AN INSPECTOR CALLS

He pays his way... and tells it like it is

HOTEL Indigo Coventry — part of the InterContinental Hotels Group — opened a few weeks ago opposite the train station. It’s a brand new building in among various modern office blocks and a huge multi-storey car park.

Anticipating a late arrival, I called ahead to check on last orders for dinner and was told 9.30pm. This was then confirmed at reception once I got there at 9.05pm. But when I pitched up at Cogs — as the restaurant is called — I was told the kitchen had closed at 9pm.

‘Sorry, but you can order something from room service,’ said a member of staff. I protested in no uncertain terms, a conversation that was overheard by one of the chefs who was about to down spatulas. And he sorted it.

My ‘beetroot tartar’ wasn’t a great success, but no complaints about the braised beef main course.

Decor was bright and cheery, with the whole open-plan ground floor given over to the restaurant and bar. One wall features a huge penny-farthing bicycle on loan from the Coventry Transport Museum; others have a motor car theme in recognition of Coventry’s industrial past.

The exposed air vents and electrical wiring might seem dated but they work here, due in part to the high ceilings.

My room on the fourth floor continued the cheerful vibe, with a trendy, round headboard, powder blue walls, desk and armchair, all, sadly, hermetically sealed. No bath, but a good push-button shower and tasteful tiling.

There’s more of a buzz at breakfast than at dinner, with an expansive buffet — although you pay extra for a decent cup of coffee, which seems wholly unnecessary and contradictory to what this new addition to Coventry’s hotel scene promises to be all about.

Hotel Indigo Coventry Friargate Coventry CV1 2GN

Tel: 024 7510 2350 Doubles from £135 b&b