A Luxurious Masterpiece Steps from Stirling

I booked through booking.com for a work meeting that was later cancelled. I tried to move the booking to a different date, saw availability and thought it had gone through, but the hotel rejected the change. When I phoned to ask why, I was met with hostility. I called again about the comment and was told it wasn't her, I'd got the wrong number, and she hadn't been rude. The staff were argumentative and showed no customer relations skills. The reply below only proved my point. Avoid this place. Take your money somewhere else. No wonder the reviews are so bad.

The room photo shows the view from the hotel. It's a family-run place, and the staff were warm and friendly. The rooms are a bit dated, but tidy and clean, and very affordable for somewhere so close to Stirling city centre. You could smell how clean it was as soon as you came in. Check-in and check-out were quick and easy. Highly recommend. Parking on site.

The hotel is by a fairly busy road, and there's a police station nearby, so light sleepers should be aware. Our room had a strong sweat smell when we arrived. I complained and was given air freshener, then noticed the floor hadn't been hoovered and the made beds were dirty, with hairs and crumbs on them. The bathroom looked cleaned only on the surface, with plenty of stains and mould. When I raised the sheets issue, the woman at the desk blamed housekeeping but offered us breakfast free and started changing the sheets while we fetched our things from the car. She later said she'd changed both beds, but it was clear she'd only done one. I complained loudly, while she blamed other people for not doing their jobs and insisted she'd replaced the sheets. Eventually, she changed the other bed too, and we finally had clean sheets. A very strange experience.

The B&B is in the older part of Sterling, handy for the old town, coffee shops and the centre. You can walk to the main sights, including Holy Rude Church and the Sterling Castle. The woman who runs it is warmly Scottish, very accommodating and has a great sense of humour. She made our stay feel especially welcoming and enjoyable.