Ellington Lodge at The Concorde

The room was spacious, and the staff were friendly and welcoming. I’d booked because of a family emergency and needed to be nearby. Room service came promptly and the food was really good. A little later, the receptionist came back for the chicken she’d left on the tray for the dog, which she’d forgotten to feed. Luckily I could give it back. There were holes in the walls and areas of fresh plaster, and the skirting boards were thick with dust. The bathroom looked lovely until I showered. Then there was a horrible greasy, fried-food smell, which had also got into the towels. I ended up showering at my family’s house because I didn’t want to walk around smelling like that. There was no extractor fan switch. The discoloured air-conditioning unit didn’t look safe to try, either. I asked if breakfast was that way and was told yes, but nobody explained where to go. I walked outside to the restaurant and found it dark with the doors locked. After wandering around, I realised it was across a gravel, wet track. By then I was annoyed and gave up.

The rooms and the place itself are a little tired, but the staff were friendly. It’s next to Lakeside Country Park and the number 2 bus into Southampton works well for us. We stayed midweek for a great price that included a full English breakfast. We also took the Tuesday offer, £35 for two 6oz sirloin or rib eye steaks and a bottle of wine. The steak was delicious.

The room was nice and clean, especially the shower and toilet, and we were very happy with our weekend stay. There was a heated towel rail and a small convector heater in the main room. The staff were friendly, including at the Moldy Fig restaurant, a short walk around the back with the Concorde club.

The receptionist was polite and the location suited what we needed, but the stay was a very bad experience. The corridor smelled awful, and the stench was getting into our room. We even considered putting a towel along the bottom of the door. Reception already knew about the smell when we told them. The fixtures in the room were broken or unusable. The air conditioning didn’t work, and the old-fashioned heater was no help. It had old round-pin sockets, and the bathroom tiles were mouldy. The hotel needs a major refurbishment. We left without finding out whether breakfast was any good.