The Pier Hotel

Bed bugs. See the photos. I’ve never written a bad review before, but this was some of the worst customer service I’ve dealt with. Check-in seemed fine and the receptionist was polite. Then we found bed bugs and couldn’t stay, so the three of us, all women, had to find another hotel at 11 p.m. I messaged the hotel on booking.com. He apologised and said he’d refund me, but I heard nothing the next day. When I called, he said I’d probably get only 70% back. I said that wasn’t acceptable. I spoke by phone with the hotel manager, who was incredibly rude and said, “record me, I don’t care.” I hadn’t mentioned recording the call, so I could only assume he was defensive because of other complaints. He accused me of lying and making up a claim that all three rooms had bed bugs. I never said that. The argument wasted everyone’s time because he seemed to think we should still have wanted to stay in the other rooms when bugs were found in one of the three. My husband ended up speaking to him because of how rude he was. I was then offered £100 compensation instead of the full £134 refund. When I called again to ask for the full amount, he’d blocked my number. I called from my husband’s phone to ask why. He didn’t answer, said he was on holiday, then hung up and blocked my husband’s number too. I spent half an hour on the phone to booking.com. They said they would “negotiate” with the hotel but couldn’t guarantee a refund. I then spent another 20 minutes trying to reach a booking.com manager, who finally agreed to a full refund. This feels like a money-making scheme with no interest in customer service. Sorting out a complaint caused a lot of stress. I’ve since complained to trading standards and intend to take it further because I don’t want this happening to anyone else.

The location was excellent, and the room and beds were comfortable. The room was pleasant, though a little cramped, and staff were helpful and pleasant. The bathroom needed cleaning: there was hair in the plughole and soap scum on the soap dish. The shower head and hose need replacing, and the carpets could do with a clean. The lift also needs smartening up. There was no breakfast on weekdays, so we had to contact the booking provider to get a refund, which was tedious. I’m not sure I’d call this a 4-star place.

We checked in, then left a short while later. The room smelled unclean as soon as I walked in. There was dirt on the bed when I went to sit down, and more dirt and hair under the covers. It looked like someone’s food and makeup. The curtains and walls were filthy too. Everywhere I looked, there was something gross. This was my first time at the hotel, and I definitely wouldn’t recommend it. We’d like a refund, please.

This was the worst experience. The staff, the room and the poor breakfast all disappointed me. I paid £75 for a Deluxe room, and it was worse than any room I’ve ever seen. The toilet door was broken and wouldn’t close. The floor seemed to slope from side to side, and the bed and mattress did too. There were no toiletries, not even shampoo, toothpaste or a toothbrush, and no dressing gowns or anything like that. The drawer was completely empty. The kettle was filthy, and there wasn’t even bottled water. Most of all, the room was bloody cold, especially at night. We found a card on the table with a hotel staff number and asked for an extra blanket. He asked my husband, “Where did you get my number?” What? We were shocked. Is that how you talk to guests? Was he at home when we called him? I’ll leave it there. Don’t visit this place. It’s much worse than the pictures. 😢😭