggestion which was amazing and Sean & Chef Rex provided us with the best breakfast buffet we've ever had (seriously, this is the one area we have a tonne of experience in and this is the best; perfectly crispy bacon, crispy and dense sausages, amazingly buttery roasted mushrooms plus a diverse selection of fruit meant more than my usual two plates...). The room was appreciably clean (thank you Kelly) as was the bar, and we never had to worry about anything as the aformentioned staff (and Sean especially) made considerable efforts to make sure we always knew they were close by and we need only ask should we require anything at all. In the evening, barman Zack kept up the quality standard with plenty of jokes and good conversation (welcome after a long work day). The burgers we had were excellent and the combination of great food and even better staff made extending our stay (and then returning for another two nights two weeks later) an easy choice.

Overall I thought the experience was very good compared to others I have stayed in. Great that you could get food and drinks anytime during the day. Good location.