The Hide

I’ve stayed here several times when it was a Premier Inn and always found it warm, friendly and comfortable. That wasn’t my experience this time. The room, number 1, was ice cold, with the window open and no heating on. I found the manager, who showed me how to switch the heating on. The bathroom had a couple of towels thrown in the bath, human hair on the floor and paper floating in the toilet. Reception is now in the restaurant, with check-in through a screen. I waited for the manager to provide a room key, as there was no one else there. I’d booked 24 hours ahead, so getting Room 1 made me think they weren’t busy. The meal was OK, but pricey compared with Premier Inns. The lovely waitress, formerly at Premier Inn, remembered me from earlier visits. When I paid, I told the manager what I planned to report. He wrote down my comments and offered a complimentary breakfast, which I would have refused because it wouldn’t have fixed the problems. The room rate was double the historic Premier Inn rates. I’ll never return.

The restaurant food was good, and service at both dinner and breakfast was great. We’ve stayed here several times back when it was a Premier Inn, so we had a useful comparison. The rooms have been refurbished well, and the shower was one of the best we’ve come across in a hotel. Check-in by screen, with no person there, caught us off guard. We arrived about thirty minutes early, hoping the room might be ready, but nobody was available to speak to and no one answered the phone. We went for a drink instead. Our friends’ room was missing a hairdryer and TV remote. I emailed Chatsworth to report it, not expecting a Sunday afternoon reply, but someone arrived with replacements 30 minutes later.

We had a great stay as a family and thought the price was excellent value for money. The restaurant serves a BBQ style menu, with familiar options like fish and chips, burgers and pizzas, so there was plenty of choice for everyone. Sunday breakfast was really nice and seemed good value. It costs a little more than breakfast at a budget hotel, but the quality showed. We’d recently heard the place had been taken over and came to try it.

We were well placed for walks around Chatsworth House and the surrounding countryside. The staff were friendly morning and night, and the rooms were warm, stylish and comfortable. Food at the hotel was delicious and plentiful. Best of luck to the morning waitress with the birth of her first baby girl.