Holiday Inn Farnborough

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The reason for this visit to the Holiday Inn Farnborough was to review the Spirit Health Club that is connected to the hotel, but I couldn’t stay in a hotel without taking a few photos of the hotel too to share with our readers… turn to page two and beyond for those.The Spirit Health Club is available to residents of the Holiday Inn and to non-residents by way of a club membership. It has recently had a £50,000 investment which has bought new equipment for the gym and a steam room and sauna for the pool area. The staff are friendly and you cannot fault the Health Club in terms of value for money, equipment or accessibility. As far as the interior design of the gym goes, it’s cream walls, blue carpet and inoffensive. The gym is located in the basement area so the ceilings are quite low and due to supporting walls, there are a variety of areas for the different equipment they have which means you do get a degree of privacy. It’s a shame that more hasn’t been done to decorate the walls as many are just left bare and uninspiring. Some areas do have televisions to entertain, but with the lack of natural light, it just needs brightening up – it would no doubt have a positive impact on the gym-goers.

The pool area has a Jacuzzi, brand new sauna and steam room which are great to sit and unwind after a day of meetings in the hotel. Whilst there are windows in the pool area, it’s not flooded with daylight and you’re not completely visible from the car park. I noted how one disused Jacuzzi area was filled with gravel which could have easily contained some artificial plants to liven up the area and provide a more impressive and luxurious environment.

Overall it’s a fantastic little Health Club that deserves a visit but will possibly need a little more investment in its interior design in the future to keep it competitive with other local gyms.

For a three star hotel, you can’t say you don’t get value for money with the free use of the Health Club. Even the hotel offering is excellent with free WiFi, large rooms and additional toiletries to those expected as ‘standard’. Join our debate on what constitutes luxury by reading our article, “Luxury Hotels: Myth or Reality?”

Copy and images (c) Lorraine Hakes/HotelDesigns Date of visit: 23/10/12.

www.hifarnboroughhotel.co.uk

Images of the hotel on page two and three…

Daniel Fountain / 04.11.2012

Editor, Hotel Designs

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Fun fact: I’m usually the person friends rely on to organise trips, schedules, and group plans.

Workhighlights: Successfully coordinating events from planning through to delivery and seeing everything come together on the day.

Fun fact: I’m a keen cyclist and will happily bore people with copious amounts of cycling chat. My top cycling experience (so far) would have to be riding in the spectacular mountains of Crete.

Work highlights: Charles joined Forum Events in 2022. With a background in publishing, editorial media and events, Charles brings a wealth of experience to his role as Senior Production Manager. Having being involved with SPACE from the outset, he is excited to see the brand grow and develop.

Fun fact: People tell Sienna she gives off Bridget Jones vibes, and she loves to bake, always making sure there are shortbreads floating around the office

Work highlights: Sienna joined Forum Events & Media Group while studying Communications and Media, starting in the sales team where she managed and helped launch the first the PA Life Leading Venues of London SHOWCASE, where she built relationships with luxury venues across the capital. Drawn to the stories behind these spaces, she naturally transitioned into the editorial team, creating social media and editorial content. Upon graduating in June 2026, she is excited to be joining as Assistant Editor for Hotel Designs and SPACE.

Fun fact: When not working, Jess can usually be found tending to her kitchen garden in the Sussex countryside or foraging for herbs in the nearby woods. A keen grower, she recently studied a RHS Level 2 Diploma in the Principles of Horticulture during her spare time.

Work highlights: Jess joined SPACE magazine in 2022 and has since progressed from Assistant Editor to Editor. During this time, she has worked across many aspects of the publication – from shaping editorial strategy and overseeing operations to contributing to art direction and representing the brand on stage at industry events including Surface Design Show and WOW!house.

Alongside her role at SPACE, Jess has built a creative career spanning the arts, culture, design and travel sectors. Prior to joining the magazine, she spent more than a decade in the commercial art industry, in artist liaison, gallery management, and curating collections for the hospitality sector across hotels and cruise ships. During this time, she also worked on freelance projects as a writer, photographer, and creative content producer.
 
Jess studied photojournalism at London College of Communication and the Danish School of Media and Journalism and holds a first-class BA (Hons) in Culture, Criticism and Curation from Central Saint Martins.

Fun fact: Katy has spent years perfecting all kinds of accents and loves a good impersonation!

Work highlights: Katy has been with Hotel Designs since the beginning, way back in 2015 when Forum Events & Media Group acquired the brand.

During this time, she has fostered many meaningful relationships with clients from across the hospitality spectrum, as well as playing a pivotal role in the launch of The Brit List Awards, Hotel Designs MEET UPs, client-led roundtables and panel talks, brand and website redesigns, HD Wellness Sets, DESIGN POD podcast, Hotel Designs LIVE panel talk series, Accessible Design Talks and more. Katy is always on the lookout for the next opportunity to help grow the Hotel Designs brand even further.
 
Most recently Katy has stepped in to the role of Publisher at SPACE magazine, the printed bi-monthly publication focused on hotel design, architecture, and development.

Together these platforms offer a comprehensive 360-degree service encompassing digital media, print publishing, and live events – providing unparalleled value to advertisers, partners, and readers alike.