Ian Payne Hotel Reviews

I’m pleased to share the launch of a new channel in the Ian Payne family:
🍽️ Ian Payne Food & Drink youtube.com/@IanPayneFoodAndDrinkReviews

This new channel focuses entirely on reviews of eating establishments and coffee shops across the UK and Europe. Whether it’s a quick espresso during a filming break or a light meal between journeys, the reviews are honest, independent, and to the point — just like the station tours and transport videos you’re used to here.

Many of these coffee shop visits actually happen while I’m filming station walkabouts or train journeys — so if you’ve ever wondered where to grab a decent coffee or snack near a station, this new channel will likely have the answer.

6 months ago | [YT] | 0

Ian Payne Hotel Reviews

Why You Can Trust My Hotel & Food Reviews – 100% Independent & Unpaid



In light of growing concerns around paid reviews and influencer ethics, I want to make something crystal clear: all the reviews on Ian Payne Travel are completely independent, unannounced, and unpaid.



I book, pay for, and experience everything as a regular guest or diner—no special treatment, no freebies, no behind-the-scenes deals. What you see is what I see.



My aim is simple: to help fellow travellers make informed decisions with real, no-nonsense tours & reviews. Whether it’s a hotel room, a breakfast buffet or an eatery visit, my content is guided by honesty, clarity and transparency.



I’ve updated my video disclaimer to reflect this core value more explicitly. Thank you for trusting me, and if you're new here, welcome to the channel where truth comes before trends.

7 months ago | [YT] | 0

Ian Payne Hotel Reviews

Novotel London Tower Bridge, review coming 7 May at 14:00 BST

Tune in tomorrow to find out why it impressed me so much!

8 months ago | [YT] | 0

Ian Payne Hotel Reviews

For full journies on city transport, subscribe to my new channel

youtube.com/@IanPayneUrbanTransport

9 months ago | [YT] | 0

Ian Payne Hotel Reviews

The Airport Bus alternative from the City to the Airport

The Full Journey on my sister channel, Ian Payne Urban Transport

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHfsD...

10 months ago | [YT] | 1

Ian Payne Hotel Reviews

Take a walk with me round Berlin HBF, with introductions to all the eateries on 3 levels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCHWD...

10 months ago | [YT] | 1

Ian Payne Hotel Reviews

🚇 Exciting News! A New Channel for Urban Transport Fans 🚇

I’m thrilled to announce the launch of my brand-new channel, Ian Payne Urban Transport! 🎉

To keep my travel channel focused on hotels, destinations, and experiences, I’ve moved all my London Underground videos to the new channel. Over the next few days, my station walk-round videos will also be relocated there.

If you enjoy exploring transport networks, station layouts, and the underground world of city travel, make sure to subscribe here:

👉 youtube.com/@IanPayneUrbanTransport

Thanks for your support, and I look forward to growing this new channel with you! 🚆🎥

#UrbanTransport #LondonUnderground #TrainTravel #StationWalkthroughs #CityExploration

10 months ago | [YT] | 0

Ian Payne Hotel Reviews

I'm Making Videos the Way I Want to Watch Them



My Way Reviewing Hotels & Restaurants




Introduction

Before I even thought about making hotel review videos, I was just a traveler looking for useful insights. Whenever I searched for hotel reviews on YouTube, I found myself frustrated with the lack of genuinely helpful information. Many videos were just slideshow compilations of stock images, while others were dominated by presenters talking about the hotel rather than showing it, then there was the videos that wasted my time including totally irrelevant footage. I often felt like I wasn’t getting the full picture of what staying at a particular hotel would actually be like.

That frustration was what inspired me to start Ian Payne Travel. My goal is to create immersive, first-person walkthroughs that allow viewers to feel like they are actually there, experiencing the hotel or restaurant for themselves. Simply put, I create the kind of videos I would want to watch—detailed, distraction-free, and genuinely useful. In this article, I’ll share why this method is so effective and discuss some of the common pitfalls found in less informative review content.
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The Problem with Most Hotel Review Videos on YouTube

