No.10 Preston

The location is great for trains and the city centre, and the staff are always helpful. But after several stays since it first opened, I noticed quite a few problems this time. The parking is a five-minute walk away and costs money, which is awkward with bags on a longer visit. You can't drop your bags off first, either, and the road outside is a bus lane until 6pm. The check-in message doesn't mention that, so visitors from overseas who aren't familiar with the signs should keep it in mind. I stayed in Goldfinger, which has a cosy vibe, but the spotlights kept flickering because the bulbs need changing. The room is starting to look worn, and the air conditioning barely worked. In the middle of winter it was unbearably hot, with warm air blowing at us, and when the unit did work it only pushed air towards the floor. Both the air con and TV remotes had dead batteries, which I had to replace myself. There's no closet space at all, and the rooms aren't especially large, so suitcases can make things feel cramped. That makes them better for short stays, particularly since there's no lift for the upper floors. You can also hear everything from the other rooms. Some air con upgrades and a general spruce-up are needed.