Liverpool Gateway Inn

We stayed here again while visiting family nearby, and it suited what we needed just as well as last time. The staff had already spotted the problem with getting into our room after dinner and were sorting it before we could even report it. The little kitchen area is a nice touch for people passing through or working away. We'd happily come back.

I'd give it 3.5 stars. It's inexpensive, so I'd only suggest it if you're mainly looking for somewhere to sleep. Everything was clean and in good condition, though the road noise might be an issue, I'm not sure. It's a little way from the centre, but the price is low. My main gripe was finding out the bathroom was shared. We booked through Amex, and that wasn't mentioned anywhere.

The outside wasn't much to look at, but inside we found the rooms, bathrooms and shared kitchen clean and tidy. The staff were welcoming, and it felt like good value. Breakfast was oat pots where you add water, plus a breakfast bar. There was plenty of tea and coffee. Our room had what seemed to be the only shower, oddly placed in a corner beside the sink rather than in an ensuite. It worked fine, but if you're staying with someone other than your partner, you might prefer the communal shower.

The room itself was great, with a TV, free WiFi and my own shower, and it was cheap enough. But there was no hot water from the taps during my two-night stay, and the supplies were tiny: one teabag, a very small milk sachet and one coffee sachet. There was no breakfast either. Sleep was rough. The room faces a busy main road and a traffic-light crossroads, with emergency sirens going off for much of the night and cars, buses and trucks stopping below the window, often with music blaring. My tracker says I got just three hours. When I went out, the young lad at reception had to let me out and lock up behind me. Then I had to bang on the door to get back in because the doorbell didn't work. It made the place feel like a secure compound.