Best Western Plus Milford Hotel

There’s a busy road outside, but the double glazing kept the traffic noise out. We could hear internal noise from neighboring rooms, like doors banging. On arrival, the staff were welcoming and nice. The place is a bit out of the way from Leeds, but the room was clean, with a large TV and comfortable bed. It had a bath with a shower over it, handy grab rails in the bath, plenty of hanging space, aircon and a heater.

The room itself was clean, comfortable, and a good size, with hot water. But the view of rusty, broken-down containers matched a hotel that needs to do better. The £5.99 parking fee wasn't clear on Booking.com, and the continental breakfast was dull and not worth the price. There was no cooked breakfast either. I picked this place because it's close to the A1 for a stop on a long drive. That only works if there's food available, though. On Friday there was no chef, and dinner meant choosing between pepperoni pizza and curry. Nobody seemed particularly concerned, and they seemed surprised that a woman travelling alone wouldn't want to drive off again after five hours to find food by herself. I raised this directly with the hotel and was told the limited menu was because occupancy was low. If you book, check whether anyone else is staying. The customer service was shocking. I'm still unclear what makes it Best Western Plus.

The four staff on duty were trying to cover reception, the bar, serving meals, and possibly the kitchen too. They deserve credit for keeping things going, but the meal service was a mess. My partner had finished his lukewarm soup for twenty minutes before my spinach and ricotta arincini arrived, three overcooked, pea-filled balls about the size of chicken nuggets. An hour later he got five pieces of overcooked scampi, while some guests got seven or eight. A few people who complained were given extra pieces, but not everyone, us included. My beef lasagne had onions but no beef or cheese on top. My partner got chunky chips, while I had skinny fries. Pudding took another hour, and some guests never received a main course. We arrived with a coach party on 15th November, in the evening. The car park was completely dark, with potholes and puddles everywhere and no lighting. We were asked to order dinner on arrival to help the kitchen and service. The room felt dated and freezing, and fiddling with the heating didn't help. The TV was nearly useless. We had asked for a lower floor but were put upstairs at the far end of the corridor, with no lift and broken corridor lights. There was one biscuit for two. Breakfast was a joke too. The toaster, bread, butter, and coffee machine were crammed into a corner. The continental option was three slices of meat, cheddar, and out-of-date yogurt. There was also a choice of sausages, bacon, hash browns, tomato, and scrambled eggs. Please see the photos.

The room was clean and comfortable, and the staff were professional, helpful, and very good. Breakfast let things down: soggy hash browns and badly overcooked bacon, all clearly sitting around for a while. We went at 8am, so it wasn't because we were late. It's a handy stop on a long journey, but the car park fee wasn't clear on Booking.com. Paying six quid to leave your car while you stay the night feels like a rip off.