Claire B.
Yelp
Stayed here one night on a flying visit to York shopping with my mum. The website pictures and exterior of the hotel were promising and I was expecting good things. I was to be disappointed, however, by the tired, drab interior!
The location is second-to-none. I don't think it could be bettered. It's right next to the Minster and ideally located for the shops, sightseeing, restaurants, etc and only a 10 - 15 minute easy walk from the train station.
The room I had leaves a lot to be desired. The decor is very Alan Partridge Travel Tavern - the standard chipboard faux mahogany furniture and patterned carpets type. The bathroom though was great, very modern, deep bath, powerful shower and heated towel rail (though I wish this hadn't been left on full-blast!). Towels big, fluffy, plentiful and nice toiletries.
The bed was reasonably comfortable, pillows looked nice and plump but were actually pretty thin. My room had a delightful view of...the back of another building. This was probably a blessing in disguise, as my Mum's room across the hall (3rd floor) faced onto the Minster side and it was very noisy.
The bedroom was stiflingly hot - and this only in early June. There was a desk fan provided which barely took the edge off. With the window open, the fan on full all night, it was still unbearable, so a decent night's sleep was not to be had. I read in the welcome pack that you can hire air con units but at £25 a night, I think few would bother. For the price of the room and decor, I'd expect that to be included in the price.
On wifi - the hotel advertises free wifi in the rooms. I couldn't connect to this and only when I was leaving the room to checkout did I spot at last that the username and password are on a plaque on the back of the door. Very odd place to put it!
Breakfast was good - plenty to chose from and attentive staff. The cooked option was quickly brought out to our specification but all items on it were very small, so you may want to ask for 2 of things! Pastries, toast, cereal, fruit juices all in abundance.
One bonus of the hotel is that they are happy to hang on to your bags for you if you're checking out but staying in the city for a bit longer. We left our bags all day and collected before heading to the station - this was at no extra charge.
All in all, the location is excellent, but the hotel itself somewhat disappointing.