Rollason Wood Hotel

Pavel looked after us from the moment we arrived. He answered straight away, welcomed us warmly, got our documents sorted and handed over the keys. He kept checking that we were okay and reassuring us, then made sure we had everything we needed for the night. The rooms were nice, and thanks to Pavel the hotel left a really good impression. Even at technically nicer hotels, I usually don't get service like that. He deserves a raise.

I spent six nights here while working nearby, and the place was appalling. For the first four nights I wasn't given a key card, just a string of flimsy excuses and indifference from staff. The building is badly decayed: nicotine-yellow walls, carpets so filthy they crunch underfoot, and a shaky staircase that groans with every step. The sheets were stained in a way that left little doubt they'd been used before. I barely slept. The other guests made it feel more like a halfway house than a hotel, and I was constantly worried my car would be broken into or I'd get caught up in a late-night fight. At times I thought a stab vest might be sensible. Breakfast was tiny, tasteless and served in a room that made a greasy spoon look like The Ritz. Hygiene was nonexistent. There was hot water one morning, and only that once, but the shower was so vile I wore shoes to avoid touching it. The water was otherwise just cold. It reminded me of camping as a teenager, when you needed flip flops, except even those facilities were cleaner. I can't understand the positive reviews unless they were made up or written under pressure. Unless you have an iron stomach, a strong immune system and a taste for squalor, stay far away.

The whole place looks tatty, like it hasn't had proper maintenance or much cleaning for years. The worst hotel I've ever stayed in. On my first night, neither the shower nor the hot water tap worked. I was told someone would look at it the next day, but nobody came and I got no update. Reviews suggest the same problem has been around for at least two years, so they clearly don't intend to fix it. The evening receptionist was genuinely helpful and tried to find another option, but apparently the water was out in the other empty rooms too. I checked out after two nights because I needed somewhere to wash. They didn't reply when I asked for a refund, and there was no apology when I reported the issue. They call the breakfast “continental”. I haven't travelled outside Europe, but I don't know which part of the continent considers a plastic tub of cheap sliced bread for toast and tiny croissants in wrappers a traditional breakfast. Believe the bad reviews. This place is awful.

It's gone downhill a lot since my last visit. Breakfast was a disappointing continental spread, with bread to help yourself to but no working toaster or butter. There was nobody at the front desk to help. I'll think twice before staying here again.