Ashley Victoria Hotel

We booked our first night through booking.com, then contacted Caroline to add another night directly, thinking it would save them the booking.com commission. That turned out to be a terrible decision. I sent the payment by bank transfer as instructed, including the £20 parking fee in advance, even though booking.com had said parking was payable in cash at reception. The day before arrival, I checked the check-in arrangements because we’d be driving down after work. Caroline said self check-in could be arranged if we arrived after 8. On the day, after I chased for details, she sent the communal lockbox information and said the manager would leave the keys at reception. We were lucky to get there before 8pm, because the keys weren’t there. The manager and owner, Hassan, told me to call Caroline and say she had to transfer £2000 or we couldn’t come in. I thought it was a joke and showed him proof I’d paid for the stay and parking. He kept insisting I call her. When she didn’t answer, he told me to text her that Hassan said she must transfer £2000 or we couldn’t access our room. I was in shock. Whatever business issue they had, we were paying guests, and this wasn’t acceptable. We’d just driven three hours with two kids, and my anxiety was through the roof. Hassan FaceTimed a woman called Sue, who said she couldn’t reach Caroline either and that whether to let us in was up to him. I still had no clear answer. I asked who ‘H C Properties North’ was, since that was where I’d sent the money, and he said it was the hotel. After I threatened to report possible fraud or a scam to my bank, he agreed to let us stay and showed us the room. It was late and the kids just wanted to settle in, although I really didn’t want to stay. The parking we’d paid for was apparently in a narrow alley with one car at the end of a dead end. Hassan said we’d have to leave our keys at reception so he could move our car when the other one needed to get out. My partner refused to hand over the keys after all the chaos, especially for someone to move the car through such a tight space. I asked for the parking fee back because it had been mis-sold and we’d find somewhere safe ourselves. Then Hassan said there was actually a space in the car park. It only had about three or four spaces, so if you book parking in advance, it may not be in the car park. The room was spacious but dirty. My son’s duvet had juice and makeup on it. When I showed Hassan a photo, he said it might just be a stain and could have been washed. I do laundry for Airbnbs, and this was fresh, unwashed staining. He took me to the laundry cupboard, but they didn’t have any double duvet covers, which may be why the duvet had been turned over in the hope we wouldn’t see it. I said a king-size cover would do. He handed it to me, and I had to strip and change the bed myself. The bathroom bin was sticky with grime, the mirrors had makeup and smears, the skirting boards had drink stains and dirt, and my son’s duvet was full of moth holes. The radiators worked well and kept the room warm, and Pleasure Beach was about a 15-minute walk away. We were only there a short time and made do, but we’d never consider returning.

We’d booked three double rooms for one night for a 60th birthday, and the full amount had been taken from our account several days before we arrived. After a three-hour drive, we found the door locked. Someone spoke to us through the Ring doorbell and said the hotel was closed and wasn’t taking bookings. When I explained we’d booked weeks earlier, they told us to contact booking.com because the booking should have been cancelled. We were left out of pocket, without anywhere to stay, and with no help. The hotel owner could surely have called to let us know. The service was shocking, and I’d avoid booking here.

We travelled a long way to Blackpool for a stop on our minimoon after getting married, then dragged our cases along the front in the cold. We arrived at about 3pm to check in and were told the hotel was closed to guests because of disagreements between the partners. We were turned away as soon as we came through the door. The receptionist apologised and gave us Hassan and Caroline’s numbers, but we had to contact hotels.com ourselves to cancel and get a refund because the hotel said it couldn’t do that from its end. The receptionist then locked up and left us. We spent about 40 minutes outside in freezing weather trying to find somewhere else to stay. Nobody called before check-in to say the hotel wouldn’t open, and the owners never contacted us to apologise. The receptionist was left to deal with guests and was apologetic. I’ve never had anything like this happen. Luckily it was only a stop on our minimoon, not a family holiday with elderly people or children. I’m appalled and wouldn’t recommend this hotel.

The room was clean and had the basic things we needed for the one night I’d booked. More than that, the ladies were so kind and welcoming. My partner had gone walkabout, and at 1am they let me back into the room when I didn’t have a key. They checked on me the next morning as I was checking out, and helped put me at ease while I was in a difficult situation. I can’t thank them enough. I’d come again if they’d have us. Thank you, Jelly (booked under Craig).