Old Hall House, NEC

The hut itself was a letdown. The towel was dirty, the shower hadn’t been cleaned and had half-used shampoo on the floor, and there was a sticky floor and a stain on the pillow and duvet. The mattress was hard and lumpy, and it was the worst night’s sleep we’ve ever had. We woke up aching, so although we’d booked two nights, we left after one and booked a Travelodge. The food on site was average and overpriced. I’m afraid I can’t recommend staying here. We’d booked through a third party, which automatically assigned us Pod 1. After I emailed to ask what an upgrade to Pod 2 would cost, we were upgraded for free. That hadn’t been noted on arrival, so we were listed as Pod 1, but we were upgraded again to Ethel, the Shepherds Hut. We really appreciated the upgrades, and the staff were lovely.

The room was clean and a generous size for £90. It was only mid-September, but the heating was already on, so the room felt comfortable.

Breakfast next door didn’t start until 07:30, when I had to leave. Who starts breakfast at 07:30? Most people are already up and on their way to work by then. The restaurant itself was nice, though. I felt duped by the booking pictures, which showed a house and rooms. What I’d actually booked was a wooden glamping pod in a field. It had a bed and nothing else, no sink or toilet. With it at -2 outside, I had to run a fan heater all night to stay warm. The toilet and shower were outdoors, so getting there meant either holding it or freezing. £50 for a wooden box smaller than a sauna wasn’t what I wanted or expected. Check carefully what you’re booking, rather than relying on misleading pictures.

On my second night, drunk, half-naked guests were fighting in the field for two hours, and there was nobody to complain to. I also couldn’t work in my room because, despite the booking confirmation saying there’d be WiFi and a desk, neither was there. I should have read the confirmation more carefully: I’d booked a shared bathroom, not the ensuite I expected. Fair enough, but I still thought shared facilities would be indoors. Instead, the loo, sink and shower were all together in a small cubicle outside in the field, with no partition between them, and available to lots of other rooms. It felt very unhygienic. My room was an outside glamping pod, not an inviting place for a September weekend of driving rain, and the walk across the field to shower was both impractical and unpleasant. There were no reception staff when I arrived, so I had to get the keys from the restaurant. The young lads working there were great, friendly and helpful, though they couldn’t do anything about the room. When I raised the issue at reception the next day, I was offered a room in the main building for a large extra charge. I didn’t pay it, so I couldn’t shower during my stay.