Roomzzz York City

We had a great first break with Roomzzz in York, and I’m already looking at booking another. The location, cleanliness and service really impressed me. There are lots of places to sit together in the entrance, with a few books to browse. You can buy ready meals, long-life milk and basics like crisps and juice from the fridge and freezer, plus fresh ground coffee and cakes. One thing to know: the hot drinks setup doesn’t have fresh milk for Yorkshire Tea, and they don’t sell any. Our apartment was clean and had all the essentials, including a toaster, hob, oven, kettle, dishwasher, microwave, fridge, iron and ironing board, and hairdryer. It was great being able to control the heating ourselves. The gym is small but has the basics: treadmill, bike, cross trainer, kettlebells, medicine balls, bands, exercise mat, dumbbell rack and bench. There’s also a water cooler and TV. It would’ve helped if the website suggested parking options for when the hotel car park is full. We were struggling to search on a poor phone signal, and some nearby car parks don’t allow overnight stays. We used Barbican parking, which we knew from before, and it was a pleasant 14-minute walk.

We’d stay here again, and it was good for what we paid. The room was spacious with a lovely big bed, very comfortable, and the bathroom had a nice, easy-to-use shower. We didn’t use the kitchen, but it looked like everything was there if you wanted to cook. Our room made random clicks and other noises through the night and morning, which kept my partner awake. We could also hear people walking above us. A fire alarm went off at 7:30 in the morning and interrupted our sleep. I’m not sure why, since it wasn’t a drill or an emergency. The hotel sits beside a lovely canal, nice to walk along each day, though our window looked onto a caravan site. It’s about a 15-20 minute walk into the city centre, and there were plenty of parking spaces when we arrived. Reception had lots of seating and toilets to use if you didn’t want to pay for early check-in. We tried to check in at 2pm and were asked for an extra £10 to get into the room an hour early. If the room was ready, I don’t see the point, it felt like a way to get more money. The woman on reception was lovely and friendly. There’s free coffee, including hot chocolate that tasted amazing, and complimentary croissants in the morning since they don’t serve breakfast.

The best parts of our stay at Roomzzz York were the comfortable beds, the cleanliness and the quiet location. It was easy to get into York city centre and back without staying amid the noise. A couple of things let it down: the toilet leaked and the sealant was cracked. Reception said it would be fixed, but it wasn't during our stay. One staff member also seemed a little abrupt. Better follow-through on maintenance and more consistent interactions would have helped.

The room was roomy and had pretty much everything we needed: a twin hob, microwave and oven combo, fridge with a small freezer section, iron and board, hairdryer, power outlets and USB sockets. Screen casting on the good TV worked, and the bed was comfortable. The shower was good overall, though the overhead one was a bit weak; the hand spray had plenty of pressure. They also encouraged us to sort our rubbish, so the recycling seemed well considered.