Malmaison York

The afternoon tea was tasty and plentiful, with a quirky twist: warm savouries instead of the usual sandwiches. It comes on a two-tier tray rather than the familiar three-tier one. If you haven't read the menu or been before, you might miss the delicious caramel scones, which you have to ask for when you're ready. Service when we arrived was good, but after we sat down our waitress's English was very poor in my opinion, and I didn't think she was suited to a customer-facing job. My wife doesn't eat beef, and we had great difficulty understanding each other. I'd recommend going for the experience of a different, quirky afternoon tea.

The hotel knew in advance that I was coming to celebrate a special birthday, but there wasn't even a small gesture, like a complimentary dessert or glass of prosecco. The room didn't feel like 4-star quality, more like 3-star. It was very dusty when we arrived, so I had to call reception to have it cleaned again. We asked for extra bedding, which never came, and I had to follow up twice. The room description said slippers would be provided, but there were none, and there was no complimentary water, something I'd normally expect in a 4-star hotel. The furniture looked old and worn and needs updating or replacing. I've stayed in better rooms at Premier Inn, which felt more comfortable and better maintained. This stay didn't reflect a 4-star standard.

The view from our room on the 6th floor was absolutely amazing, and the hotel is beautiful, near the city with everything within walking distance. We booked because we wanted to use the pool, but nobody told us it was out of use. It would've been nice to know in advance. We also stayed for 3 days and the tea and coffee weren't all refilled each day, so we could see the difference. All in all, a great place.

We spent two nights at Malmaison York for our anniversary, and it was disappointing for the price. Breakfast was delicious, the staff there were nice, and the bathroom was good. But the room was dusty and smelled strongly of body odour as soon as we walked in. We think the carpet might have been the cause. We also couldn't leave our luggage behind reception past a certain time at checkout, which cut our anniversary weekend short, and the staff didn't seem very interested in finding a solution. For what it costs, I'd probably choose a nicer room in a Travelodge.