Ye Olde House

The room sockets were awkwardly placed, with nowhere near the bed or bedside table to plug in a phone. The bathroom water took 10-15 minutes of running before it stopped being ice cold. Most of all, the noise made it impossible to sleep before our early departure: the walls were paper thin, so we heard the next room’s TV and conversations, and the creaky floors and hallway chatter sounded like they were inside our room. There was also a fire alarm incident, but no staff appeared to tell us whether there was any danger or whether we could go back to our room. That was concerning from a safety point of view. The staff were lovely and helpful, and the bed was extremely comfortable, but the price didn’t reflect the experience.

We wouldn’t recommend this place. On arrival, we had to pay before anyone told us where our room was. Our family room was up an outside flight of stairs, and two lights didn’t work. There was just one packet of biscuits on the complimentary tray for the two of us, and the kettle had to sit on the floor because its only socket was underneath the desk, which seems like a safety hazard in a family room. The restaurant felt deserted, with just one other diner. The next morning I had to defrost the stair handrail. We chose a continental breakfast, but the cereal dispensers had thick dust on top and the milk in the jug was off. After we complained, we eventually got fresh milk. We also had to swipe a card before starting breakfast. There was no meat or cheese offered with the cereal and fresh fruit.

The rooms outside 31-39 look like an American motel by the carriageway, the sort of place that charges by the hour. This place feels like a complete letdown for Shepperton, and the owners should be ashamed. There was a strong paint smell. Food took 45 minutes even with only two other people in the restaurant, and breakfast took another 45. The beans tasted awful, and the plate had half a tomato, one sausage, two rashers of bacon and mushrooms, plus a very snooty poached egg that I swapped for scrambled. My guest ordered poached egg but got fried, which was replaced. The two people at another table asked for scrambled and, funny enough, got fried too, probably the egg my guest sent back. They took £14 within three minutes of us arriving for breakfast, I guess because nobody would pay afterwards. You only get one tea or coffee. Better to stay at the Holiday Inn up the road for a little extra. This place needs more than a smelly lick of paint.

We tried this because our usual hotel was fully booked, and what a mistake. The photos online are full of gaslighting. The bedspreads were torn, the furniture battered, and the TV had no channels. We could hear everything from the next room. It was dirty, tired and dingy, and the wifi was pitiful, barely connecting. Don’t stay here.