Ely House

The reception staff deserve the three stars. They tried to sort out an impossible situation, and I especially felt for the woman left without support to deal with the booking mess. The experience itself, including the booking system and management's response to another review, would get one star. I don't accept management blaming the computer or customers' feelings instead of acknowledging the system's shortcomings. I'd booked two single rooms directly with the hotel by phone, one accessible, and had emails confirming it. I don't trust online booking systems, which makes this especially ironic. We arrived at 1:30pm, hoping to have a drink before the 2pm check-in, but the hotel was closed and a notice said it would open at 3pm. Contractors contacted management, who arranged for someone to let us in at 2pm. We waited in the car, which wasn't a problem. Check-in was already slow for the couple ahead of us. Then two women who'd booked online couldn't be found in the system, and neither could our direct booking for the single rooms. A queue formed as people were trying to check in early before the Robbie Williams concert. We felt embarrassed holding everyone up, and worried for the receptionist trying to untangle it all. Someone also arrived to service the fire equipment, and the hotel was cold with no heating on. A fully booked hotel should have had support available for staff dealing with problems. After an hour or more, my friend and I were given a single room up a very steep flight of stairs, which I struggled to climb. It was cold, so we turned on the blow heater and shared a cup of coffee while deciding what to do. Later, as we were leaving for the concert, we were told a double room would be available when we got back, but only if we returned before the hotel closed at 11:30. We got back at 11:30pm after a brilliant concert. The different receptionist on duty said the other room was another single, two flights up and nowhere near our first room. I'd already struggled up and down one flight, and needed my friend to help with my bags. Fed up with the whole thing, we said we'd go home rather than stay, as we wouldn't settle after all that. I gave my card details when booking by phone. The receptionist checked we hadn't been charged and asked if we'd used the facilities. I said we didn't expect to be charged under the circumstances, even though we'd each had a coffee and used the bathroom during the hour in the room before going out. It wasn't the relaxing stay we'd planned, but we got home safely. I don't know how many others were affected. I wouldn't have written this if I hadn't read management's response to the other woman's review. I don't know if this was a one-off, but I expected an apology and an acknowledgement that the booking system had failed, without excuses or disparaging remarks. Please also make sure staff are supported when the hotel is full, so they and guests can get help when problems come up. Thank you.

For the price, I'd definitely recommend it. My single room was small but had everything I needed for the night, and it was spotlessly clean. There was a kettle with tea and coffee sachets, useful for the instant porridge I'd brought. I've read good things about the breakfast, though at £10.50 I'm not sure I'd get my money's worth. The receptionist was friendly and helpful, and there was still someone at reception when I returned from a gig shortly before midnight. The hotel was very quiet, being a little out of town. I travelled by train and it was an easy walk, and there's also a good-sized car park with plenty of room at the back. It took about 20 minutes to get to the kk's venue. One thing to know on arrival: the main entrance is around the back, not through the front door you'd expect. The bar area looked nice, although early November felt a bit soon for Christmas decorations. Humbug 😃!

I'd avoid this hotel and look for somewhere more reliable. We booked and paid for a non-refundable room for one night, two months before our expected arrival, but were told there was no room when we got there. Other people who arrived later were given rooms. We were then told to cancel for a refund, even though the room was non-refundable. It took over an hour to sort out, and I felt sorry for the receptionist, who seemed to have been put in this position more than once that day. Very disappointing. Hotels should honour bookings. Edit: we did not get a full refund. They kept saying we hadn't paid, even though we paid when we booked. They said hotels.com hadn't sent them our booking, so how did they know we'd booked a twin room? We never mentioned that at check-in. I'd have had much more respect if they'd apologised and told the truth: they hadn't updated the booking agents that some rooms were closed for renovation. Luckily hotels.com sorted things out and compensated us for their error. The hotel's reply was inaccurate. I'll stick to more reliable hotels in future.

The first morning's breakfast was dire: lukewarm, with some things undercooked and others overcooked, tinned mushrooms and tasteless tomatoes. The next morning was the opposite, with warmed plates and perfectly cooked eggs. I guess it depends on who's in the kitchen. The room was warm and clean, with a good ensuite and relatively recent decoration, though the furniture was a little dated and worn. Staff were friendly, and the bar and breakfast rooms were well presented. I stayed 2 nights.