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WillowTheWhisp · 04-11-2007, 14:19

On Friday I accompanied Busman on an overnight trip to London taking a group of disabled children to see a show.

The show (Grease) was fantastic and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it.

The hotel we stayed in overnight on the other hand was absolutely appalling.

Upon our arrival, despite the fact that the party organiser had confirmation of the booking, the staff seemed unable to find any record of it and we were left standing in the foyer whilst something was sorted out. I was appalled that there was nowhere to sit, especially as some members of the party were quite clearly having difficulty standing for so long. When one lad was no longer able to stand and slumped to the floor by the side of the reception desk a member of staff came storming out of the door yelling that he had knocked papers off a desk at the other side of the wall and that he'd been 'at it all day'. An impossibility as we'd been travelling down from Lancashire most of the day, but it certainly felt like we'd been there all day.

I suggested the fault lies not with the guests but with the poor structure of the hotel 'walls' as the same thing quite clearly happens with other people. Far from being yelled at the lad deserved an apology for having been made to stand there for so long.

When we finally did get our keys and found our way to the rooms I was appalled by the state of the room. To say that it was basic is an understatement. I am amazed that the hotel had managed to aquire 3 stars. The furnishings, such as they were, a basic laminated chip board 'dressing table' and laminated chip board panels attached to the wall in lieu of headboards, were dirty and there was mould on the ceiling in the bathroom. Although a kettle was provided in the room it took over 20 minutes to warm up and then switched off before it reached boiling point. It would have been impossible to make a cup of tea.

Busman was the coach driver for the party and had enquired how long we could leave the coach in the hotel courtyard and was told that it would be OK to leave it there whilst we checked in. We then took it to an overnight coach park at the end of Bayswater Road.

The following morning we left the party having breakfast and went to pick up the coach. Some of them had not finished by the time we returned and so we sat at one of the outdoor tables with the party organiser to have a drink of hot chocolate and wait for them. When the organiser went off to look for people one of the staff came up to Busman and told him to move the coach as it shouldn't be there. Busman replied that we'd just brought it in to pick people up. The staff member then said that the coach had been there for well over an hour which was not permitted. I pointed out that less than half an hour earlier the coach had been in a coach park at the end of Bayswater Road, whereupon he accused me of lying saying that he had seen it there himself an hour earlier.

It had been there well over an hour the previous evening whilst the reception staff kept us waiting for the keys to our rooms, nothing was said about it then.

He then went off and spoke to a member of our party who informed us that he'd asked her if this was her coach and when she'd replied that it was he told her. "That's your driver over there. He isn't looking after you properly." She knew exactly where the driver was as she'd spoken to us earlier when my Busman had been asking if she knew how many people hadn't finished breakfast.

The toilet facilities in the hotel seem to be a bit thin on the ground. The gents toilets at one side were not even working on the Saturday morning and the hand dryers in the ladies were neither use nor ornament.

I have never come across such ignorant and offensive hotel staff anywhere in the world. Nor have I come across such a basic hotel which has somehow managed to acquire 3 stars. We certainly won't be returning and will be advising everyone we know to avoid it and the other hotels in their group which presumably are of the same appalling quality. Had the staff been a little more courteous and helpful perhaps the lack of some of the basics could have been overlooked.

The hotel in question was the Royal National. If you possess a 10 foot barge pole I advise you not to touch this hotel with it

04-11-2007, 14:19	#1
WillowTheWhisp Resident Waffler Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Accrington, Hyndburn Posts: 18,142 Blog Entries: 14 Liked: 14 times Rep Power: 1060	Trip to London - where not to stay! On Friday I accompanied Busman on an overnight trip to London taking a group of disabled children to see a show. The show (Grease) was fantastic and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. The hotel we stayed in overnight on the other hand was absolutely appalling. Upon our arrival, despite the fact that the party organiser had confirmation of the booking, the staff seemed unable to find any record of it and we were left standing in the foyer whilst something was sorted out. I was appalled that there was nowhere to sit, especially as some members of the party were quite clearly having difficulty standing for so long. When one lad was no longer able to stand and slumped to the floor by the side of the reception desk a member of staff came storming out of the door yelling that he had knocked papers off a desk at the other side of the wall and that he'd been 'at it all day'. An impossibility as we'd been travelling down from Lancashire most of the day, but it certainly felt like we'd been there all day. I suggested the fault lies not with the guests but with the poor structure of the hotel 'walls' as the same thing quite clearly happens with other people. Far from being yelled at the lad deserved an apology for having been made to stand there for so long. When we finally did get our keys and found our way to the rooms I was appalled by the state of the room. To say that it was basic is an understatement. I am amazed that the hotel had managed to aquire 3 stars. The furnishings, such as they were, a basic laminated chip board 'dressing table' and laminated chip board panels attached to the wall in lieu of headboards, were dirty and there was mould on the ceiling in the bathroom. Although a kettle was provided in the room it took over 20 minutes to warm up and then switched off before it reached boiling point. It would have been impossible to make a cup of tea. Busman was the coach driver for the party and had enquired how long we could leave the coach in the hotel courtyard and was told that it would be OK to leave it there whilst we checked in. We then took it to an overnight coach park at the end of Bayswater Road. The following morning we left the party having breakfast and went to pick up the coach. Some of them had not finished by the time we returned and so we sat at one of the outdoor tables with the party organiser to have a drink of hot chocolate and wait for them. When the organiser went off to look for people one of the staff came up to Busman and told him to move the coach as it shouldn't be there. Busman replied that we'd just brought it in to pick people up. The staff member then said that the coach had been there for well over an hour which was not permitted. I pointed out that less than half an hour earlier the coach had been in a coach park at the end of Bayswater Road, whereupon he accused me of lying saying that he had seen it there himself an hour earlier. It had been there well over an hour the previous evening whilst the reception staff kept us waiting for the keys to our rooms, nothing was said about it then. He then went off and spoke to a member of our party who informed us that he'd asked her if this was her coach and when she'd replied that it was he told her. "That's your driver over there. He isn't looking after you properly." She knew exactly where the driver was as she'd spoken to us earlier when my Busman had been asking if she knew how many people hadn't finished breakfast. The toilet facilities in the hotel seem to be a bit thin on the ground. The gents toilets at one side were not even working on the Saturday morning and the hand dryers in the ladies were neither use nor ornament. I have never come across such ignorant and offensive hotel staff anywhere in the world. Nor have I come across such a basic hotel which has somehow managed to acquire 3 stars. We certainly won't be returning and will be advising everyone we know to avoid it and the other hotels in their group which presumably are of the same appalling quality. Had the staff been a little more courteous and helpful perhaps the lack of some of the basics could have been overlooked. The hotel in question was the Royal National. If you possess a 10 foot barge pole I advise you not to touch this hotel with it __________________ Last edited by WillowTheWhisp; 04-11-2007 at 14:23.