Judges Court

A beautiful property with some thoughtful touches, though I didn’t feel the stay quite justified the price. There’s a generous choice of teas, hot chocolate and biscuits, plus a coffee machine. The room was well arranged, small but with a great bathroom and comfortable bed. It’s right in central York, surrounded by bakeries, shops, bars and restaurants. The pub next door had live music late, along with the sound of bottles being emptied. That’s not the hotel’s fault, but we heard noise all night, even with earplugs. We booked partly because it was described as quiet despite being central. The room was also extremely warm, even in February with the window open, and the shower water was lukewarm. They no longer let you leave bags after checkout and point guests to a paid service instead, which isn’t ideal.

The room was clean, the bed was comfortable, and the temperature felt just right. Reception was polite and helpful, and they let us leave our luggage for half a day because our transfer was hours after checkout. The hotel is right in the heart of the city, in an excellent location. We did find a few things missing or out of order: the coffee machine wasn’t working, the towel set was incomplete, and there was only one shower gel in the bathroom. We noticed late at night and didn’t feel up to asking for more. Those things weren’t a big deal and can be fixed. I’d stay again if I was in the area.

The location was excellent, but the rooms were extremely poor quality. We saw a double room that wasn’t in great condition but seemed okay. The twin room we were given was so run down that I’m surprised they rent it at the same rate as the double, or rent it at all. The problems looked like poor or missing handy work and cheap renovations, rather than the character of an old building. The walls were paper thin. We heard every loud, long conversation in the lobby, from staff and guests, and couldn’t sleep through them. Even with the second interior door closed, noise got in because the door wouldn’t shut all the way due to its poor condition. The bathroom was rough too. The caulking was uneven and splitting, the shower was moldy, and there was a large ugly patch that needed drywall or plaster work. The cheap vinyl floor was lumpy and badly installed, with underlying issues. The place felt neglected. There were no power outlets by the beds, so you have to charge your phone across the room, which is awkward if you use it as an alarm. The rooms badly need repainting because of all the scuffs and wear. There are no full-length mirrors, closets, or dressers, just cubby holes and wall hangers. The bedside lamps had mismatched white and yellow light, which made the lighting unpleasant and seemed thoughtless. The whole place felt cheap and uncared for. I also don’t think this qualifies as a 5-star hotel, since it lacks the amenities: staff don’t wait on you, there’s no food service, no laundry service that we know of, and no spa. It should be listed as a 3-star hotel. They don’t go the extra mile, and seem to do the bare minimum, possibly less.

We’ve just left the Judges Hotel, and after staying in hotels all over the world, this was among our worst experiences. The accommodation was really poor, though the room did have a nice bathroom. The staff were extremely unhelpful, and their rudeness when we questioned the bag arrangements was dreadful. On arrival, we were bluntly told we couldn’t leave our bags after the 12 noon checkout. They said, “we sent you an email through Expedia,” even though we hadn’t booked through Expedia and never had an account. The day before, we’d been told we could leave our bags until 12. Then that changed to 11, or we had to take them when checking out early. We came to York at Christmas to explore the city, and this completely disrupted our trip. There are plenty of nice hotels in York, so steer clear of this one.