Hotels

Review: VOCO Glasgow Grand Central Station

a large stone building with a large tower and a street

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Voco Glasgow Review

Several days after staying at the Kimpton Glasgow “The Blysthswod” we looped back through Glasgow and decided to stay at the train station. Why? The Glasgow train station housed one of their newest brands: VOCO.

I was excited to check out the brand; however, train station hotels can often be a little dicey so we didn’t book the property until we arrived and saw it in person. The biggest selling point? The champagne bar that overlooks the station is stunning and the hotel feels steeped in history with a beautiful update.

a building with a large window

Booking:

Even though we only booked the property a couple of days prior to our stay, the price was really attractive, roughly 110 pounds, but I opted to use points instead. I value IHG Points at ½ cent  so the point value was $95 vs $140ish. I threw points at the booking and locked in a standard room at 19k. It’s also worth noting that I still carry the IHG Rewards Select which gives me 10% back which knocks it down even more.

a large building with a large staircase and a sign

Stay Details:

  • When: May 2022
  • Where: Glasgow, Scotland
  • Loyalty: IHG One Rewards
  • Status: Diamond
  • Rate: 19k points

Location

Smack in the middle of Glasgow.

 

Check in

Odd to say the least. We arrived around 1pm and the hotel seemed to be quite empty, but our room wasn’t available for check-in. I’m not really that bothered by having status recognized or not, but it wasn’t. I ended up storing bags while we popped out to lunch, and after coming back around 230 we were told they could check us in.

a room with a large table and chairs

No upgrade and we hardly saw anyone in the hotel. I checked the website and most room categories were still available. I’m not really sure what the deal was as I was hoping for a larger room or even a suite considering the new roll out of the program ( a suite was 40 pounds more than the entry level double bed room ).

We were only staying a night, planned on visiting the champagne bar, and had dinner plans so we weren’t planning on spending a lot of time in the room.

a staircase with a chandelier and pictures on the wall

The Room

Very small. I’d highly recommend paying the difference for at least the next level room up if you plan on spending much time in the room itself.

a bed with a white bed and yellow pillows

Power outlets, desk, and closet

The bathroom featured a shower with great pressure.

a bathroom with a shower and sink

Champagne Bar

I would highly, highly, recommend popping into the champagne bar either for a glass of bubbly, or having afternoon tea.

a group of people in a restaurant

Even if you’re not staying at the hotel it’s a very cool place to grab a drink and overlook the train station.

a bar with bottles on the counter

Overall

Should I return to Glasgow I would undoubtedly stay at the Kimpton vs the Voco. Not that the Voco isn’t a fine stay, but the rooms are terribly small and the overall vibe was a bit “off.” This was in stark contrast to the Kimpton which I thought was great.

I will say that we ventured out of the train station headed east and south for a bit of a walk and it starts to feel a bit sketch around sundown

a rooftop of a building with a net

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

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Points Earned

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Main Cast: 

Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.

Supporting Cast:

Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on. 

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The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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