Grand Hotel Blackpool

The car park was a plus, right outside with lots of spaces, and checkout itself was easy. The two reception staff were chatting and ignored me for a while, though, until I interrupted to say thanks and leave. The hotel is within walking distance of the Winter Gardens, and our room was spacious. We were given a four-bed room, which felt generous for just the two of us. It was okay overall, but rough around the edges and seemed short-staffed, with more potential if managed better. The room had a slight stale cigarette smell. The lobby looked welcoming with all its leather seating, but without music, drinks or a coffee station it felt like there wasn't much point to the space. Upstairs, the bar was underwhelming: quiet, with a few odd sofas, an empty dance floor and no daytime music. We were told it would get busy after 3pm, but it didn't really. There were big TVs, but when we asked for football they told us to go to the pub down the road. The drinks choice was limited, and they didn't have the lager we wanted or Aperol Spritz. A half-eaten takeaway was left on a table by the lift when we arrived and was still there the next day at checkout. Breakfast was average. The mushrooms were cold and boiled rather than fried, and nobody greeted us, showed us to a table or explained the buffet or drinks. There was no music in the lobby either.

For the price, this was a great hotel, with huge comfortable rooms and a very good breakfast. There were lovely views from the room and outside the hotel. The indoor pool area was also very clean and well cared for. The corridors look a bit aged and could use some touch-ups.

The food was very good, with plenty of variety and a nice presentation, and the beds were clean. Most of the staff were amazing, though a few probably shouldn't be in hospitality. The hotel is getting old and it shows in the decor. There were little oversights, like coffee splashed on the door and not cleaned, and I had to hunt around for a bath mat. Grand may not be the right word anymore, faded might fit better. Photos from the room.

The room itself was clean and more than adequate for what we paid, although there were a few broken bits and pieces if I wanted to be picky. I wouldn't stay again unless they hired a decent manager to get the restaurant staff in shape. We were charged £50 for two days of breakfast, and that level of hygiene wasn't acceptable. It's a shame, because when Hilton owned it, it was a beautiful hotel. Whoever owns it now has let it go downhill remarkably. Both mornings, the plates, cups, small glasses, cutlery and even the labels were extremely dirty. On the first morning, we raised it with a staff member, who promised to sort it, but 20 minutes later my husband was taking cups to our room to wash because they were disgusting. She didn't actually do anything about them, just pretended to, and seemed to know it was an ongoing problem. The next morning was worse. There were only a couple of guests, but we were all searching through piles of plates for clean ones. I found one from the previous day's breakfast with scrambled egg still on it. I'm severely allergic to eggs, anaphylaxis level, so I have to be very careful. I know a buffet always carries some risk of contamination, but this was ridiculous. My husband again took plates, cups and small glasses upstairs to wash before using them. This time, a staff member who could hear everyone commenting on the cleanliness went through the stacks and took piles of plates to the kitchen. She still left the dirty cups and glasses. The little seating area up a couple of steps had a sea view, but two of its four tables still had sugar and food on them from the night before. The little cutlery drawers were empty but hadn't been cleaned for what looked like months, stained and full of bits. It was genuinely disgusting. I can't understand how that restaurant is still open in such a state. We'd just come home from a short two-night break, and it wasn't enjoyable. On Saturday, the first night, the hotel was extremely busy for a 'balloon bash' event. Some idiot chav nearly kicked in our room door and someone else's door, twice. We had to call security, who were genuinely great and eventually sorted it out. I can't fault security. The hall outside our room stank of cannabis all night and into the next day, probably because of the same idiot trying to kick our door in at midnight. Sunday night was trouble-free because the hotel was almost empty, so at least we slept well. Lesson learned, we'll check for events before booking. I'm not usually a moaner, and in Blackpool we'd normally just get on with things, but this was horrific.