Crown Hotel Longton

The staff were friendly and tried to help. The man who checked us in was especially kind, carried our bags and offered another room if we weren't happy. The woman at reception in the morning was lovely and very apologetic. We were told the hotel had reopened just a week earlier after being closed for two months because somebody set fire to a room. Builders were on site decorating, and the hotel is very run down, with a smashed front window and stripped scrap vans in the car park. It has heaps of potential if someone invests in it, but I wouldn't go back and I'm glad our children weren't with us. We were told there was no hot water in our room and that it would be fixed the next day. The toilet didn't flush properly, and the bed linen was dirty. We moved rooms, but one of the pillows there was dirty too. When we plugged in the electric heater they'd given us, the power to half the room and all the lights went out. We were booked for two nights but checked out the next morning. One star just for the two staff members we dealt with.

We'd had a room booked and confirmed by email since earlier in the year. After a long drive, we arrived to find the hotel had been closed for renovations for months. Nobody had contacted us to say it was closed or that we didn't actually have a reservation and needed to find somewhere else.

For £35 I got a bed for the night, and it did the job as a stop during a disastrous journey. It's just off the motorway, with a Tesco across the road. The old building is very tired and shabby, though it was quiet and I slept well before getting back on the motorway first thing. The bedding and towels were clean, and the staff were very friendly. There was a kettle, but no TV, so I watched my iPad. You get what you pay for.

Avoid this place. It's scruffy, poorly maintained and infested with cockroaches. A health hazard.