Judges Court

It's a beautiful little hotel right in the centre of York, close to bakeries, shops, bars and restaurants. The room was small but well laid out, with a great bathroom and comfortable bed. Nice extras included a generous choice of tea, hot chocolate and biscuits, plus a coffee machine. The room was very warm even in February with the window open, and the shower water was only lukewarm. We'd chosen the hotel partly because it was said to be quiet despite being central, but the pub next door had live music late, and we could hear bottles being emptied too. It wasn't the hotel's fault, but noise went on throughout the night even with earplugs. They also no longer let you leave bags after checkout, and instead direct you to a paid service. Lovely property and thoughtful touches, but the experience doesn't quite justify the price.

The location is excellent, right in the heart of the centre, and reception was very polite and helpful. They let us leave our luggage for half a day because our transfer wasn't until hours after checkout. The room was clean, the bed comfortable and the temperature pleasant. A few things were missing or not working: the coffee machine was out of order, the towel sets weren't complete, and there was only one shower gel in the bathroom. We realised late at night and didn't feel like asking then. Still, those things can be sorted, and we'd stay again if we were in the area.

The location was excellent, but this was a really poor stay. We saw a double room that wasn't in amazing shape but seemed okay. The twin room we got was falling apart, and I was surprised they rented it at the same rate as a double, or rented it at all. It wasn't just the quirks of an old building. The problems came from poor or missing handiwork and cheap renovations. The walls were paper thin, so we heard every long, loud conversation between staff and guests in the lobby and couldn't sleep. Closing the second interior door didn't help, since it wouldn't shut fully due to the disrepair. The bathroom was rough too, with bad and splitting caulk, a moldy shower, and a large unsightly patch that needed plastering or drywall. The cheap vinyl floor was lumpy and poorly fitted, with issues underneath. Everything felt cheap and uncared for. The rooms need repainting because of all the scuffs and wear. There are no full-length mirrors, closets or dressers, just cubbies and wall hangers. No power outlets by the beds, so you have to charge your phone across the room, which is awkward if you use it for a morning alarm. The two bedside lamps had different colour lights, one white and one yellow, which made the lighting unpleasant and thoughtless. This doesn't meet 5-star standards: there are no amenities for that level, no staff waiting on you, no food service, no laundry that we could find, and no spa. It should be listed as a 3-star hotel. They don't go the extra mile, they do the bare minimum, or worse.

We'd just left Judges Hotel, and after travelling around the world and staying in lots of hotels, this was one of the worst experiences I've had. The accommodation was really poor, though the room did have a nice bathroom, and the staff were extremely unhelpful. On arrival, we were bluntly told we couldn't leave bags after the 12.00 noon checkout, followed by “we sent you an email through Expedia.” We didn't book through Expedia and have never had an account. The day before, we'd been told bags could be left until 12.00, but on the day that changed to 11.00, or we had to take them when checking out early. We came to York at Christmas to explore the city, and this completely messed up the trip. The staff were dreadful and rude when we questioned the change. York has plenty of nice hotels, so steer clear of this one.