Glasgow

I have a fairly curmudgeonly attitude towards ‘the powers that be' when well known landmarks or places are re-named as part of a corporate re-branding exercise. So it was with a heavy heart that I pulled into the Jury's Pond Hotel to discover that under the present owners, Best Western, this well known Glasgow hotel had remorphed into the ‘Glasgow Pond Hotel'.
The Pond is situated 2 miles from Glasgow city centre on Great Western Road, making it an attractive option for exploring the city itself or as an initial stop-over prior to exploring the Scottish Highlands.
Although the exterior of the building is dull and uninspiring, there is the pleasant outlook afforded by Binghams Pond itself. The public areas of the hotel have had an extensive make-over, giving the Pond a fairly up-market ‘sales rep' feel about it.
As I was attending a conference the following day elsewhere in Glasgow, I was pleased to see that the bedrooms came with a work desk and wireless Internet connectivity. My double en-suit room was clean with the usual coffee/tea making facilities and a huge plasma TV. Personally, the somewhat dark décor was not to my taste - downright depressing in fact - but colleagues of mine were complimentary about it. There's no accounting for taste I guess.
The restaurant has a wide open floor plan, with a somewhat dated glass and black marble effect and a raised dais at the rear of the restaurant.
Having not arrived until late evening I was ravenous, but I was severely disappointed in my meal, the details of which pass me by, but sticks in my memory due to the tiny portions. I had ordered chicken with all the usual trimmings, but was presented by a stunted bird underneath which was a small mound of veg and potatoes. Nouvelle cuisine it was not!
At £60 a night the Pond is a good option, but do not go for the food.