The Airman Hotel

The food and service were great when I ate at the Turkish restaurant on Saturday night. I didn’t stay at the hotel. The music was louder than I’d have liked, though I know that’s personal taste, and there were quite a few birthdays, which could be a bit disruptive.

I was meant to stay from December 1st to December 6th, but the smell hit me as soon as I opened the entrance door. The outside looked charming, but upstairs the musty stench was unbearable and the carpets were filthy and stained, like they hadn’t been cleaned in years. The room smelled the same. It was dark and unwelcoming, so I opened the windows just to breathe. It was freezing, but with the windows shut the odor filled the room again. I was exhausted and couldn’t sleep, either because of the cold or the suffocating atmosphere. There was mold in the bathroom, and the toilet brush was disgustingly dirty. Basic hygiene clearly wasn’t being taken care of, and I felt deeply uncomfortable there. I contacted Booking.com in desperation, but they weren’t much help. Then I read the hotel reviews, and found countless guests describing the same problems. I regret not checking them sooner. I raised everything with the receptionist. They acknowledged the issues and apologized, and offered me another room, but I refused because the smell throughout the building was unbearable. When I asked about a refund, the receptionist said Booking.com would handle it because I’d booked through a third party. Now I’m stuck going back and forth between Booking.com and the hotel, and neither will take responsibility. The hotel won’t offer even a partial refund, not even 50%, which feels like the least they could do after such appalling conditions. Getting nothing after a miserable stay feels deeply unfair and disrespectful. I feel completely let down and ignored. I trusted the hotel and Booking.com to give me somewhere safe and comfortable, but instead I got unbearable conditions and no resolution. I hope they take this complaint seriously and rethink how they handle cases like this. No guest should have to go through what I did.

I stayed at Airman on a business trip, even though I don’t live in England. I only needed somewhere to sleep, so I wasn’t expecting perfection. When I got there, I found out they were Turkish too. The rooms could be better, I agree, but the service, food and hospitality were fantastic. If I come to England again, I’ll definitely stay there.

The restaurant attached to the place was really good, and the location was great. The accommodation itself was dark and dingy, with carpets that were badly worn through. There was no staff on site, just a phone number to call. It may have been cheap, but I wouldn’t stay there again.