For seconds, for all its shininess, the exterior can’t help but look a little impersonal; the other half of the complex is currently used as office space and first impressions would suggest that they may have been better off dedicating the whole development to such a purpose, the car park does little to dispel such thoughts. However, a big fat HOWEVER at that, I’m pleased to report that first impressions are not always accurate.

Having negotiated the glossy, but friendly reception area I made my way up to my “Enviable” room on the third floor to be very pleasantly surprised. Floor to ceiling windows make up the longest wall in the room creating an instantly welcoming, bright and airy space. The furnishings, all light in tone, perfectly compliment the wooden flooring and a bed colossal in proportions, billed in the brochure as “the most comfortable you will ever sleep on,” beckons seductively from around the corner. The bathroom sits quietly behind another glass wall next to the bed – not one for shy couples, this place – with a huge double-ended bath, walk-in power-shower and the most impressive sink I’ve ever come across... Seriously, if I could have slipped it into my luggage without anyone noticing I’d have been tempted to make off with it! The toilet is, mercifully, cubicled away, so if you do need a little privacy, the option is always there! The stylish restaurant located on the fifth floor is superb, with amazing views out across both the city and the racecourse and definitely worth a visit for hotel residents as well as native Chestonians.

The overall standard is extremely high, well worthy of the four star categorisation allocated to the hotel.If I were to be extremely pernickety I could find a few faults – one of my towels was slightly frayed and I always always mentally apply a few bonus points to any hotel that provides fresh dairy milk with the tea and coffee as opposed to the standard UHT cartons that Abode opted for, but as a frequent hotel visitor only a handful have met my retentive standards and Abode did gain a bonus point for having some very yummy biscuits! The much-hyped bed exceeded expectations, practically swallowing me, shaping itself to my body and probably would have given me a fantastic nights sleep had the pillows not have been of equally enormous proportions. A simple phone call to reception probably would have remedied this, but the thought didn’t occur until the wee small hours when I was too tired and grumpy to act upon it!

Located in the city’s “gateway” Abode is enviably positioned for any visit to Chester, within spitting distance of the racecourse and walking distance of the shops and historic centre, avoiding the worst of the traffic and with splendid views on all sides. Swanky and shiny it does rather seem to vie a little too hard for attention, but anyone fortunate enough to have stayed or dined there will verify that the attention-seeking is justified.