Few hotels are perhaps named as aptly as, The Village. The multi-purpose hotel group has 34 hotels across the UK, each replete with enough facilities to create its own little microcosm.
The best on Tyneside is its impressive site on Cobalt Business Park where facilities include (but are not limited to): 157 guest rooms, in-house pub & grill, a salubrious health & wellness club and some of the best meetings & events spaces in the area.
For a chain hotel, it’s one that serves its community very well. The cutting-edge gym and spa centre reportedly has thousands of members while a steady stream of caffeinated workers visit its very own Starbucks coffee shop for their daily caffeine kick.
Billed as a welcome reprieve from stuffy hotel restaurants, its pubs and grill is also known for its cosy embrace. A place to kick back on cold, dark evenings in front of the footie, when the prospect of the big city is too much, and only comfort and convenience will do.
With this in mind, my wife Lisa and I ventured all 2.6 miles around the corner where the place – quite literally – feels like home.
While I am frequently known to breeze or wheeze my way through the latest morning cardio classes in the leisure club, Lisa is less of a regular and was immediately softened by the warm, inviting reception area and its ebullient staff.
At this point, we were really looking forward to an overnight stay without having to try too hard. With check-in completed in a matter of moments, we soon collapsed onto our large kingsize bed.
Bathed in calming tones, our room was a cocoon of comfort and luxury. Exactly the sort of place you want to hunker down for the evening and pick out some hearty food from the room service menu.
Predictably, thoughts soon turned to dinner and the pull of the Pub & Grill.
This boasts all the familiarity and warmth of a local pub whilst retaining the polish expected of a modern hotel. Families, couples, leisure club members and overnight guests mingled easily, creating exactly the sort of community atmosphere the hotel’s name promises.
The menu offers a broad selection of crowdpleasing favourites. I opted for a hearty burger with all the trimmings while Lisa chose one of the grill options, accompanied by a glass of wine and the comforting knowledge that neither of us would be washing up later that evening.
Fed and suitably refreshed, there was only one logical destination: the hotel’s Fan Zone.
Football and hospitality have always made agreeable companions and Village understands this better than most. The dedicated viewing area was alive with conversation as guests gathered for the return of the Premier League – on giant screens.
Morning arrived rather earlier than either of us would ordinarily have preferred. Fortunately, one of the advantages of staying at Village is there is always a compelling reason to get out of bed.
While many hotel guests might choose a leisurely breakfast and a slow start, I headed straight for the health and wellness club. The facilities are among the best in the area and the early morning crowd demonstrated precisely why it has become such a hub for local members.
At breakfast, watching hotel guests mingle with gym members, coffee drinkers and business folk reinforced the sense that Village has created something slightly different. It is not merely a place to stay but a place for people to gather.
The old adage certainly rings true: you needn’t travel far to have a good time. We had a great time and will certainly be back for more. At this point, you could call us the Village Hotel preservation society.
For more information, visit www.village-hotels.co.uk/newcastle