The Samuel Ryder Hotel St Albans, Tapestry Collection Hilton

I had a lovely stay at the Samuel Ryder Hotel in St Albans, and would stay again if I'm in the area. The bed was really comfortable and it was nice and quiet. My room was spacious and brilliant, and check-in was quick and very friendly. A few things didn't work well: the coffee machine barely functioned, the light switches were wired so it was hard to turn off the right lights, and the room was full of dust, which we think came from the vents.

Amie and Anvesh at reception were so kind and helpful. I needed a printout at the last minute for an early flight, late at night, and they went out of their way to sort it even though they didn't have to. I was really stressed, but they stayed calm and reassuring and came through for me when everywhere else was closed. Excellent customer service. Thank you both so much!

The hotel has a beautiful old building, a great location, friendly staff and a car park. Those were the positives for me. The shower had scale, rusted copper and loose fittings, and the windows worried me because one had dropped off its runner. There was dust in places housekeeping seemed to have missed with the broom or hoover. The bed felt old, with just a topper added to make it less thin, and the pillows were wafer thin. I couldn't get the TV online, which was a shame because my partner and I like watching a bit of telly with a cuppa in the morning before heading out. There wasn't a mini fridge for chilling water, and reception hadn't switched on the aircon, so the first night was boiling. The entrance was heavily perfumed too. These might sound like small things, but this is a Hilton and we spent close to £400 for two nights, so we expected much more.

The hotel is a lovely building, with nice, clean, modern rooms, and the staff were friendly and helpful. We were happy with our room. It had USB and plug sockets beside the bed, good sized towels, tea, coffee and biscuits, a small but usable ironing board, and a modern TV. The bathroom was nicely decorated, though small, and the aircon and heating worked well. The shower had good pressure and warmed up quickly. The bed was comfortable enough, but on the firm side. There was no fridge, and the wardrobe had no doors, apparently to save space. There were no extras like a shower cap either. Finding parking takes a little effort, though it's free. The small car park attached to the hotel is mostly just somewhere to drive through and pull into a one car exit to unload your bags. They give you a pass for one of two other free car parks, one a 2 or 3 minute walk away and the other a bit further. I have Diamond status with Hilton, but it wasn't acknowledged at check-in. No upgrade was offered or discussed, and there was no welcome pack, drink or anything similar, even though the hotel clearly wasn't full. Just flagging that these small boutique hotels, like Tapestry and some others, often don't have a gym or fitness centre. Space is limited, so I'm not counting that as a complaint. Breakfast, though, was very poor. As a guest, I paid £18.95 for the continental breakfast, which is the worst selection at that price I've ever seen. There were croissants, vegan raspberry croissants, cinnamon swirls and almond croissants; white and brown bread plus one or two other loaves to slice; some ready-made overnight oats and yoghurt pots; two coffee machines; bananas and oranges; four cereal boxes and milk. No meats, eggs or cheese, no variety of yoghurts and no plain yoghurt. Any hot dish cost an extra £5. The room was freezing too, with people eating in their coats, and it meant coffee and hot food went cold within minutes. A poor experience overall, which is a shame.