Do you have any horror stories about Hotels you have stayed at? What happened? Also do you have any nice stories about good Hotels?
The worst I stayed in was a "hotel" near the Djemaa El-Fna in Marrakesh, Morocco. I don't remember the name but I do know that it was a common name for an establishment in Arabic. It had no elevator (I was on the top floor - perhaps the sixth or seventh), no TV, and worst of all, COMMON squat toilets on each floor. I had an upset stomach so I was very relieved to find a Western-style bathroom at the Marrakesh airport. Most of the guests were Moroccans but I do remember a group of Spanish tourists staying near me. I recall turning up the radio at night, tuned to a Spanish MW station, and seeing how they would react.
I haven't stayed in many bad hotels. I research my hotels very carefully and, so far, I've always made good choices. The only bad experiences have been when someone else has chosen the hotel - and even those hotels were not THAT bad.
Me and the wife had a second honeymoon at the Aventura Spa Palace in Mexico. Think it was around the riviera maya area. Choice of 8 all inclusive restaurants, hammocks on the balcony of every room, spa treatments in peloppas just off the golden sands of it's private beaches and fantastic service.
Best hotel ever!
Being in a hotel room when someone else has walked in having been given the same keycard. That has happened to me twice now. Once in London and once in Edinburgh.
The Palace of the Lost City in Sun City South Africa. Grand in every scale and set in wonderful grounds. I believe it has recently lost some of its sparkle, our last visit was probably some 8 years ago.
I have stayed at lots of lovely hotels but think quite often what makes them stand out is the attitude of the staff. A warm reception on arrival is a very favorable first impression
Worst - Newington Hotel in York. I don't mind naming them as I already gave them a scathing review on trip advisor (which the manager had a go at me about!). Best would probably be the Monte Carlo in Vegas. Oh and in response to a previous post re Excalibur - I stayed there in their upgraded rooms which were really nice (looked much better and brighter than their ordinary ones). Other best which is amazing was The Chester Residence in Edinburgh - not really a hotel, more apartment hire but it's just lovely and the staff are brilliant.
I've only stayed in one hotel tbh for an engineering taster course when I was 14. It was just a chain hotel but the room was OK, it was the food that was rubbish, I was veggie and all I got was plain jacket potatoes and salad, was quite ill by the end of the end of the week
In New York we stayed in a hostel and it was scruffy but the breakfast muffins were to die for.... never forget that smell
Best was the Celtic Manor Hotel. Made even better by the fact that my g/fs sister worked there and we could get suites with balconies at half price. Overlooking the golf course
The worst was some very dodgy B and B in Torquay next to a railway track. It was £6 per person per night and we all had a good laugh when we saw the size of the breakfast. There were literally fifteen cornflakes in my bowl.
I love the Celtic Manor! I tend to visit once a year for a girls weekend & spa break.
The worst hotel I've been to was in Chester. A hideous smelly flea pit with a shower that you had to put coins in to work. Can't comment on the breakfast as I couldn't wait to get away.
Being in a hotel room when someone else has walked in having been given the same keycard. That has happened to me twice now. Once in London and once in Edinburgh.
This happened to me once in Newcastle - wife and I walked into a room where a woman was in the shower - we left immediately and she was none the wiser.
Best I have stayed at are the Cape Grace in Cape Town, Raffles in Dubai and especially the Taj Rambagh Palace in Jaipur.
I haven't stayed at any real flea pits but received very poor service at the Glasgow Hilton and the London Marriott County Hall.
Best for location mainly was the Batang Ai Longhouse if Borneo - the worst was Marriot in Amsterdam where I got bitten by bed bugs or something similar
I've never stayed in a hotel I'd consider bad. The one slightly rubbish one was a B&B in Blackpool I stayed in last year that smelt a bit of cat wee in the foyer, but I have a cat myself so it's not an unusual smell to me.
The best hotel I've stayed in was one in Prague. I won't say the name as it's a chain I work for and I don't want to give that away on the internet I'm not biased though, it's a 4-star hotel and everything was bloody brilliant.
I've heard horror stories about the Giant's Causeway Hotel in Northern Ireland - especially with it being the hotel for one of the country's biggest tourist destinations..
The worst place I ever stayed in was a self-catering house in England - it was infested with spiders, dirty, and on one of the chairs under a throw there was a soiled diaper....
Best is a tough call. Either The Oriental in Bangkok or Le Meridien in Monaco though i think my favourites would be The Excelsior in Hong Kong or The Bay Hotel in Cape Town.
