Apartment in Passage House

I was disappointed by the cleanliness from the moment I checked in. The room was filthy, and it seemed the housekeeping wasn't being done properly. One day I even got a bizarre, unprofessional call asking why I'd put tissues in the bathroom bin instead of the toilet. When I brought in outside food to eat on the balcony, I was told I wasn't allowed, which felt unnecessary, especially since their food was baaad. Between that, the strange rules and the unhelpful staff, this was one of the worst hotel stays I've had. Wouldn't recommend it.

The North Lodge room was worn, and the double bed was just two singles pushed together. The pool was closed for refurbishment, and we hadn't been told, while skips outside the main entrance made a poor first impression. The receptionist who checked us in was very professional. After looking around, we stopped at Passage house pub for a quick drink, then went back to the hotel bar. A man in reception was agitated over an ID issue involving someone else. At the bar he didn't answer my hello, then struggled to pour my drink without spilling it over his hand. They had no ice for my partner's drink. He went to get some even after she politely said it didn't matter, then came back without a word. Other customers were there, and his attitude was unacceptable. We eventually got the drinks and he calmed down. As we left, my partner returned the glasses. I waved to the receptionist, and when the barman thanked my partner, he added “or not” before she could respond. In my opinion, he needs immediate customer service retraining. I booked through Hotels.com last minute on Saturday 11 of October 2025, using a voucher for money off, and expected a nice one-night getaway. The complex clearly needs a major overhaul.

The restaurant and reception staff were lovely, but I wouldn't return until the place is sorted out. My North Lodge room was clean enough, though the carpet was worn bare in spots, the radiator was rusty and the telestand was broken. It's dated and needs refurbishment, and it wasn't worth the money.

The food was uneven. The fish and meat were very dry or overcooked, though the starters and desserts were good. The serving staff were really busy but friendly. The rooms were the bigger problem: ours in North Lodge was spacious, but old and tattered, with grimy carpet, stains on the walls, obvious repairs and a terrible mattress. I’m not blaming the cleaning staff, because this old place is impossible to clean properly. I did feel that coach groups like ours were treated differently from private bookings, who seemed to get better rooms and breakfast in the main building. The hotel seems set up for groups staying 1-3 nights, and the substandard rooms appear to be taken for granted. There’s no airco, which doesn't usually bother me since I like sleeping with a window open, but traffic and nearby railway noise made that impossible. For dinner, groups fill in a form with their choices, which is a good system, but why give us a German list with German food? We're Dutch, just give us an English list. We're in Engeland, people! This is nowhere near a 3-star hotel. It badly needs proper renovation to meet even basic standards, with a decent mattress and a room that isn't tatty.