Hotel Bridges House

I won't be coming back, despite having stayed here twice before. My friend suddenly became ill, and I didn't want to travel alone, so I cancelled our Saturday arrival on Monday. The confirmation said cancellation was free until five days before arrival, and I thought I was within that window. I only learned through Booking.com afterward that the hotel doesn't count the check-in day among those five days. That detail wasn't in my confirmation, and it felt misleading. I had called hoping to find a solution because we planned to return to Delft a week or two later, once my friend recovered. My messages went unanswered. On the phone, the receptionist said she wasn't “competent” to handle it and promised a colleague would call. No one did, and I was charged €116. It felt irresponsible and thoroughly unprofessional, with no effort to work something out. The manager deserves applause for losing a loyal guest. I'll be back in Delft, just not at this hotel. I hope that €116 was worth it.

The spacious rooms and the hotel's location were good, and the staff were courteous and helpful. Still, a few things spoiled the stay. On our last day, neither the central heating nor the water heater worked. Staff didn't know what to do, and bathing in ice-cold water with the room at 12 degrees Celsius was difficult. Earlier, room service had left the balcony door open, so flies from the garden were in the room when we got back that evening. They also left the used cups and didn't replace the cocoa sachets after they ran out, which was a bit funny. There are things that could be improved.

I wouldn't recommend either hotel or stay there again. We booked what was described as a budget room with a canal view at Hotel Bridges House for 20 nights in September 2024, but at check-in we were told it was a basic room with no daily service. We could collect clean towels at reception. The room was away from the main building, above a pizza restaurant, in what we later learned was Hotel La Noire. The owner said the hotels had split after I booked. When I pointed out that I had booked a budget room at Hotel Bridges House, not a basic room at Hotel La Noire, and asked why the kitchenette had no equipment, he said they don't leave things because people steal them, but I could ask for them. We did get the room cleaned three times during our 20-day stay. For a basic room, I would at least expect cleaning supplies, garbage bags, and a recycling bin. The beds were clean and good, but the room itself was unkempt. The carpeted staircase smelled dirty. The kitchenette had a fridge, but no utensils, equipment, coffee, or electric kettle, and the fridge didn't work. It was fixed after two requests and three days, using an extension cord across the floor. In the bathroom, a towel covered a loose, broken floor tile, and the shelf in front of the mirror was missing. The tub was large, but without a screen or curtain we couldn't shower without water running onto the floor. My main concern is fire safety. The staircase to the rooms is carpeted, and I saw no emergency lighting. There was a very small extinguisher behind a plant in the hallway. I found an escape ladder, but it only hooks onto sills 15-33 cm deep, while the room's sill measured 96 cm. The wall below also needs to be solid, but the restaurant windows or its awning would block an escape. In the evening the restaurant extends the awning, and after closing, scooters and electric bikes are stored inside, adding more fire fuel. The Chamber of Commerce documents showed Asha Mangroelal and Rayn Baldew as the owners, with Hotel Bridges House listed since May 2016 and Hotel LaNoirie since August 2021. So the claim that the hotels split after my 2024 booking didn't match those documents. I expect the owner will respond and say that's not true, but based on my experience I don't trust that account. Don't let the pictures fool you: a Hotel Bridges House booking can mean staying at Hotel La Noire.

We stayed in mid-July under a different name. The location is excellent, but that's not enough to balance the unfriendly staff, very poor hygiene, meager breakfast, and a manager I found dishonest and untruthful. The hotel doesn't deserve its three stars. I expect the manager will reply that this isn't true without admitting fault.