Worst a flea pit of a "hostal" in Barcelona called Hostal Balmes. It was the height of summer and the room was meant to have air-conditioning. Oh it did but blew out hot air, was full of backpackers (Smelly soap dodgers) and the only way to keep cool was a minuscule fan. After we complained they decided to move us to a private apartment near the Ramblas on the 7th floor of a building without stairs and lets not forget the roaches.
It was about 80 euros a night but we vowed never to do that again and never stayed in a "hostal" again
The best for me was the Hotel Roosevelt in LA, we had one of their newly refurbed cabana rooms which overlooked the pool and had a balcony. We even got to see a premier party at the pool.
I would also say Hotel Jazz in Barcelona, which is lovely and spacious and the staff can't do enough for you.
the best and my favourite hotel is The Palazzo in Las Vegas
the worst for me would be the Ibis in Liverpool - I was allergic to the blankets on the bed, luckily we drove there and for some reason I had a blanket in my car....I've no idea why I had that blanket in the car.
I have to preface this by nuancing when I say "best" - I mean the hotel I felt was the best combination of comfort, helpfulness and facilities. Not for me the 4 or 5 star hotels with chocolates on the pillows, towels twisted into ridiculous shapes, and rose petals sprinkled on the bed, which I personally find ridiculous.
The last few years I went on holiday, I spent 3 weeks travelling around and staying in perfectly reasonable places, but of course, I couldn't've borne the cost of 5 star luxury over 20 nights, so there *is* trade off. One former colleague said to me that they had a boring and mundane job, and hence wanted to feel like a Queen for a week rather than spend an extended period away from home - it also meant this person spent much of the time away in the hotel room, which I never do.
All that said some of the nicest places I've stayed have been - the Hotel Slon in Ljubljana, the Barcelo in Cadiz; the Park Plaza in Cardiff; and the Ibis Comfort in Stuttgart. There are a couple of other places - a really nice place in Palma de Mallorca and another in Trieste where the staff and rooms have been great even if luxury it wasn't.
There tend to be chains I trust like Accor, Citea, NH, BQ Hoteles as a kind of minimum guarantee of cleanliness and comfort.
Worst places ? Apartments Leo in Port de Pollenca - old, tired, uncomfortable single beds, only British channels on the telly, ants in the bedroom, cockroach in the bathroom, and a noisy, appalling nouveau riche expat family with a vast swimming pool opposite who spent half the night divebombing and playing techno music. Also, a grotty, smoke reeking "hotel" in Pontevedra in Galicia whose name I can't remember. And finally I stayed in a real grotty part of a posh hotel in York (the Moat House - now closed/new owners) - presumably why it was a 1/3 of the cost of the other rooms - but the rest of the hotel was fine, the lounge and bar lovely, and the breakfast was massive and tasty.
I thought it was a bit dingy, with the low ceilings and the dark decor, which is not what you expect from the bright Legoland exterior. But, hey, it was Vegas, so I didn't mind.
Nobody seems to be naming their worst. Could there be come-back from it? I would advise nobody to holiday in Kensington Forum.
My favourite - Hotel Erika in Malcesine, not 5 star, but such lovely people and very convenient.
People tend to forget the names of terrible hotels.
I haven't stayed in many bad hotels. I research my hotels very carefully and, so far, I've always made good choices. The only bad experiences have been when someone else has chosen the hotel - and even those hotels were not THAT bad.
Before the internet it was almost impossible to find out anything meaningful about a hotel before you went.
I've only stayed in one hotel tbh for an engineering taster course when I was 14. It was just a chain hotel but the room was OK, it was the food that was rubbish, I was veggie and all I got was plain jacket potatoes and salad, was quite ill by the end of the end of the week
In New York we stayed in a hostel and it was scruffy but the breakfast muffins were to die for.... never forget that smell
Best -Willard Intercontinental (suite) Washington DC
Paris Le Grande Intercontinental (suite)
New York Times Square Intercontinental (suite)
Hua Hin Intercontinental Resort (Villa with pool)
Carlton Cannes Intercontinental (suite)
Worse
Probably a roach n lice infested A frame hut next door to a public shitter in Burma
Best Hotel I stayed at was The Miramar, Havelock Road, Singapore. It was lovely, had great views across the river, a nice garden at the rear with a pool, and the restaurant was very good.
The worse Hotel was the Collier Hotel, Victoria, London. This was an absolute disgrace. I had a box room top floor, television did not work properly, and the room service was non-existence. The breakfast was a poached egg on toast. Mind you it only cost me £30 a night about 8 years ago. I had no option but to put a complaint in, and I bet it is still running.
