Colwick Hall Hotel

We paid £230 for one night in the Lord Byron Room, advertised as a luxury suite, for our son’s 8th birthday. The building is beautiful and has potential, but the room and experience didn’t match the price or that description. It was tired and badly in need of refurbishment: stained soft furnishings, a worn carpet, lumpy pillows that smelled unpleasant, and bedding that felt old. It got very hot at night, we couldn’t figure out how to turn off the heating, and the window only opened a little. There was no mini fridge to keep drinks cool. The bathroom caused several problems. My son was excited about the freestanding bath, but its plug wasn’t properly attached. A little piece of string snapped when we tried draining it, and we struggled to get the plug out. The bath shower hose had holes, so water sprayed everywhere when I tried to rinse his hair. I put him in the main shower instead, but it didn’t drain and flooded the bathroom floor. I used all the towels to mop it up, and they turned black, making me think the floor hadn’t been cleaned properly. We agreed to breakfast when asked on arrival, then were charged £44.84 for two adults and one child, which seemed extremely expensive. We left early because our son felt unwell. At checkout I politely asked whether breakfast could be refunded since we wouldn’t be eating it because of his poorly tummy. I was told there could be no refund, though the restaurant was still open if we wanted to go. I found that response quite insensitive.