1. Slideshow Reviews (Lacking Real Insights)
One of the most frustrating trends in hotel reviews is the use of stock images instead of real footage. Some so-called “reviews” simply compile images taken from the hotel’s website, pair them with a low-quality AI voiceover, and regurgitate information from online sources like TripAdvisor.
Why they fall short:
• The images are carefully curated by the hotel’s marketing team—they don’t always reflect the actual guest experience.
• The AI voiceovers lack authenticity, often sounding robotic and impersonal.
• There is little to no original insight—just a collection of existing content with no personal experience.
Verdict: These videos don’t help potential guests—they just repeat what’s already available online.
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2. Presenter-Focused Reviews (More Personality Than Place)
Another common issue is when review videos focus more on the presenter than the hotel itself. While engaging personalities can make for entertaining videos, the content often becomes about the reviewer’s experience rather than the hotel’s features.
Why this can be unhelpful:
• Too much screen time is dedicated to the presenter’s face rather than showing the actual hotel.
• Reviews can become too opinion-driven, instead of giving viewers practical details.
• The experience lacks immersion—viewers don’t get to see the hotel through the eyes of a guest.
Verdict: These reviews may be enjoyable to watch, but they don’t always provide the level of detail travellers need when making a booking decision.
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A Better Way: The Immersive, First-Person Walkthrough Approach
What Makes a Review Truly Useful?

A great hotel or restaurant review should: ✅ Make the viewer feel like they are actually there. ✅ Showcase every key aspect of the experience, without unnecessary distractions. ✅ Provide a detailed and structured tour of what guests will interact with.

This is the approach I take with Ian Payne Travel. My videos are comprehensive, structured, and immersive, ensuring that viewers get a clear picture before booking their stay.

What I Cover in My Hotel Reviews
Rather than just showing the room, I aim to cover everything a guest is likely to interact with, including:
• Hotel Room: A detailed walkthrough covering bed size, storage, workspace, view, amenities, and bathroom quality.

• Gym & Pool: If a hotel advertises a gym or pool, I’ll do a walk round and cover everything there.
• Front Desk & Entrance Area: First impressions matter.
• Public Seating & Executive Lounge: Are there comfortable areas to relax outside of the room?
• Bars & Restaurants: Are they genuinely worth visiting?
• Breakfast Buffet: Instead of just skirting around, I showcase all the actual buffet layout and what I personally selected to eat, offering a realistic look at quality.

This method ensures that when someone watches my videos, they walk away with all the information they need—not just marketing material or personal opinions.
Why This Approach Works Well

✔️ Focuses on the experience, not the presenter. ✔️ Gives viewers a real sense of the hotel. ✔️ Avoids unnecessary commentary and distractions. ✔️ Relies on first-hand experience, not stock images or AI narration.
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Conclusion

A More Helpful Way to Review Hotels

Travelers deserve reviews that offer genuine, immersive insights, rather than recycled content or presenter-driven narratives. A great hotel review should feel like a realistic preview of what guests can expect.
If you’re looking for reviews that cut through the fluff and give you the details that matter, my goal is to offer exactly that.




📢 Subscribe to Ian Payne Travel for detailed, immersive hotel and restaurant reviews—where you experience the stay before you book it!

11 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 0

Ian Payne Hotel Reviews

The Decline of Quality in UK Indian Restaurants – A Frustrated Food Lover’s Perspective

For years, Indian cuisine in the UK has been a staple of the takeaway and dining-out scene. But let’s be honest—finding a truly high-quality Indian restaurant is becoming harder than ever. The sad reality is that too many places serve generic, uninspired curries, where dishes like Madras, Korma, or Bhuna taste almost identical no matter which restaurant you visit. There’s a lack of individuality, creativity, and care in the preparation—everything feels mass-produced rather than crafted with skill.

Then there’s the issue of Bombay potatoes and cauliflower dishes—two of my favourites. More often than not, they’re bland, overcooked, and lacking any real depth of flavour. Instead of the rich, well-spiced dishes they should be, they end up as afterthoughts on the menu, failing to deliver the bold and fragrant taste that makes Indian food so special. Finding a restaurant that truly gets these dishes right is a rarity, and it's something I always pay close attention to when visiting new places.

Take the basics: mango chutney, mint sauce, and other condiments—they're nearly identical wherever you go, with little variation or originality. There’s a widespread lack of attention to seasoning, texture, and balance of flavours.

It’s frustrating to see so many restaurants cut corners, prioritising speed and cost over quality and authenticity. It feels like the passion for great Indian food is disappearing, replaced by mass-produced, one-size-fits-all menus that fail to deliver what made these dishes special in the first place.

Through my reviews, I’m on a mission to find the exceptions—the restaurants that still take pride in their craft, where every dish is made with care, and where quality isn’t sacrificed for convenience. If you know of a hidden gem that deserves attention, let me know in the comments!

11 months ago | [YT] | 1

Ian Payne Hotel Reviews

Hi Everyone, thank you so much for your views, likes, comments and subscriptions, I really appreciated it.

So i've had a personal twitter acount for a few years but never active and nothing on it, so now I've renamed it and thrown my branding on, so this will be my new X account, feel free to follow.

x.com/IanPayneTravel

11 months ago | [YT] | 1