Royal Hotel Sheerness

After driving nearly two hours to Sheerness, we just wanted to go home. We had paid £113 for two nights and expected a clean room, but it was vile. The room door had been left wide open, so anyone could have gone in. A black rubbish sack was outside, with dirty linen on the floor. There were no towels, bath mat or hand towel, and there were no bin bags. The bedroom floor was dirty with what looked like coffee or another drink spilled on it. A cigarette butt on the bathroom floor showed that it hadn't been vacuumed or mopped. The shower hadn't been cleaned, there was pubic hair and dirt on the toilet, what looked like blood or faeces above it, a bogey-like smear, and dried blood on the bathroom door. Reception was shut when we arrived, with a note on the door. We called the numbers provided and were told to go to the pub. There, we were given a key, and the manager said we had to pay a £20 dog fee. I handed him cash and he put it straight in his pocket, not the till. We emailed and messaged the hotel without getting a response, then contacted Booking.com, who reached out to the hotel. The manager came upstairs and agreed to a full refund, which the Booking.com phone agent heard. We packed and left. On the stairs, he sheepishly asked us not to leave a bad review because it would reflect badly on him and his cleaner. He promised the refund but never followed through or answered our attempts to contact the hotel. More than a week later, we're still waiting for written confirmation of the full refund.

Don't book here. Our room was disgusting, and we had an issue that the manager agreed to resolve with a full refund. We left after being asked not to post a bad review, but nearly a week later the manager still hadn't sent the refund form. Booking.com confirmed this when we contacted them. We also posted photos with our review on the hotel's Booking.com page.

The staff we met were nice and helpful. The room had tea and coffee, the bathroom had toilet roll, little soaps and shampoo, and the bed was comfortable enough. There is parking around the back, though it's a short walk around to the hotel. For what we paid, I can't complain, but I wouldn't bring my children here. We stayed one night after a wedding and were disappointed that the room looked nothing like the pictures. It was dated, with furniture falling apart, and there was an empty beer can, dirty paper and a razor in the drawers. Black mould covered the shower curtain and tiles. The pub downstairs was extremely noisy, and because our window was broken, we could hear drunk people fighting outside. Kids were also running riot in the room above us. It was entertaining in a way, but annoying too.

Stay away from this place. I was here for my grandad's funeral and a random man attacked me. The bar staff had let someone back in after the owner told them to make him leave. Since that happened, the place has got worse. Definitely somewhere to avoid.