The Clifton Hotel

I spent around two hours arguing at Reception instead of going out for dinner. I’d made a last-minute booking through the hotel website for one night in Bristol, and as soon as I checked in, the room had an overpowering smell like old trainers, sweaty feet or strong blue cheese. The bathroom smelled so heavily of bleach it was nauseating. Staff agreed the room smelled, but at first wouldn’t move me. They asked me to wait while they re-cleaned and aired it out. When I came back, the original odour was still there, now covered with so much air freshener that the mix made me feel ill. I said I couldn’t sleep there and asked for a refund, another room, or a transfer to one of their sister hotels. The answer was a flat no. They said they couldn’t resell the room after I’d checked in, so couldn’t give a full refund, and Reception staff said they had no authority to approve one. I was left waiting indefinitely while they supposedly called the manager. They then suggested the sister hotel, but said I’d have to pay extra because it cost more, or claimed it was fully booked. Only after a long confrontation in the lobby, where other guests could hear, did they firmly agree to a full refund. The reception staff were polite enough, but seemed powerless to help, which made the whole thing incredibly frustrating. Charging £125 a night for a room that smells like an old gym locker is staggering. I moved to a proper 4-star hotel near the city centre for £114 and had a perfectly pleasant stay. If you don’t want to risk being stuck in a foul-smelling room with no easy way to get your money back, stay away.