Chequers Corus

The room was filthy, and that spoiled what could otherwise be a promising hotel. In bedroom 223 there was thick dust on the walls and curtains, stains around the skirting boards, and damp. The place badly needs decorating, including the ceiling, walls and cupboards. There was limescale in the kettle and shower head, and the bathroom flooring needs replacing. Overall it felt tired and in need of a serious deep clean. Staff were friendly when we arrived and at breakfast, though we only exchanged greetings. Breakfast was a nice selection of basic buffet options. We were passing through and hadn’t expected much for the price, but a clean room is the minimum at any price. I’m not posting the room photos because I hope this review encourages improvement. It seems like a nice hotel otherwise.

I treated myself to a stay here and it turned out to feel almost luxurious, especially for the great deal I got. The bathroom was a surprise, three stairs up and absolutely huge. The room was spacious and comfortable, and everything was spotless. It was peaceful, the staff were friendly but not too full on, and breakfast had loads of choice and was excellent. I’d definitely return.

The location seems lovely, which makes the stay a shame. The annex room in the car park looked cute when we arrived and the bed was comfy, but I barely slept. You could hear people walking and talking outside and car doors slamming, and it was busy. I was awake from 6:30am with no chance of getting back to sleep. Then there was a fire alarm test, though it didn’t last long enough for us to evacuate. There may be a gym upstairs, since from 6:30 onwards it sounded like people dropping weights. The TV signal was poor, so only a few channels worked and they kept cutting out. The bathroom really let the room down. It was so small that, at size 14, I had to squeeze through the narrow, non-standard door to reach the toilet. Some shower grout was brown, and the wood where the glass screen meets it was crumbling and exposed. The skirting board and bottom of the door had similar damage. We booked for two, but there was only a mini toiletries set for one. The reception carpet could do with replacing too. Staff were welcoming and the bar area was nice. I skipped the food after the first night because I’d slept so badly; after reading the reviews, I decided not to risk dinner or breakfast.

I stayed from 20th–22nd February. Moving rooms eventually dealt with the noise, but the replacement was noticeably below the standard of the room I’d booked and paid for, so it felt like a downgrade. Nobody acknowledged the difference or offered compensation. The problem began in Room 215, where loud, persistent banging came from right above the ceiling. It sounded like heavy movement, perhaps furniture being shifted, and sometimes got louder. It was enough to interrupt sleep. After I reported it, the manager came up, opened the window and suggested I lean out to look at a nearby pub sign as a possible source. That was very concerning: the room was on the second floor and the window frame was around knee height, creating an obvious fall risk. Guests shouldn’t be encouraged to lean out of low-framed windows. The later explanation that the noise came from an external pub sign didn’t fit what I heard or where it seemed to come from. The move helped with the immediate disturbance, but the complaint handling and the safety implications of the manager’s suggestion left the overall experience badly undermined.