Glacier & Gold is an independent guide to casinos across the Midlands and South of England and the best hotels beside them. Here is exactly how we choose the hotels and score them.
Every hotel in this guide has a real, licensed casino on the property — that is the entry ticket. From there, we stay where we can, walk every gaming floor, eat in the restaurants and judge each hotel against the same four measures, so the scores mean the same thing across the region.
Our ratings are an editorial opinion, not an average of user reviews, and we take no payment for a place in the ranking or a higher score. Room counts, casino sizes and other figures are approximate and change often — always confirm the current details with the hotel before you travel.
The size and quality of the tables, the poker, the electronic gaming and the slots — and how the room feels on a busy night.
Whether there are rooms on the property or a good hotel a short walk away, and how easy it is to get from the felt to a bed.
The bar, the restaurant, the sport and the live entertainment — the reasons to make a night of it rather than an hour.
Where it sits in the city, how easy it is to reach, what is nearby, and whether an evening there is worth the money.
Scores are out of ten, to one decimal. A hotel scoring above nine is, in our view, a genuine destination worth planning a trip around; the low eights are still strong stays where the casino is one good reason among several. We re-score as hotels renovate, expand or change hands.