Hotel Hilton Garden Inn Winston-Salem/Hanes Mall (Winston Salem, USA)

There are no strange smells here – and of course there shouldn’t be! Everywhere smells clean + fresh, though – even the elevator.

It’s easy to get to from the freeway and shopping fanatics are well catered for at the nearby Hanes Mall. The hotel’s indoor pool is very impressive. So too is the hot tub. You are spoilt for choice, food-wise; the hotel’s restaurant is very good – but the nearby alternatives are equally tempting.

Rooms are cleaned daily by personable cleaners. Facilities are good, although there’s a limited choice of TV channels. The rooms are spacious and comfortable and beds – well, most of them – are really comfy and relaxing.

Talk about ‘a hard day’s night’! Some beds are rumoured to be rock hard, so all you can do is lay awake listening to next door’s telephone conversations through wafer thin walls that aren’t sound-proofed. Rooms also leave a great deal to be desired from a disabled guest’s point of view and some of the carpets are threadbare and best discarded.

Some staff members are brilliant; just a few are abrasive and less than welcoming – or even interested. Sadly, it’s the latter that you remember. At these prices, there shouldn’t be any staff weaknesses; certainly not at the ‘helm’ where that crucial first impression is given.

The provision of free water does little to reduce the level of disappointment at having to pay – in addition to the hefty tariff – for breakfast. Tip: enjoy, instead, a slice of the good life, a block away, at Panera Bread!