Review Time
This was the 3rd time we have used this hotel for Park and Cruise. First time the room was excellent, 2nd time the bed was a double, so this 3rd time I paid £20 to up grade the room via their email.We were put in room 15. This room is SMALLER than their standard rooms and would make make a Hobbit feel squashed. Not sure where they get the idea of Executive Double at a lower grade to a Standard from? I would not recommend paying any extra money for this room....it is terrible. BUT that wasn't the main issue. When I tried to open the window (it was the middle of a heat wave) it fell off the runner where it had already been broken. Went off to reception to report it. I was told by the man covering reception that there were no other rooms available as they were fully booked, but he would like to come to the room shortly and see if he fix it before calling maintenance. I went back to the room. AND WAITED, AND WAITED. After 20 mins the wife went to reception to be told that this man had gone off for his break but we were offered a small refund as we would have to stay in the room. He did eventually turn up, looked at the window, said it was broken and would call maintenance whilst we went out for our evening meal. On our return reception told us that Room 2 had become available and would we like to move. This is a fantastic room, and even though we refused the offer of the refund we/reception decided the £20 upgrade fee would be waived.So well done to the reception team for sorting out the problem, but thumbs down for Room 15, the window and the service during that problemPS We will return next year, but we'll ask for a specific room and not get caught out again
Dear [Manager's Name / Best Western Customer Relations],I am writing to formally express my disappointment and concern regarding the handling of my wedding booking at the Best Western Plough and Harrow Hotel, which has unfortunately led to us cancelling our plans entirely due to the lack of communication, empathy, and support from the venue.My partner and I originally chose your hotel after a personal recommendation from my mother-in-law, who attended a family wedding at your venue previously. We initially spoke with Emma Griffiths on 5th February 2024, who left us with such a positive impression that we decided to book our wedding for 5th April 2025 without even exploring other options. We paid a £1,000 deposit and signed the contract, reassured by the professionalism and warmth Emma provided.However, after 23rd April 2024, we received no further communication from Emma. I sent an email on 11th October 2024 regarding a possible date change due to new visa requirements that could impact our European guests, but received no response. Repeated calls to the hotel were unsuccessful until I was eventually informed that Emma had left the company some time ago, and that Mr. Paul Smyth had taken over.I was disappointed not to have been informed earlier of this important staff change, especially as we were working with Emma closely. Mr. Smyth explained that he had prioritised contacting weddings scheduled for 2024 first, but I still feel that the lack of communication was unacceptable, given we had already paid and were relying on timely updates.I did not feel the same confidence or connection with Mr. Smyth, and much of the warmth and personal touch that influenced our decision to choose your venue was lost. Despite this, he did accommodate a date change to 13th September 2025 following our visa concerns, and requested an additional £1,300 payment, which we made.Later, on 21st March 2025, I contacted Mr. Smyth again with another deeply personal request. My mother-in-law had just been diagnosed with breast cancer, and we were concerned about her health and appearance in the wedding photos. I asked to reschedule once more, this time to 12th September 2026, to give her the chance to recover.While Mr. Smyth agreed to this date change, he imposed a £1,000 penalty fee. Although I appreciate his willingness to accommodate us, I was surprised by the lack of compassion shown during what is an incredibly emotional and stressful time for our family. This change provided the hotel with ample time to rebook the original date, and we were more than willing to provide proof of the medical situation if required.Ultimately, due to these repeated issues and emotional strain, we made the difficult decision to cancel the wedding entirely. I informed Mr. Smyth by email and stated that we understood the loss of our £1,000 deposit. However, I did ask whether the £1,300 payment could be refunded or partially returned, but received no reply to this or any previous messages.To this day, I have not received a response.This experience has been incredibly disappointing. What should have been a joyful and exciting time became stressful and disheartening. The lack of communication, empathy, and professionalism from the hotel has led us to completely lose trust in the service, and I am genuinely relieved that we are no longer planning our wedding at your venue.I am now formally requesting a review of our case, and kindly ask for consideration of a refund or partial refund of the £1,300 that was paid in good faith. We believe this to be a reasonable request given the circumstances, and we hope Best Western as a brand will uphold a higher standard of care than what we have experienced so far.Thank you for your attention to this matter. I would appreciate a response within 14 days.Sincerely,
