Wilsons Hotel - Blackpool Tower View

We left as soon as we saw the state of the room. The beds were unmade, with the pillows propped up and quilts in heaps, as if someone had just walked out. There were half cups of coffee and a squeezed-out wet teabag on the table. My son said the bathroom was damp and dirty, though I didn’t see it myself. The front room shown on Booking.com looked lovely, but what we found was cluttered with boxes and a mess. At the door, a man was smoking and asked, “Can I get you something?” I said we were checking in. A woman, who I think was his partner, said several times she hadn’t expected us and that “the boss never said.” We’d booked a weekend away for my 26-year-old son and me, hoping for a clean B&B, a decent sleep and a shower before a music festival. We’d looked at Booking.com reviews and the photos and thought it ticked the boxes. The woman offered to get clean sheets and make up the beds, but we’d already decided not to stay. I said it didn’t look like Booking.com and we’d leave, then handed back the key. The manager apparently tried to charge us after we left, and refused to agree with Booking.com about a refund. Booking.com were friendly but not much help at first, giving me £12 in credits as goodwill and saying I’d need to pay £108 for three nights. I’d had two missed calls from the manager, and after I texted him that I’d visit in the morning if a penny came out of my account, Booking.com emailed to say the charge was waived. That’s the only positive, I wasn’t charged. I should have checked Trip Advisor first, where I later found similar stories about payments and refunds. There are good reviews scattered around too, which I find hard to understand. In my opinion, the place is filthy, damp and disgusting, and calling it a hotel feels wrong. I can only guess the positive reviews are from friends. In my opinion, advertising something that looks so different amounts to blatant fraud. I’ve never experienced anything like it. Please spare yourself the trouble, or if you do book, that’s on you. Remember to review it so others know. I’ve attached pictures of what we found. Location-wise, it’s fairly close to the Tower, and worked for what we needed, though I’d personally prefer the South Pier end if I weren’t going to Winter Gardens.