Guests blast hotel for bed bugs, rooms not cleaned and check in ‘shambles’
ASHFIELD SAID IT HAS BEEN REFURBISHED AND IS ‘WORKING ON IMPROVEMENTS’
A HUDDERSFIELD hotel has received scathing criticism from recent visitors, with complaints about demands made for documents prior to checking in, room cleanliness and delays in deposit repayments.
The Ashfield Hotel on New North Road has received a swathe of complaints and one-star reviews from TripAdvisor users.
Many say they have had numerous requests from staff before arriving to provide photo ID, selfie pictures and card details for payments of deposits.
Guests have also described finding bugs in their beds, unclean towels and a “shower head covered in gunk”.
The hotel said they have a self check in process and need to verify guests before they arrive.
Earlier this month, a reviewer from London complained about the “overwhelming” number of emails sent to guests before arrival.
The woman said when she got in her room, she pulled back the bed covers and found a bug in the bed.
She wrote: “The shower head was covered in gunk, the hand soap dispenser was covered in gunk, the floor was uneven and noisy, there was a towel wrapped around the back of the bidet (I’m assuming because of a leak), there were black hairs in the shower, on the sink and also in the bed, there was no bulb in the bedside lamp, the emergency pull cord didn’t reach the floor, there were screws sticking out of the wall and the towel rail was so hot, I scalded my arm pretty badly!
“That was just the first night! It was so late and we were so tired so we just went to sleep.”
She continued: “The next morning, someone came into the room whilst I was in there. She didn’t knock or announce herself – she just walked right in! Luckily I was working and not in a compromising position!!”
She says that she stayed a second night and was not provided further toilet roll by the staff.
She concludes the review: “Honestly, stay literally anywhere else. The car park around the back had sheds that would have been better!”
One reviewer in March said: “Unfortunately I cannot give this place less than one star or I would!
“Ring doorbells to talk through, recording your card details, sending ‘selfies’ and proof of ID over email, complete and utter shambles. How is this place operating?”
Another reviewer in February wrote: “The room I was allocated must have been the smallest in the building, I’ve seen bigger toilets.
“The room was not cleaned and towels not changed. There was a fridge and a microwave in the room, which on the face of it sounds good, but I would not put dog food in them.
“I am not one for complaining, you can’t expect five star treatment at a low level hotel but you do expect the room to be cleaned. So don’t make the same mistake as me, don’t stay at this hotel.”
However, the hotel doesn’t have all bad reviews with some praising the hotel for its service and rooms.
Matthew stayed in April and wrote a review on booking.com. He said:
“The room was lovely and has to have been the best mattress I’ve slept on.”
Maria also said: “This hotel is in a good location for Huddersfield town centre. Easy to find and free parking also very good. Reported bedside lamp didn’t work and it was replaced promptly.”
In response, the hotel said that it has undergone a refurbishment recently and “we are working on improvements and are creating a better check in experience for our customers”. It said: “As a self check in hotel, we have to verify our customers before they arrive to ensure they have a smooth check in process.
“We do charge a refundable deposit as many hotels do as a security which is released upon checkout.”
The hotel also said that most of its bookings come through booking. com and urged us to read some of the reviews on the site.
Recent reviewers listed positives such as “the location and price were very good” and “Check in was easy and always an answer on the phone”.
However, the same two people listed negatives as “my room was ok the bath was broken” and “noticed rats by front door”.
Someone came into the room whilst I was in there. She didn’t knock... just walked right in Hotel reviewer