Clayton Hotel Manchester City Centre

"This was our seventh stay at the hotel, which makes writing this review particularly disappointing. Having visited six times previously, we have always had a positive experience and have returned because we enjoyed the hotel and felt it offered the standard of accommodation and service expected. Unfortunately, this visit was very different. From the moment we entered our room, it was apparent that standards had slipped considerably. The kettle was full of limescale, the carpet was heavily stained, the tea tray was dirty and dusty, and the coffee machine was in such a poor state of cleanliness that I wouldn’t consider using it. The bed wasn’t much better, with what appeared to be white fluid splattered across the bed base and throw, a stained duvet and stained pillow protectors. The mattress itself appeared to have been placed upside down, with the underside facing upwards. We could only assume this was because the actual sleeping surface was badly stained. There were also only two pillows on the bed and one spare in the wardrobe, whereas on previous visits we have always had two spare pillows available. On its own, this might seem a relatively minor detail, but it added to the general feeling that the room hadn’t been prepared to the standard we were accustomed to. To add to the initial impression, when we entered the room, two maintenance staff were still working inside, sealing the window closed. This left a very strong smell of caulk throughout the room, which certainly wasn’t a pleasant welcome. Karen is a true asset to this hotel and apologised for the delay with the room and handled this incident swiftly. We reported the condition of the room to the front desk and housekeeping did attend. The bed was remade with clean linen, although the pillow protectors weren’t replaced, and a new kettle was brought up. We were offered a room move but were told there was nothing else available in our category. We were assured that someone would check the following day to see whether a move had become possible, but unfortunately nobody ever came back to us. As a gesture for the issues with the room, we were given a drinks voucher for one drink. Whilst we appreciate that something was offered, there were two of us staying, so it was a rather strange gesture to give us a voucher for just one drink. It didn’t really feel like an acknowledgement of the extent of the issues we had experienced. Unfortunately, the problems weren’t confined to the room. At breakfast, the exposed fresh fruit and pots on the buffet were swarming with fruit flies, which was particularly off-putting. There was also a rather uncomfortable experience when we were given a review card bearing the waiter’s name and told that he would receive more money if we wrote a review mentioning him. This was particularly awkward given that the waiter hadn’t actually engaged with us during breakfast. Encouraging guests to leave positive reviews in this way, particularly when the service itself hasn’t been particularly noticeable, doesn’t create the best impression. Even asking for basic necessities such as towels and toilet roll became an unnecessarily frustrating experience. When I approached reception, I was told, “I’m in the middle of something.” I appreciate that staff can be busy, but this felt dismissive. The towels we requested still hadn’t arrived an hour and a half later, meaning I had to go back and ask for them again. We had the service card on our door from 12PM and didn’t receive service. Individually, some of these things might be easy to overlook. We understand that hotels are busy environments and that things occasionally go wrong. However, when disappointment follows you from the condition of your room, to housekeeping, maintenance, breakfast and even the simplest interactions with reception, it becomes difficult to dismiss everything as isolated incidents. It was the accumulation of problems throughout our stay that made the experience so disappointing. What makes this particularly frustrating is that we are returning guests who have chosen this hotel on seven occasions. We aren’t comparing it to an unrealistic expectation; we’re comparing it to the standard we have personally experienced here on our previous six visits. We know the hotel can do better, which is why this visit has been such a let-down. We didn’t expect perfection, but we did expect a clean, properly prepared room, attentive service and for concerns raised with staff to be followed up. Sadly, even these fairly basic expectations weren’t consistently met. We hope management takes this feedback in the constructive spirit in which it is intended. We have previously enjoyed staying here and would genuinely like to feel confident about returning. However, this experience has left us questioning whether we would choose to make an eighth visit. I’ve not had the pleasure of meeting Karen on my previous stays at this hotel. You can see she is very passionate about her job. She is regularly present on the floor, both in the lobby and at breakfast. She spotted children coming and looked out stickers and sweets and offered to help parents with bags. A true asset to the team."

"Great breakfast and staff service excellent from Bilal and Ivan"

"Excellent service in the restaurant. Even though it was busy Nikita found us a table for 7 people really quickly and made sure we had everything we needed"