I arrived on a warm bank holiday morning and the taxi driver announced gruffly that there would be a three pound surcharge so the journey from the station to the Purple Hotel, including tip, cost me a tenner! Ouch! Bad start. But it got a lot better straight away. The check in was quick, friendly and efficient. Then came that... more

From the Purple hotels website, you would imagine that they offer an alternative to the big Travelodge/ Travel Inn chains. Sadly, and despite the staff wearing jeans, they are just the same as all the other budget hotels. The only exception is that the staff seem to care even less than they do at some other hotels. We found the... more

The hotel is new and looks less than a year old. It is located at least a mile from the city centre and is on the opposite side of the road to a retail park containing a premier inn. Not a lot of food choices in the area. Basically a Pizza Hut, KFC, Mcdonalds and the pub associated with the... more