Before mentioning anything else it should be noted that at the top of West Nile Street in Glasgow there are 2 Holiday Inn hotels right next to each other and with almost the same exact name.

-The 1st is called "Holiday Inn Glasgow City Centre-Theatreland"

-The 2nd is called "EXPRESS BY Holiday Inn Glasgow City Centre - Theatreland"

The difference is very important to note when booking to make sure which place you're staying at, as they vary greatly in standards. I've notice that more than a few reviewers on tripadvisor have got the 2 properties mixed up and posted reviews under the wrong name.

My review is for the EXPRESS hotel.

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Positive aspects (there aren't many...)

1.) Location

-One minute's walk to the main Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station (There you can get cheap buses/coaches to the airport, to Edinburgh, all of Scotland and down to England and Wales if you want...)
-one minute's walk to the Buchanan Galleries shopping mall and a huge 10 to 15 storey multiplex cinema is also nearby.
-Central Glasgow is within walking distance
-The walk to the train station is about 10-15 minutes (if your coming from the train station be aware that it's uphill!)

2.) Breakfast
-Breakfast is free (however it's only continental so no warm food and coffee and juices are dispensed from a machine).

3.) TV, small work-desk, hairdryer, tea and coffee-making facilities all in room and reception can provide you with toothpaste, toothbrush, etc if you forgot your own. (Not much is supplied in the bathroom).

Negative aspects

1.) (Poor) Reception
-Despite being pretty quick and efficient, I got no hello, good afternoon, welcome, use of my surname or even a smile from any of the receptionists on duty during my WHOLE stay. There was loud radio music and commentary playing at reception which didn’t help either. Staff looked a bit untidy in appearance.

2.) Lack of Privacy and Data protection
-Reception has a single sheet of paper with a list of guest names and number of nights booked to be signed when checking in. Everyone can see the full list of names and nights stayed.

3.) Luggage security
-When I asked for a place to leave my luggage I was simply told to put it a room near reception. No receipt, no lock…anyone could go in there and take whatever they wanted. Also, when I opened the door a spare ironing board fell on me. (However 2 days later I noticed that they were suddenly locking the room and giving receipts for checked luggage so maybe someone complained.)

4.) Noise
-Having read other reviewer's concern's I asked for a room on one of the higher floors towards the back of the hotel. This request was granted but it wasn't much help since at the back of the hotel there is a massive generator / air conditioner which makes noise all day long. Added to that the rubbish collection is also noisy especially when loading thousands of empty glass bottles!

5.) Room size
-Everything is small ! The room size, the bathroom sink, the television screen, the window, the double bed (which is more like a queen or king single). I had trouble getting my luggage into the room because the entrance area had a shelf /bookcase-like structure put on the wall in the narrowest part of the room.

6.) Room features
- There are no electrical sockets near any of the mirrors, no bath (just a shower) and no in-room safe. Internet access is only available if you have a laptop with a wireless connection and cost £ 3 for 20 minutes. The décor is bare minimum and is dirt cheap. The curtains at the window are made of plastic and the bed, mattress, duvet and sheets all look like they are the cheapest you can possibly get. One of the pillows on the bed was slightly stained…

7.) Check Out
-Check out is at 11.00 ! Fire alarm is tested for a few seconds shortly after 11.00 to make sure you wake up ! If you're a priority club member make sure you ask for your late check out if you want/need to stay a bit longer. Even if they do give you a late check out they still might phone you at 11am asking when you're leaving.

8.) Price
-Rates for this place can reach £100 per night (even for the simplest rooms) on the official hotel website which is totally outrageous!
However during my stay I paid about £60 per night and even this seemed excessive considering the low standards. I’ve been in much more decent hotels in Paris, Berlin and Brussels for less money than that !
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Other notes worth mentioning:

-The lift/elevator only works if you have you're room key. Good for security, but the doors for the stairs are still open.

-Electricity in the room only works if you insert your key at the entrance of your room and leave it there.

-Television had 9 channels (all british)

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Result:

Having stayed in "Express" properties from holiday inn before AND also having read the reviews posted here prior to booking I wasn't too worried about staying here.
Despite knowing that this was a "budget, minimalist" accommodation, I was surprised to learn how even hotels which are part of the same chain, can vary greatly in standards and quality from country to country.

This place left me quite disappointed.
I still felt it fell well short of the standard I have come to expect from the Holiday Inn chain and it had too many negative aspects for my liking. If I return to Glasgow I will NOT be staying at the Express.