A driver had to leave the M6 motorway because something urgent happened in their family, but they ended up getting a fine of £100. The driver explained that they received the penalty for spending 15 minutes talking on the phone outside a Holiday Inn in the Midlands.
Feeling frustrated, the driver shared their experience on TripAdvisor. They mentioned that they left the motorway at junction 15 to take the call. Since there was no place to park nearby, they decided to stop at the Holiday Inn. They made sure not to use the hotel’s parking lot and instead parked outside the hotel itself in a designated area. They spent around 15 minutes on the call.
However, two weeks later, they received the fine in the mail, as reported by StokeonTrentLive. The driver tried calling the hotel on a few occasions to explain what happened, but unfortunately, they couldn’t get through.
In their one-star review on TripAdvisor, the driver wrote, “Because of a family emergency, I had to exit the M6 motorway at junction 15 to take a phone call. There’s nowhere to park in the area, so I stopped at the Holiday Inn. I made sure not to use their parking lot and parked outside the hotel in a designated area. I was on the call for about 15 minutes. Two weeks later, I received a £100 fine. I tried calling the hotel several times, but I couldn’t reach them. After doing some research, I found out that I’m not the only one who has faced this issue.”
The hotel responded by saying, “Thank you for choosing our hotel and sharing your feedback. We’re sorry for the problems during your stay and appreciate your continued support. We always strive to provide the best experience for our guests. We will share your feedback with our hotel management for review. We have also sent you a private message to discuss this matter further. We hope we can regain your trust and confidence in our service.”
StokeonTrentLive, the news outlet, tried to get a comment from Holiday Inn Stoke-on-Trent regarding the situation but hasn’t received a response. On the review site, there are other posts from unhappy drivers who also received fines at the hotel.
“One month ago, I got a parking fine for picking up my wife from a conference she attended,” wrote a user. “I was in the parking lot for less than 30 minutes and received a £60 fine.” The hotel responded, saying, “We sincerely apologize for the problems you faced with our parking fine. Your honest review is important, and we will share it with the relevant hotel team to take necessary action.”
Another user wrote in February, “I received a £60 parking fine for a 56-minute business meeting stay, even though I spent money on coffee. I won’t use this hotel again. It’s disappointing because I’ve stayed at this hotel many times before due to its convenient location near the M6. There must be a better way to manage parking at this place.” The hotel replied, saying, “We apologize if you received a parking fine. We have informed the hotel management about your comments. We hope to have the chance to provide a more positive experience in the future.”
