Just returned from 3 days away staying 2 nights in the hotel. Firstly I would like to compliment all the staff, particularly in the restaurant, for their friendliness. Beyond that there were issues. I ordered Cajun spiced swordfish for dinner on the first evening, the spice was so hot it was inedible, like vindaloo fish! There was no taste to what was clearly a piece of fish, about which the word "fresh" had not been used in some considerable time. On the second evening we were warned that the restaurant would be busy because the hotel was full, the booking system and the staff obviously knew the hotel would be full, but obviously nobody had told the Bar Manager, as one after another the beer ran out, first the lager, then the Guiness and then the Caffreys. This is not what I would expect from a hotel charging £100 a night to stay. Were I a teacher marking homework, it would be "must do better" for the Holiday Inn, Taunton.

Quite small for a holiday inn but the staff were very helpful and made me feel welcome upon my arrival. They gave me an upgraded room and recognised me as a priority club member straight away. The room was very small much smaller than some standard rooms I have had in other hotels. There was a coffee table and a sofa and a smart leather chair for the desk, but with all this furniture it seemed quite cramped. I knocked my leg on the coffee table a couple of times. A nice touch was a copy of a television listings magazine was in the room and a copy of that days newspaper as well.
This upgrade to executive was located in amongst the smoking rooms, which was not nice, yet the location was very quiet even being so close to a motorway.
The breakfast was a full English with great service but seeing that the restaurant only sat about 20 I was not surprised.
The only thing that soured the visit a little was on checking out they tried to charge me for the complementary room upgrade.

Apart from the hotel there is very little in the local area within walking distance, I did see a 24hour petrol station and there is a supermarket nearby with when I was there cheaper petrol.

We stayed here for one night as a stop-over on our way to Devon. We booked online and got a very good deal including breakfast with the price comparing to that of other roadside lodgings. If we had paid the full rate for this hotel then I think we would have been a little dissapointed.

The hotel itself is nestled just off the M5 which is perfect for people wanting a stop-over.

Positives:

- Breakfast was very good; full English, cold meat, fruits etc
- The rooms were clean and had all everything you need (inc trouser press, iron, kettle, tv)
- Ample parking
- Check-in/check-out was very efficient
- Sports being shown on large screen in the bar


Negatives

- Breakfast on the Sat morning was very busy and a little hectic
- Bar prices were pricey (£3.40 for a guinness)
- The hotel reception, bar area and restaurant is in need of modernisation as well as some other areas of the hotel

Tip : For cheaper bar prices and food, take a walk over to the Harvester pub about 200 metres away.

All in all, this hotel is fine for the purpose it serves. It certainly served our purpose, and if we could get those rates again at that price then we would use this hotel again (as a stop-over) as it was very comfortable.

Situated on an industrial estate right next to the M5 did not sound a hopeful location; in fact it was better than we expected. The staff were very helpful, we couldn't hear any traffic noise from our room and the breakfast was the best we have had in a Holiday Inn, even though we didn't eat until 9.15am. In fact we made this comment to the lady in chargeand a few moments later, she came to our table with the young man who was the chef that morning and said it was good for him and his staff to hear they were appreciated.

Being on the junction of roads that go North, South, East and West, also meant that it is good central location close to attractions such as Exmoor and Glastonbury, both within 30 minutes. Would we stay there again, you bet we would.