The Carlton

Avoid Carlton hotel rugby. We had no hot water or proper heating during the stay, and the room was untidy with a leaking ceiling. A waste of money and a very disappointing experience.

The room was filthy. There was someone else’s toothpaste on the wall by the sink, hair around the bathroom edges, and the floor clearly hadn’t been mopped. The bedroom floor hadn’t been vacuumed either, so we didn’t feel comfortable walking barefoot. We only had three thin pillows and no spares in the wardrobe, so one of us had to sleep flat. There was no hand towel, and the toilet roll holder was broken, so the roll kept falling on the floor. The bathroom light didn’t work when we arrived, so we had to wait for it to be fixed. Staff did respond quickly through the app, and the bulb issue was sorted within an hour. The place is close to the train station, just an 8 minute walk.

We paid just £100 for two nights in a double room over Silverstone weekend, which seemed like a bargain. After staying there, we got why. The free water, fresh towels and nicely made bed were welcome, the TV worked, and parking was great. Communication before arrival was good, but once we got there, the service numbers went unanswered and we had to check ourselves in. The car had a better stay than we did. The floor bounced underfoot, especially on the way to the bathroom. The radiator was filthy, the bathroom skirting looked swampy and had black mould, and the shower swung between freezing and scalding. The toilet seat slammed every time we flushed, and one of the bed lights kept flickering. Fire doors were propped open with blocks. Furniture was scratched and had damp patches, and the downstairs renovation gave the place a haunted-house feel. It’s cheap and hard to forget, but the hotel has clearly seen better days. Would I stay again? Maybe, if I wanted budget laughs and an ankle workout.

I’ve stayed in some bad hotels, but this was one of the worst. The rooms were badly neglected: wallpaper was peeling off, lights didn’t work, and one light was hanging out of its socket above the shower. We were there with two other couples, and all three rooms were terrible. One had stains on the bed and walls that we didn’t dare touch. Our bed was comfortable, but a generator kept starting up off and on through the night, and it was very loud.