There are a lot of very bad reviews on TA and I can understand the points they write about. Overall though I'd say that this is a real budget price and there was nothing so wrong that would mean that I wouldn't stay here again. The room had some recent improvements (a new carpet anyway) and was pretty clean. So as a room to stay in - it was fine. The water pressure was very low though - making a shower pretty much impossible. The TV remote had no batteries in, and the main stand-light had no bulb. These are not the end of the world problems, but we pointed them out to reception on the first morning and were given a very cheery 'I'll get those things sorted straight away', so it was disappointing that when we returned that evening - no change. If they had been sorted then I'd have thought nothing more of it. WiFi was very slow to connect (I didn't manage to at all). Good Wifi is a basic hotel requirement nowadays. There also appeared to be a swimming pool - but empty - don't know what the story is there. Possibly the biggest irritation was that at check-in, the receptionist insisted on seeing photo-ID from us. I've never been asked for that before when checking in - in the UK, but she insisted that it was company policy and she would clearly rather see us walk out again rather than deviate from it. This for a room that we'd already paid for. This begs the question - what has happened in the past that has made the company decide on this policy and decide that it was non-negotiable? What could possibly go so wrong? It just seems intrusive. I mean, you understand that overseas hotels ask for your passport details, but Lancashire hasn't - as far as I know - left the United Kingdom yet, so why, and why make such a big deal out of it? Breakfast - in a way the best thing was the really friendly service from the staff there - the chef especially. Cannot fault the amount at breakfast either - no-one is going to leave hungry! The quality was a bit basic however - tinned fruit and tinned tomatoes. Fruit juice from a machine (which wasn't properly working either day). The location - about half a mile away from the M6 junction - is perfect to make it a stop-off point, and I think a lot of their business is with coach trips. Overall then - if you're looking for a basic hotel in the location for a good price then this is ok. I wouldn't want to be here for a week, and I'd feel short-changed if the price was higher. They ought to improve the maintenance standards though. The restaurant just next door (Dish) is very good and only about 50m to walk - if you want an option other than the restaurant on site (which we didn't eat at, so can't comment about).
44 Reviews