Wine Lodge Dereham

The room was dirty, the bed was uncomfortable and unclean, and there was only a kettle with nothing else. Worst of all, hotel staff let complete strangers into our room at 2AM. I contacted the hotel in the morning, but they were no help and didn’t seem to care about the issue. This puts customers’ personal safety at risk. Local authorities should shut it down!

I only needed somewhere to crash after visiting friends for the weekend, since they could offer me a sofa for just one night. The room turned out to be a double and was spotlessly clean, with clean sheets and towels, a toilet and shower, and immaculate walls and ceiling. There was a kettle but no cups or anything, and a TV I didn’t bother using. For what I needed, it was brilliant, and I’d stay again. I’d heard bad reviews from a friend after booking, but I’m glad I went. It cost £10, so I wasn’t expecting much. The big car park was there, though the signs weren’t clear, so I left my car on the street overnight. No complaints from me, a positive experience for somewhere to put your head down.

We had a booking for the 11the July, but when we entered the room it smelled damp. There was no extractor fan or window in the bathroom, which would explain the damp. I’m allergic to aspergillus, a mould spore, so we couldn’t risk staying. Both staff members were rude and abrupt when we spoke to them. When we explained why we had to leave, they insisted the room wasn’t damp, said they were full and that the booking was non refundable. We left the room as we found it and told them we weren’t staying, so I don’t think that’s good enough. They could have booked someone else into the room, and I feel we should get a refund. I wouldn’t recommend staying here.

I never got an access code, and there were no staff around to help. After seeing another person’s room and hearing horror stories from others, I’m glad I didn’t stay. The rooms are unsafe and should be closed down. I still can’t believe this place is taking people’s money all these years later. I’m still fighting to get mine back, after the manager or owner screamed at me over the phone during the long attempt to get a refund. It seems they let people pay for a room, then refuse to refund them if they can’t get in or see the condition and decide not to stay.