Overall, our stay was okay, but there were a few disappointing aspects that took the shine off what should have been a straightforward overnight stay.
Before booking, we asked about checking in early because we were attending a wedding and our coach was leaving at 11am. The hotel was completely inflexible and stuck rigidly to its 3pm check-in policy. However, when we arrived at 10am, the receptionist said early check-in was available for £10 an hour, subject to room availability, which would have added £50. We felt that was steep. In the end, we left our bags at reception and had to ask another wedding guest if we could use their room to get ready, which we really shouldn’t have had to do.
The room itself was comfortable enough, but I was surprised there wasn’t even a small fridge. During very hot weather, being unable to keep drinks or food chilled is a basic convenience I’d expect from a hotel charging this sort of price. The air conditioning was also disappointing, as it switched itself off after about an hour of use, so I had to keep waking up throughout the night to turn it back on.
The biggest disappointment, however, was the value for money. We paid £152 for one night, only to discover breakfast wasn’t included and would have cost an additional £14 per person (£28 for two). At that room rate, charging extra for breakfast felt excessive and left the overall stay feeling poor value.