Comments
The worst I stayed in was a "hotel" near the Djemaa El-Fna in Marrakesh, Morocco. I don't remember the name but I do know that it was a common name for an establishment in Arabic. It had no elevator (I was on the top floor - perhaps the sixth or seventh), no TV, and worst of all, COMMON squat toilets on each floor. I had an upset stomach so I was very relieved to find a Western-style bathroom at the Marrakesh airport. Most of the guests were Moroccans but I do remember a group of Spanish tourists staying near me. I recall turning up the radio at night, tuned to a Spanish MW station, and seeing how they would react.
Best hotel ever!
I have stayed at lots of lovely hotels but think quite often what makes them stand out is the attitude of the staff. A warm reception on arrival is a very favorable first impression
In New York we stayed in a hostel and it was scruffy but the breakfast muffins were to die for.... never forget that smell
I love the Celtic Manor!
The worst hotel I've been to was in Chester. A hideous smelly flea pit with a shower that you had to put coins in to work. Can't comment on the breakfast as I couldn't wait to get away.
This happened to me once in Newcastle - wife and I walked into a room where a woman was in the shower - we left immediately and she was none the wiser.
Best I have stayed at are the Cape Grace in Cape Town, Raffles in Dubai and especially the Taj Rambagh Palace in Jaipur.
I haven't stayed at any real flea pits but received very poor service at the Glasgow Hilton and the London Marriott County Hall.
The best hotel I've stayed in was one in Prague. I won't say the name as it's a chain I work for and I don't want to give that away on the internet
The worst place I ever stayed in was a self-catering house in England - it was infested with spiders, dirty, and on one of the chairs under a throw there was a soiled diaper....
Worst, The Cusco Plaza wasn't great.
It was about 80 euros a night but we vowed never to do that again and never stayed in a "hostal" again
The best for me was the Hotel Roosevelt in LA, we had one of their newly refurbed cabana rooms which overlooked the pool and had a balcony. We even got to see a premier party at the pool.
I would also say Hotel Jazz in Barcelona, which is lovely and spacious and the staff can't do enough for you.
the worst for me would be the Ibis in Liverpool - I was allergic to the blankets on the bed, luckily we drove there and for some reason I had a blanket in my car....I've no idea why I had that blanket in the car.
The last few years I went on holiday, I spent 3 weeks travelling around and staying in perfectly reasonable places, but of course, I couldn't've borne the cost of 5 star luxury over 20 nights, so there *is* trade off. One former colleague said to me that they had a boring and mundane job, and hence wanted to feel like a Queen for a week rather than spend an extended period away from home - it also meant this person spent much of the time away in the hotel room, which I never do.
All that said some of the nicest places I've stayed have been - the Hotel Slon in Ljubljana, the Barcelo in Cadiz; the Park Plaza in Cardiff; and the Ibis Comfort in Stuttgart. There are a couple of other places - a really nice place in Palma de Mallorca and another in Trieste where the staff and rooms have been great even if luxury it wasn't.
There tend to be chains I trust like Accor, Citea, NH, BQ Hoteles as a kind of minimum guarantee of cleanliness and comfort.
Worst places ? Apartments Leo in Port de Pollenca - old, tired, uncomfortable single beds, only British channels on the telly, ants in the bedroom, cockroach in the bathroom, and a noisy, appalling nouveau riche expat family with a vast swimming pool opposite who spent half the night divebombing and playing techno music. Also, a grotty, smoke reeking "hotel" in Pontevedra in Galicia whose name I can't remember. And finally I stayed in a real grotty part of a posh hotel in York (the Moat House - now closed/new owners) - presumably why it was a 1/3 of the cost of the other rooms - but the rest of the hotel was fine, the lounge and bar lovely, and the breakfast was massive and tasty.
People tend to forget the names of terrible hotels.
Before the internet it was almost impossible to find out anything meaningful about a hotel before you went.
What's that??????
Paris Le Grande Intercontinental (suite)
New York Times Square Intercontinental (suite)
Hua Hin Intercontinental Resort (Villa with pool)
Carlton Cannes Intercontinental (suite)
Worse
Probably a roach n lice infested A frame hut next door to a public shitter in Burma
The worse Hotel was the Collier Hotel, Victoria, London. This was an absolute disgrace. I had a box room top floor, television did not work properly, and the room service was non-existence. The breakfast was a poached egg on toast. Mind you it only cost me £30 a night about 8 years ago. I had no option but to put a complaint in, and I bet it is still running.
Quite a contrast between the two hotels.