Stayed there for a couple of nights and found that it was a strange mixture of a hotel: great design, very responsive & hard working staff who really try to take care of you. That alone would make this a great hotel, but the downsides to this hotel were significant to me & my mother.
- Parking was a real problem with inadequate attention paid to parking arrangements especially for people with mobility problems (old & young) and for guests who hadn’t checked in.
- Restaurant food was sparse, crockery was often not washed properly (four cups/plates/glasses had to be returned), and the floors in the restaurant weren’t cleaned properly while we dined.
- Bedroom furniture was (in my case) missing for no apparent reason, or not supplied, and despite repeated requests.
- Keycards failed twice and had to be reprinted or reissued.
- The TV system in the hotel worked but : no hotel information in the system, no web radio, no teletxt,…
- Decor was pleasant overall, as was the feel of the hotel, but despite being only 18 months old or so, it already showed signs of neglect (peeling paint), damaged furniture, dirty walls, scuffed surfaces…
- When complaining, I contacted the duty manager & the day manager, both of whom were very responsive, and took my complaints to the hotel manager.
The whole hotel has the potential to be a great hotel, but the lack of attention to the details of running a popular hotel gave the impression (though this can hardly be true) that senior management did not care if the place fell down around their ears.
I would strongly recommend that senior management undertake a thorough review of the hotel from the point of view of their guests and be more pro-active in solving issues before they inconvenience potential guests. I am glad that I got a decent price on Laterooms for it! If I had to pay full price, I would have asked for a full refund, and checked into a real hotel. Of course, I am not sure Aberdeen has any…