Leonardo Hotel Newcastle

The hotel was ideally placed for the train station, town and quayside. We were upgraded to a superior room when we arrived, using the vouchers we’d received for our 40th wedding anniversary. The reception team were lovely and helpful, and everyone at breakfast worked hard while still being cheerful. There was an excellent choice at breakfast. We also had a few drinks in the bar, where the staff were lovely and prices reasonable. We’ve just come home from our short break and can’t fault our stay at the Leonardo Hotel.

The breakfast was great, and I was lucky to get one of the refurbished rooms on the 7th floor. Still, it didn’t feel quite ready. The bed was big and comfortable for two, but there was only one chair. There was no dressing table or luggage table, and the space behind the door was largely wasted. There was basically nowhere to put anything down. Good enough for a city hotel, though.

The breakfasts were decent and as expected, and the few staff members did their best, but the service felt shaky. On our last day, despite paying for porterage, there was nobody available to help with bags. The front of house manager was covering porter and restaurant duties too. We were on a Shearings coach tour. The room looked tired and the bathroom could have been cleaner, although the bed was very comfortable. Our meals weren’t a la carte, which was expected, but portions were minimal. The vegetables were singed, as if they’d been cooked with a blowtorch.

I spent the night cold and shivering because my room’s broken window, taped up with sellotape, let the cold in on a high floor. I’d travelled from London, so it felt especially cold. I asked for a portable heater, but they didn’t have one. There were no rooms available when I called right away, so I was told I’d have to put up with it for one night and could move the next day. I was only staying for two nights. There was also a dirty tissue in the bin, which they emptied immediately. I’d messaged the hotel directly to give them a chance to reply, but only got an automatic response acknowledging my complaint. I wouldn’t recommend the hotel. This isn’t a comment on the staff, who were all lovely in my interactions with them, even though they couldn’t resolve the problem.