The New County Hotel

The response after I left was what frustrated me most. I explained that I’d left a full day early because of the room conditions and asked for a refund for the unused night. They refused compensation and said I should have reported the plumbing problem on Friday evening. I was attending a wedding and had only been in the room briefly to get ready. They seemed to expect me to wait around for staff and delay the wedding schedule to report an issue caused by poor maintenance. I would never treat a guest that way as a hospitality professional. If someone left early and I later found a faulty shower or broken heating, I’d offer a goodwill gesture. I won’t return and can’t recommend the hotel. I was there for a two-day wedding in Gloucester, and as a hotel General Manager I feel I should share what happened. Reception was shut when I arrived around 12 noon, so I had to check in through the bar. George was the one good part of the stay, genuinely helpful and professional, a real credit to the team. I’d asked for early check-in, but the system showed late check-out. Room C12 was tiny, with stained curtains, worn pillows, a bedside socket that didn’t work, and no iron or ironing board until I requested one. The shower malfunctioned and sprayed water everywhere, so it was hard to use normally. The main radiator didn’t work, and there were no instructions for the electric heater. The room was freezing, humid, and uncomfortable, with an icy bathroom floor. Because of all this, I left a full day early, which CCTV can verify. The whole experience was deeply frustrating, and the lack of accountability made it worse.

My wife and I stay here regularly, but this was the worst visit yet. We were in a courtyard room between the 22nd and 23rd Nov 25. It was clean and looked good when we arrived, but the bed was awful, hard and lumpy, with such a thin mattress that I could feel the base. My accommodation in Iraq was better, and that was a shell scrape. After the first night we checked out through a young man in the bar. Even after I explained why we were leaving, he showed no interest and offered neither another room nor a refund or credit. We might not be back.

The room had plenty of space, a TV, fridge, kettle, and en suite, and for £35 a night I’d stay again. It’s close to shops, an hour from Wales, and there are some nice viewpoints nearby. I didn’t use the supercharger at the services, but it was good to know it was only 10 miles away. The room was hot, but when I asked at 11pm for another fan, it was brought to us. The room was a bit tired, with peeling walls and carpet stains. Both lamps had very loose shades, the heater was barely attached to the wall, and there was a dead bird outside the window. That was also the only window that opened. The kettle had limescale, unfortunately, and parking was quite pricey since it wasn’t on site.

I stayed in room number 31 on the night of 23rd October, and the facilities were practically zero for the high price. The room was tiny, the heating didn’t work, and there were no slippers in the washroom, comb, WiFi, or iron. I called several times and got no response. Worst hotel.