Hilton Strathclyde, Bellshill

The bar/lounge here probably isn’t significantly different to that of any other Hilton Hotel in the non-Islamic world. Its main distinguishing feature is its location in the middle of industrial Lanarkshire, an area not often visited by heiress Paris. The clientele (residents excepted) consists mainly of businesspeople from, or visitors to, Bellshill’s Strathclyde Business Park, with a smattering of locals and passing trade from the nearby M8 and M74 motorways thrown in. The Hilton is effectively insulated from the former mining town in which it is, officially, situated by a busy by-pass and comparatively exorbitant prices. For example, a pint of Tennents Lager cost me £3.60 and the “Lounge Menu” priced fish and chips at £13.75. The small, plush bar is immediately adjacent to the main entrance, from where a corridor leads to the most luxurious toilets in town. There is a Costa Coffee outlet beside the bar and a large, expensive restaurant at the rear. It’s all very pleasant if you can afford it, but generally rather lacking in character.