The Godalming Hotel

There was no food service, and the WiFi was poor. The room and en-suite were dirty, mould was growing on the ceiling, and the shower doors were broken. The hotel smelled bad, with cigarette smoke lingering in the halls and rooms all evening. A door in the lobby had come off. The parking area at the back was terrible, reached by a very narrow lane. There was no reception or one to turn to for help. We kept asking, then eventually rang the front door bell. No one showed us to the rooms or explained anything. The next room's TV played loudly until 2:30am, and there was no phone in the room to complain with. It was a terrible experience. Don't waste your time or money, and check reviews carefully if booking through a booking website.

The place is generally clean and the staff seemed nice, but it looks more run down in person than it does in the pictures. My replacement room door was still sitting in reception. If you're driving, bring the smallest car you have, since the passage to the car park is very narrow and could be difficult to get through. It needs a lot of money spent to bring things up to a normal, safe standard. The towel radiator wasn't connected to the plumbing, and the blinds didn't work properly.

It's past midnight and I'm lying in bed with the TV below me blaring away, windows open and all. They keep the TVs loud at all hours. Owners, turn it down! You have guests, what's your problem? The room stinks and it's filthy. The shower only partly works, and the towel smelled bad enough that you might catch something from it, so bring your own. The TV in my room doesn't work, though I don't care about that.

I was worried after reading the reviews, but this was the closest hotel to the event I was attending. The en-suite room was clean and did the job. The towels were a bit ropey, but clean. I paid £47 on Expedia for a Saturday night, which was a bargain. If you're after somewhere cheap and cheerful, this fits. Make sure you book an en-suite room.