DON'T BOOK DIRECTLY WITH BEST WESTERN. I was unfortunately directed to their website by a search engine to stay at one their hotels in Bournemouth. I was encouraged to join their membership with the promise of a possible free breakfast for the stay (no chance). However, I continued anyway and booked/paid for one room with breakfast for 5 nights which was confirmed on my payment/booking summary. I thought that was it, far from it. Luckly because I don't leave anything to chance being a new member I check my booking in my account which stated 1 Room only (no mention of the Breakfast) . I immediately rang the hotel number, no answer, rang the central booking LGH who confirmed the booking was for 1 room only . They looked into it for me checking with the hotel and other departments who were all adamant I'd booked 1 room only. This went on back and forth with phone calls and emails from me including the booking /payment as proof which they still did not accept, but after 4 hours, they as a good will gesture added a complimentary (ie; Free ) breakfast. BINGO.Following my stay, I raised a complaint stating their booking system is flawed and requested compensation for my time and trouble in helping them to sort it out. Which was denied, so I then suddenly released seeing they denied everything and only added the breakfast on a complementary basis I should be entitled for the breakfast part of my booking I paid for, which was also denied and closed the complaint. So, I got Resolver to intervene but after 7 weeks they haven't had the courtesy to respond. So in short, they deserved this review to warn others think of booking direct. If I read the rest of the reviews on this site I would Of thought twice about booking directly with them VERY POOR
Please be very careful when staying at The Connaught Hotel and Spa, Bournemouth.Our room at this hotel was entered by a person using a staff key card and a substantial number of valuables and items of clothing were stolen. The burglar has been apprehended and jailed, but we are still waiting for recompense from the hotel 5 months later. There has been no explanation as to how the staff key was accessed despite the hotel confirming that this was used to enter our room, when the housekeeper was at home. We have had no apology from anyone, and Best Western, whose branding is on the hotel refuse to get involved.It is deeply concerning to think that one is not safe to even leave clothing in a room at this hotel as no responsibility for its disappearance will be accepted by the management, should it be stolen in this manner.An extremely distressing and ongoing experience for my wife and me.
Wanted a place to stay near the Brecon Beacons and having had favourable experiences at Best Western hotels in the past, booked a two night stay at their hotel in Ebbw Vale.Driving along a back road to the hotel, a sinking feeling began to build. Only about a dozen parking spaces, and when contractors vans are parked up as well, you have to take your chances leaving your car out in the not so desirable road.Went into reception, and things started to look up. Receptionist was very pleasant and welcoming, as it turned out, so we're the rest of the staff we met.Sadly that was pretty much the only plus point about the hotel.The restaurant area is basically like a cafe.Depending on the day of the week, determines if evening meals are available. We arrived on a Monday, which turned out to be one of those where the kitchen is closed. When it is open, apparently it is from around 17:30 to 20:00.Breakfast on the first morning.....The omelette served up to my wife was black on one side, and just about cooked on the inside. My breakfast roll came out with one piece of barely cooked bacon, and a sausage. As I finished the roll, the cook placed another sausage on my plate, saying he did me another one as he dropped the other one that was meant to have gone in the roll. Second morning, bravely went for breakfast again, believing it couldn't be as bad as the previous day. The cook was trying to juggle cooking and dealing with a supplier, and the lady that was meant to be helping him, had gone walkabout. So he was stressing and the food was paying the price.I thought I would go for something simple....how hard can it be to cook up a scrambled eggs on toast. Well, as it turned out, very hard as I was served toast with what looked like eggs that had be left too long in the pan, gone brown/dried skin appearance and minced up in a blender to try and hide the fact. It was tasteless and did not get eaten.But something even worse....my wife thought she would go for another omelette but this time just keep it simple, and asked for a cheese omelette.What came back was a omelette that this time was thankfully not burnt but....the cheese used was not grated cheese, but a couple of slices of the squares used for burgers. Thank goodness we dined out in the evenings because the amount of money BW charge for breakfast, and what they would charge for evening meals depending on what you ordered, is simply not worth it. Absolutely the worst experience have ever encountered at any hotel. The cook should have been embarrassed serving that up.To the hotel itself....Plus point, the room was clean and tidy. As there were sheets of plasterboard in the corridors, I presume some form of refurbishment was taking place, although there was no mention of this at point of booking or checking in. The bathroom was compact. No toilet roll holder. Shower fittings had not been assembled correctly. Rain shower fittings had more water coming out over the top than through the shower head itself, as did the hand help shower. Both were probably missing the rubber seals/washers that are meant to be between hose and fittings.Something potentially a bit more to be alarmed about...the basin tap. As far as I am aware, UK regs say that hot tap to the left, cold tap to the right. The bathroom basin has a mixer tap, so swivelled the lever to the right, lifted the lever expecting cold water, and soon got very hot water.Feed pipes fitted the incorrect way round. Could potentially cause an injury to a guest.Heating....you do not have any control over heating in your room. There is no air conditioning, you open a window (we had one that would open, and one thankfully that did. Heating (radiator) is controlled be reception.So in summary....Positives,StaffClean roomNegatives,Location of hotel,Inadequate parking,Food,Price for what you get.No control over heating/ventilation in the room.Overall experience.Best Wester group. This hotel is so far below the standards expected and paid for compared to experiences at other hotels of yours visited. So bad it made Travelodge look good.You should refund the breakfast charge at least.Will think twice before booking with Best Western again, if this is now the standard you offer.
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