1.0 out of 5 | Just thought you might like to take a look at the correspondence between myself and the above 3-starred institution
Hi Matty,
We have been away on holiday and just returned yesterday to some very pleasant emails regarding comments from satisfied guests who have stayed at The Cottage Inn whilst we were away, then there was yours! I believe it or not, have spent some time at Keswick and not every B&B there is perfect if that is what you are implying.
I have had this establishment for over three years now and we very rarely get any complaints and if on the rare occassion we do, then it is usually from people who have not listened in the first place or are unreasonable and quite often selfish, i have been in this trade for over 35 years now and believe me have come across almost just about every situation imaginable. Most people however are sensible and realise that they have to help theirselves to a certain extent, but you do get the odd one that are intent on whinging and would like someone to pander to their every need day and night.
My wife took your booking and she explained that we do not have family rooms but we do put extra beds in the rooms, you were told that they were put up beds and nothing else. She also informed you that there wouldn't be much room but if you were not spending too much time in the room it would probably be okay. We do this quite often and guests are always informed and no one has complained because we make a point of clearly informing people of the facts and don't try to pull the wool over anyones eyes or give them false information. Also she gave you a reduced rate as it is normally £20 per extra bed and she only charged you £10 for each a saving of £40 over the two nights.
Much of what you complain about we don't have any control over;
i) Let us start with what you describe as your figety seven year old tossing and turning all night - what can we do about that, sorry not our problem maybe you should consider sedating him if he keeps you awake all night.
ii) When you booked for the wedding did you not look to see where the hotel was situated in relation to the wedding venue and if you are going to be late then it is just common courtesy to inform a member of staff that you are going to be late.You seem to have a big problem with this, i have a license and when that license says i close, then i do, that is the law unless you think you know better you have no more rights as a resident than you do as an ordinary customer who walks in off the street, that is fact - what the license says has to be strictly adhered to no matter what or who thinks they can question it.
iii) If you wanted a night porter to greet you on your drunken return then i suggest you should have stayed at the Hilton or somewhere similar but not for the price you paid here i know and if you wanted street lights then why did you not use your nous and stop in Alnwick where again you would have paid much more for a room, again out of my control i cannot arrange for it to get dark when you want it to. And your comment regarding a front entry system is absurd, surely you are not serious and if you are i suggest you get some treatment. The numerical entry pad as you call it is there for a reason and we put the most idiot proof code in imaginable but apparently not, you were so drunk you could not even operate it, i wil add my four year old son has no problem with it.
iv) If you had looked past your nose end then you would have seen that there were extra pillows in your room, they are provided in every one of our rooms.
v) The member of staff who attended to you when you were imptiently ringing on the night emergency bell ( which is there for geniune emergencies not for inebriated half wits that cannot enter a four digit number into a keypad, why on earth did you not climb through the window you also complain about), was in fact fully trained within this industry and i do not have enough space to list the qualifications he holds and he was disgusted by the barrage of abuse hurled at him by your foul mouthed female friend, but he took it on the chin and refrained from lowering himself to your standards.
Anyway i think i have replied to all i wish to, and do not wish to waste any more of my precious time stating facts that really are not rocket sciece as they say, and if you had taken a little time to listen and excercise some common sense then it would have been time well spent. I remember Edwina Curry coming out with a statement that the north is full of moaning minnies and i took exception to this until i thought about it and the southerners actually think the north starts at Manchester and she was actually referring to people from that area along with Cumbria and Yorkshire.
Please do not reply because i will only delete your message which is probably what it deserves anyway and i cannot really be bothered to communicate with anyone who did not have the balls to complain in person at the time and yes we are lke Fawlty Towers you know what we do if we get a happy customer - WE STUFF HIM AND STAND HIM IN THE CORNER.
Happy moaning and complaining, try somewhere else next time,
Malcolm Readman.
Hi
Have just spent the weekend at your hotel and thought you might like a little customer feedback, as I would like a little proprietor feedback.
Firstly, the good - nice comfortable bed, nice bathroom and lovely food.
Now the bad - when I booked I asked if you had a 'family room' - what we got was a double (i understand they are all the same size) with two z beds crammed in with all the existing furniture so that it was difficult to move around the room and we had to get dressed in the bathroom. Definitely not a 'family room', and totally unsuited to 4 people with the quantity of furniture in the room.
We had to remake our bed upon arrival as the bed sheet had been fitted around 3-4 inches short of the top of the bed!
The kids' z beds springs were so noisy that we were woken several times by our fidgety seven year old tossing and turning.
We left the hotel (to attend a wedding) at around 9.30am on Saturday, and when we returned just past midnight we found our window had been left wide open by the maid. Now I understand that rural crime rates are low, but beyond the complete lack of security for a ground floor room I did not really fancy a room full of midges and mosquitos nor having my possessions left totally unsecured.
And for the ugly - obviously you rarely have guests who return on foot late at night - the lack of a front entry system meant we had to feel our way down the back lanes in the pitch dark using our phone screens as torches. Not a pleasant end to the evening as my wife made abundantly clear to one of your many junior staff members when we could not operate the numerical entry pad on the way into the corridor. Obviously you are not going to leave the front bar door open, but how about a key for guests? A torch? just some friendly advice? Overall I felt this was indicative of a complete lack of attention to detail, from a slow and barely functional 'welcome' when we arrived to the catalogue of minor irritations listed above that combined to make for a rather unpleasant stay. Living in the midst of bed and breakfast land in Keswick I was aware that your establishment was not particularly cheap, and for the playground, quality of food, surroundings etc I was happy to spend the money, but in terms of service and minor details - oh and another one - one pillow each on the beds - I feel I have paid a hotel rate for something a little on the fawlty towers. I may laugh about us finding our way in the dark last night with our phones now, but it was all I could do to contain my wife from demanding to see the manager at midnight last night, and she disagreed entirely with my decision to pay for the room. Hoping you can address my concerns,
looking forward to your reply
Mat RichardsMat Richards reviewed The Cottage Inn on 10 Sep 2008 |
(3.0)
(2.5)
