Royal Victoria Hotel

We paid extra for a sea view, but scaffolding stretched across the hotel and blocked it. There was no mention of the work on the website, so the room was very misleadingly advertised. At night the scaffolding creaked and disturbed our family's sleep, and it defeated the whole reason we chose this location. When we politely raised the issue at reception, we were refused any goodwill gesture, not even a meal over the bank holiday. We were told management would contact us. Two weeks passed without a word, and we only got an email after chasing them. We were also scouting hotels for a wedding reception and rooms for 100 guests. The way this was handled has cost the hotel a lot of business. There was painted-over mould visible in every corner of our room. The building seems in poor repair and may be heading towards dereliction, judging by the repairs needed and the many empty breakfast tables. Poor management may be to blame.

The sea view was great, and the staff were nice. Our room was very large, though plain and a little dated. The bath was a good size and had a towel warmer, but there wasn't much counter space. There was also a big walk-in closet, some hideous table lamps, and no fridge despite all the unused space. The hallway on our floor could do with a vacuum.

The bed in the second room was unbelievably hard, like sleeping on bricks, and the sofa felt broken because you sank almost to the floor. I’ve had much more comfortable stays in £40 budget hotels. There was also a hole in the middle of the window that looked almost like a bullet hole. We’d paid extra for a sea view, but the windows were so filthy we could barely see through them, and scaffolding directly outside blocked the view anyway. The room was spread over two floors and didn’t suit us, so we asked to move and had to give up the sea view. We know the building is old and Victorian and appreciate its character, but £135 for a room in that condition just isn’t acceptable.

Breakfast was the main problem. Several of us arrived just after 9am and were told they’d stopped serving at 9. After an argument, a staff member agreed to bring tea and toast, though we’d already paid for breakfast. We stayed one night at Royal Victoria Hotel in Hastings. The bedroom was clean and the beds comfortable, but the old decor, furniture and fittings need refurbishment, and the service was poor.