easyHotel Newcastle

The location was the best part, handy for exploring and only about ten minutes on foot from the central train station, with Main Street just down the road. We stayed two nights and found it decent for the price. The beds were comfortable enough, though the pillows were very thin. The shower was small and had no detachable head, and the toilet paper was thin too. The room door rattled in its frame whenever someone came along the corridor. There is a tiny lift if you're travelling with lots of luggage.

The staff were lovely and the location is brilliant, but the 'deluxe' room I booked really let the place down. The bathroom counter had dirty rings, and the tiles around the WC and toilet roll needed cleaning, with signs of other people's business left on display. There was a fairly large hole in the wall beside the bed, no idea why, but it seemed like a perfect way for mice to get in and out. The room layout was odd too. The bedroom mirror was so high that, at 5'10", I couldn't see myself properly. I slept badly because other guests were yelling in the hallway from 4:30am until 6. I couldn't find a phone in the room to contact reception about their aggressive, loud behaviour. Sorry, but I won't stay here again.

The staff were nice, and the place was clean despite being very basic. But this felt like a two-star place trying to pass as three-star by being eco-conscious. There were no glasses, hairdryer or kettle in the room, and the TV remote didn't work. When I mentioned it at checkout, the reaction made it seem I wasn't the first to report it. Checkout at 10am is a joke too. The mattress was hard, and if you're sharing, you get just one pillow each.

The heating didn't work, the duvet was thin and the mattress very firm, so the room felt cold. There was no kettle either, which was disappointing, and the 10am checkout wasn't good. Travelodge around the corner lets you stay until noon. The weekly alarm test at 7:30 on Wednesday morning was ridiculous when people were still trying to sleep. The location is great and the rooms are clean, probably because there's not much in them, but compared with other places nearby this hotel is poor. We were very disappointed.