Northumberland Hotel

The bus stop right beside the hotel made getting across the city easy, and there’s a shopping centre nearby for basic supplies or a meal out. We stayed just one night and found it clean and tidy. Check-in was fast and straightforward. The room had a kettle, tea, coffee and other basics, along with towels and storage. The main downside was noise coming through the very old windows, including wind from outside. Still, good value.

We arrived around 4 p.m. with my partner and were told by reception that there had been a fire the day before. We understood things happen, but we hadn’t been warned before arriving and paying. They were working on the boiler and said hot water would be off for a few hours. After about an hour in the room, my phone started crackling and sparking while plugged in. My partner unplugged it quickly, but the electricity went out for five minutes. We went out for a while, then were told the boiler had been fixed and hot water should be back within an hour. Around 11 p.m., the water was working, but when my partner tried to turn on the shower, the electricity cut out again. We were left in the dark without a way to charge anything. Staff had all left at 10 p.m., and we had no contact details to get help. The next morning there was still no electricity and the shower didn’t work. At checkout, another guest also seemed to be complaining about the power. When we told a staff member, she gave a quick, sarcastic “sorry.” I wouldn’t recommend staying here if you need a shower, or if you’re concerned about the sparking socket possibly causing a fire.

For £309 for three nights, I expected at least a made bed and fresh towels each day. Our room was never cleaned during the four days, and when we asked, staff seemed annoyed. They said towels would be changed if we left them on the floor. We did, but they still weren’t replaced. I had to keep asking for clean towels just to shower, and was made to feel like it was unreasonable to ask. The place also felt unhygienic. The two coffee mugs were filthy, the toilet and surfaces were dirty, and the cleaners clearly weren’t doing their jobs. The shower was right next to the bed, which felt absurd for a hotel. Staff made us feel unwelcome from the start. One Greek staff member in particular was rude and dismissive. He seemed to live in a room beside reception and acted as if coming out to do his job was a bother. The whole place felt like a poorly run house share or rooms pretending to be a hotel. This was one of my worst stays. Avoid it if you don’t want to be ignored, disrespected and left somewhere dirty.

The floor was visibly dirty, and the room didn’t feel properly cleaned. At night I turned on the lights and spotted a large yellow stain on the bedsheet. It was really unpleasant and left me feeling as though the sheets hadn’t been changed. The bed was itchy and uncomfortable too. This ruined the stay for me and showed a lack of basic hygiene, so I wouldn’t recommend it.