Ben Sheann Hotel

The room was a little old, but fine, and we slept well. Breakfast was good, cooked by the owner. He was helpful and suggested monuments to see in Stirling as well as a walk near the hotel. The hotel is in a lovely area and well located, with parking behind it and another free space across the road.

Shocking hospitality. My partner and I came to check in, but the host just sat at the bar eating and staring at us. We thought he was another guest until he came over with his mouth full and asked, “you see anything”? We said we were there to check in, and he just stared again. It was really off putting. When I opened the hotel door, he laughed and asked if I was going to run away. His silence and staring had made me uncomfortable, so I told my boyfriend we should find somewhere else. The reception was very dirty and cold, and I wondered what the rooms would be like. As we headed out, he laughed again and shouted, “if you leave right now I'm locking the door”. Absolute weirdo. We walked down the street to a local bar and told a woman outside what had happened. She said the place was run down and that he didn’t pay his electric bill, so he used a generator to run it. Never again.

Handy location for a quick last minute overnight stay, and the online price was cheap. A couple of weeks ago, though, the old man owner was rude, argumentative and weird. We’d stayed before, when a woman at reception made us feel very welcome, so maybe it was just him. Our sheets had blood stains, and when we raised it, we got argumentative comments and denial. I wouldn’t stay for long, and I wouldn’t bring family because it isn’t kid friendly.

The decor was nice, and the room was clean enough, but there were dead flies on the window ledge and rubbish under the bed. I booked a deluxe double after liking the room photos, but got a different room from the one I thought I’d booked. There was nothing deluxe about it, and I was extremely disappointed. I didn’t read the reviews first, which was silly of me. The large window runs along the wall and only has blinds, no curtains to block the light. Three bright streetlights made it feel like daylight all night, and two of the side blinds had poles I couldn’t reach. I slept terribly. The pillows were awful and need replacing. Buckets outside the room collected water dripping from the skylight, and the noise went on all night. Towels might be quieter. The old windows let in a lot of traffic noise too. There was no inside lock, so I didn’t feel safe. The toilet had no sanitary disposal bags or hooks or rail for towels. The welcome and service were the worst part. We got a sigh when we arrived, were told to pay upfront, and had no friendly conversation. I don’t know if Steve has social awkwardness, but he should take a course on basic polite manners with guests. The woman serving breakfast was awful too, no “good morning” or conversation, just coffee banged onto a plate. The drinking glasses were very dirty. The fruit was alarming, one bowl in a corner with four pieces of fruit and a plate of rotten strawberries. Better not to offer fruit at all. She also needs a course on speaking to guests. A friendly, professional welcome could have made all the difference. We felt completely unwelcome. Guests should feel cared for and want to return, but I wouldn’t stay here again.