Orwell Hotel

The lobby was quite nice, which made the state of our room all the more disappointing. It was cold in December, with no working heating. They gave us a little portable heater, but it barely took the chill off, and I couldn't shower because the room, especially the bathroom, was freezing. The furniture looked second-hand, cleanliness was questionable, and the bathroom reminded me of a Stephen King movie. The hotel may have potential, but in its current condition I wouldn't recommend it.

For the price, this was a friendly, pleasant hotel and everything else was perfect. The room was the weak point, so I'd give it 3 stars: the shower pressure was low, and there was an issue with the heating system, though every room had an electric heater.

The outside looked great, and the lobby was clean and tidy. To be fair, the staff were pleasant. The room, though, was absolutely horrendous. There was no working heating on the coldest evening of the year, just a small convector heater. The old, disgusting bathroom had a shower head that seemed to have been around since Noah and his ark. The carpet was stained enough to make you think someone had spilled milk all over it, and the bed's mattress felt cheaper than any I've ever tried to sleep on, taking me back to a stay in Skegness 44 years ago. Trying to sleep with the kitchen extractor ducting running right past the window was unbelievable. When I opened it, I saw pigeon mess along the sills and on the flat roof by the kitchen skylights. People here say it's been updated, but this room was like a storeroom. I didn't eat there. My hands were too frozen to hold utensils, so I found some comfort in a bottle of Scottish malt. Thanks to my employer for booking this for me. It was a trial I passed.

Nice place, but the rooms need checking before they're handed out. I had to change rooms when I arrived because the TV didn't work. The new room was recently renovated, but it had missing light bulbs, no toilet brush, no heating, and a cold shower. Someone needs to do a proper quality check.