To feel like I never want to stay in a hotel again

[Betsyhilton]

Just back from what was meant to be a relaxing break in a hotel. We had a loud wedding that went on until the small hours, with wedding guests taking over the lounge the next day; a baby that screamed and cried throughout breakfast while both parents sat there and neither bothered to take him out; and the lounge on the Friday night had a match playing at full volume and was full of non residents drinking and shouting and roaring at the screen.

The last time we took a break in a hotel there was a large conference being held there. They were seated at two long tables in the dining room and the noise was so loud that ourselves and several other tables complained but nothing was done. We also had to put up with loud work related skype calls and phone conversations in the lounge when trying to relax with the morning papers, and an impromptu meeting being held at a table beside us, with more and more people joining in until we felt squeezed out.

We've also had weekends in hotels ruined by loud hen and stag parties.

AIBU to think it's nearly impossible to get a relaxing calm break in a hotel anymore?

No word of a lie, I once booked the Torquay hotel that Fawlty Towers was apparently based on. Never got to stay there as they had to outbook me due to a problem in some rooms

I was just going to recommend premier inns when I saw someone else said the same thing.
We often overnight due to long journey to in laws, very occasionally there are late night noisy parties, but its rare and usually over by midnight.
Breakfast is a noisy affair but we usually don't stay for food.

Id say you are choosing the wrong type of hotel. I'd stay away from large hotels with wedding and conference sized facilities. Choose a smaller hotel.

Which is better, Mercure or Novotel @pollymere ?

I'm not keen on B&Bs. Too prone to having quirky rules and based on you building a relationship with the owner. I prefer the anonymity of a hotel, and with Premier Inn I particularly like knowing roughly what the room will be like and that it will definitely have black out curtains and a comfortable mattress.

@rookiemere

Not at all!! I've never had to endure quirky rules ie had to build a relationship 😂.

Alistair sawday has some fabulous ones on their website and I've stayed in many stunning ones, been given champagne and chocs on my bday etc.

However I do also like the annouymity of a hotel esp with children.

I also used to think premier Inn where fabulous until I had such an on going awful experience with a fairly new one...

Unmade bed and room, I could clearly see the outline of a body in the sheet but when I pulled back the sheet i could see the top sheet was covered in muck and thick black hair. 😨🤢.
Sand all over the bathroom, smelled, can't open windows..

I asked nicely for our room to be cleaned, we went out to give them a chance to do it. They profusely apologised.

Returned to.... Nothing done.
Complained, this time cross.... I was met with rudeness, they made a huge fuss of my husband having to leave the room... Then they said...

We don't have any spare toppers and we don't change toppers 😱😱.

Even after she cleaned the bathroom she still left hairs and sand.

I don't know what the hell was going on. No apology nothing and when I complained to pi on our return I got a lack lustre generic response.

Folks... You have been warned! No clean mattress toppers.

I can't believe the amount of snobs on here saying "you get what you pay for" and "£250 for 2 nights is cheap". I book hotels for sports teams for a living and find this laughable.

You aren't guaranteed to have a quiet stay at a 5 star hotel - turn up on a Monday or a Friday and you could have a football team staying. Tuesdays are high conference days.

Your best bet is to email the hotel in advance and ask about any potential noise disruption and ensure you're placed in a room away from it. If you intend to dine in, ask for the quietest times.

Saw someone mention Village Hotels further back - Village Hotels in particular are commonly set up to have sports bars, so will always be rowdy.

When I stayed in a hotel in the summer (for ds sport not a holiday!) there was a wedding that evening and they offered to bring our evening meal to the room for free if we didn't want to eat in the lounge where it was busy.

I was surprised and pleased as customer service in general seems to have gone out the window in general!

I was staying in a quite expensive supposedly upmarket hotel and l found a pair of knickers in the bed. And they weren’t mine! 😫

Weddings can be noisy and disruptive. We found the best thing was a midweek break, preferably somewhere quiet, that didn't allow kids or dogs.

We did have to pay a fair amount now.

If it's any consolation to you we had a male guest staying for 2 nights.
A friend of dh.
The guest was very good to remove the duvet cover, pillow cases and sheet from the bed and put them on the floor before they departed
I was utterly mortified to find a washed ( but still residually stained ) thong on the floor with said bedlinen.
It was either one of my daughters thongs or perhaps the guest's partner's thong he had brought with him to remind him of her as he was away a lot, or perhaps he wore them himself really clutching at straws here.
I never told dh as he too would be mortified.
I know the bedlinen had been freshly washed before I put them on the bed, including a freshly washed mattress protector.
😩🙈🥲

Perhaps the thong had got mixed up in the dryer with the pillow, duvet cover or sheet. 🤞

@fetchacloth I now refuse to stay in Mercure 😂 I was just being polite. They tend to be old hotels which have been taken over my Accor. The Watford one was recently demolished as not fit for purpose...just after they promised me a free stay to make up for the dreadful one I'd just had. Novotel have always treated me well with or without my family in tow.

@LadyEloise1 See my post above ☺️

Hotels will be noisy, they’re large places that cater for big events like business meetings and weddings etc.
you’d be better off searching out a small B&B that only caters for 2 or 3 couples. And because the owners live there too they often wouldn’t allow for noisy parties or late nights.

I'm not long back from a brief stay at an excellent hotel (Danesfield House in Marlow, where George and Amal had their wedding reception). Nice and quiet (other than some performance sex from an adjoining room the next morning which didn't last long!), delicious food and beautiful room and grounds and would go back in a heartbeat! Best of all, it was booked through OffPeakLuxury, so the price of the room if booked direct through the hotel, included champagne, dinner, breakfast and spa access. I went with a friend and one night inclusive of all the above was £150 each.

Personally, @pollymere I agree with you that Novotel is the better brand of the two chains.
I'm rather biased as I used to work for Novotel and they were great employers. 😁

I much prefer staying in Airbnb's to hotels. I hate only having the one room to sit/relax in. Often there is only 1 chair so you have to sit on the bed to watch tv.

I like a proper house or flat where there is a sofa. Also like to have a kitchen so if we want to cook something we can.

Just about every time we have stayed in a hotel, whether a cheap one or a dearer one, there have been noisy guests coming back early hours of the morning slamming doors, talking at the tops of their voices etc.

That’s pretty cheap for a 4 star unless it’s out in the sticks! I think trip advisor should be your friend. I’ve had loads of wonderful relaxing hotel breaks in the UK and abroad. These far outweigh the odd one or two poor breaks I’ve had.

Stayed in a UK hotel with my then 14 yo DD, had an ajoining room which we were not told about. Came back from a resaurant and could hear garage music and 2 people 'at it', then heard another join in their party. Knocked on their door to say I had an under 18 next door, we could hear everything, so we went down to reception with one of the 'party' who thought nothing of it and changed the tbreesomes room.

Hotels are always shite. Too many people, talking in the corridors late/early, cleaners starting work, dustbin emptying etc even if you don't get any horror story incidents.

If you're going abroad I agree a villa is the best option, and even an apartment will be a lot less risky than just a hotel room. Odd nights in the UK you just have to suck it up.

Sounds like you've been really unlucky. I've had quite a few hotel breaks, mostly through Wowcher or similar, and never had this problem.

Always ask for a quiet room when you book and away from lifts. Oh and definitely refuse adjoining rooms as soon as you arrive if you weren't given the option.
We've regularly stayed in v large chains eg Crowne Plaza, Premier Inn and hardly heard a peep.