"Travelled with elderly parents arriving on a Wednesday evening. Easy to find, and plenty of parking. Two rooms booked.
On checking in, issue with the computer in that key cards could not be issued. Were told this would be resolved and the cards issued to us later that night at dinner. This was the case. Taken to rooms, however no cognisance taken of the fact that the rooms require the key card to be inserted to obtain power as per most hotels these days. No key cards meant no power, so I used my own store cards and inserted them to overcome the problem. On the way to my parents room I warned them of the worn and loose hall carpet. They are both very elderly and unsteady on their feet requiring sticks to aid walking.
I was in room 516. Large room, with views over the rear. The room was very cold and smelt of damp. There was a small electric oil radiator in the room which was attempting to warm it up, but failed. With no card in the slot there was no power and therefore the electric panel heater was not working. After about an hour and with the panel heater now on, the room had reached a comfortable temperature.
This room is situated next to the lift. You cannot hear the lift, however the switching gear for it is situated on the wall immediately outside the room. Every time someone summons the lift there is a loud click. This continues for hours until there is no one using the lift any more. The lift is also slightly confusing to operate. Room numbers do not correspond to the numbering on the lift. Ground floor is numbered one. Rooms with numbering starting four are on the second floor and so on. Button number two in the lift is also temperamental.
My room was also situated overlooking the flat roofed kitchen area. There are very large extractor pipes on top of this flat roof directly below the room. They are loud and make a roaring noise until the kitchen closes down.
The television has limited reception, with a lot of channels breaking up. And to top it all off, the water supply failed. Attempted to contact reception twice. No reply. Left a message. No return call. Made my way to reception. Deserted. Eventually found harassed staff member who informed me and another guest that the water supply had failed to the entire hotel. Got my return call from reception about ten o’clock in the evening.
The water issue was thankfully resolved by the morning.
Following morning, opened the bedroom window to allow fresh air to circulate. I was unable to close it.
Evening meal in the restaurant was good, however the seats are uncomfortable. Lack of padding.
Breakfast was okay, although the portion of scrambled egg was small.
On check out still issues with the computer system.
The property and grounds are old and dated. It has the potential to be a beautiful hotel, however this will require substantial financial input by the owners, Macdonald group, and sadly I suspect this will not happen in the current climate.
The staff were friendly, however there seems to be a lack of them, with some having to do multiple tasks.
Overall, this hotel is not worthy of a four star rating, which is rather disappointing."
