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Reviews of Portland Hall Hotel, Mansfield

Best rates for a Local Hotel

Review by D Brown on 24th March, 2012

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“To call this a hotel is diabolical and disgraceful, should be closed down!!!!” I know this review is late, but I was promised by the owner himself that I would be reimbersed to the sum of £200, which was taken immediately and not on arrival. All this time I was being CONNED. DON’T BOOK, a reservation here! THEY TAKE YOUR MONEY IMMEDIATELY. DON’T STAY, at this hotel (so called) DON’T PAY, any money to this place, you will never get it back. DON’T BE FOOLED, by the picturesque view of the hotel. It’s old, dated, dilapidated, it smells, it’s cold and there’s hardly any staff, This is my review of the place in question. I am 68 years of age and never in my whole life, have I experienced a place like this, ‘The Portland Hotel’, I would question the Hotel bit! I booked 2 rooms for 2 nights on the 13th October 2011 by telephone. The principle reason was to attend my mothers funeral. My partner and I had driven from Manchester, and my son, whom the other room was for, had flew over from Thailand to Heathrow airport, and then travelled by train to Chesterfield, arriving at 1:00am in the morning. You can imagine the emotional feelings we were going through at this time and how exhausted my son must have been. We arrived to the surprise of the receptionist who thought we were there to book a room. The woman eventually found our booking but she immediately reeled off faults about the rooms that we had booked and performed like it was her first day on the job. Our original room had been changed from no.11 to no.6 due to water leak, the TV would need to be swapped (presumably broken), the woman couldn't find the correct paperwork for check-in, couldn't find a pen that worked, struggled to find the room keys, had to personally offer to iron a shirt because the advertised ‘ironing service’ was nonexistent. We were continually reminded about the transition of ownership which, quite frankly, was not our problem. To my horror, I even spotted my credit card details, including the security code, handwritten in the reservations book for anyone to see should the receptionist be busy elsewhere. All this before we'd even stepped foot in our rooms, none of which filled us with any confidence at all. Upon entering our rooms we were welcomed by a strong damp smell, dated decor & furniture, almost thread bare carpets, uncomfortable & lumpy beds, a window that rattled constantly from the outside breeze due to having no catch, a bathroom mirror light that did not work and dreadfully cold room temperatures. Just when we wanted somewhere to feel homely & relaxed, given the purpose of our stay, we felt nothing but unease and subsequently decided not to unpack. The rooms were far from acceptable given the price we were paying. We returned to reception to explain about the rooms and that we would not be staying, and therefore requested a refund. The receptionist could not process an instant refund and so made a note of our concerns and complaint and said she would pass this on to the manager to be processed the following day. She did at least sympathise with our feelings towards the rooms. We then had to hastily find alternative accommodation elsewhere, something that we didn’t need, or want to have to do during our time of mourning. Since returning home where it is now, the 8th of November, and several, and I mean several phone calls later during this period, speaking to different people at the hotel reception, leaving message after message and NOT getting any response or reply in regards dealing with my refund. The whole place, both the way it is presented, and the way in which it operates, amounts to nothing short of disgusting. Not replying to any of my phone calls is just down right despicable and ignorant and discourteous, absolutely no concerns for customer satisfaction, safety or security. This place is to be avoided at all costs. It has obvious Health and Safety issues too and would like to express these with the relevant authority. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Star rating First impression: *0000 Staffing: *0000 Services: *0000 Cleanliness: *0000 Room facilities: *0000 Didn’t get further than this to cast an opinion. Our alternative accommodation was ‘Travel-lodge’, Absolutely 100% better. Where we had on hand, Tesco Express, Cash Machine, ‘Frankie and Bennies’ and easy access to town. Should have done this in the first instance. Mr D Brown, MANCHESTER

Date visited: !9th-20th Oct 2011

Review by emma bradshaw on 17th February, 2009

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i enjoyed my stay here very friendly and prices were good,refubishment was going on and improving well! very nice atmosphere in bar! needs small improvments to make it even better!

Date visited: 14-17 feb 09

Review by Andy Taylor on 18th January, 2009

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Whilst the look of the hotel is great, set in a nice park and with excellent views, the hotel itself is not good. The room was fine except freezing cold, damp-feeling sheets and despite several requests to the staff for additional heating none was provided. Admittedly it was during a very cold snap but the temperature only reached a high of 12 degrees C and a low of 9 degrees C. The shower was poor, the room was not serviced during my stay and the second day's breakfast was a bowl of cereal and a cup of warm water with a teabag in it. When I complained I was told it was all my own fault!! I cannot recommend this hotel at all unless a serious commitment to customers is made evident!

Date visited: 4-6th Jan 2009

Review by anon on 24th December, 2008

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Interesting to read the 'review' by Mark Quincey.........as he used to 'own' the hotel and recently departed it, I'm a little suprised that he has gone to great lengths to give it a scathing review! Very unfair Mark and a little underhand.

Date visited: 24th December 2008

Review by mark quincey on 15th December, 2008

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arrived at hotel to be checked in by someone who could only just speak english? bedroom was horrid lots of draughts shower not working properly heating had to be switched on by reception then about 20.00 hrs they promptly switced it off again. the food was a joke cold and not enough i will never visit again unless they spend several hundred thousands of pounds on it

Date visited: 14 dec 08

Review by anon on 31st October, 2008

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A lovely hotel room was great,clean and comfy.Excellent prices, fantastic views from room window.Located in a great place close to town for shopping or going for a meal and a drink. Dont think its run very well though bein a manager of a similar type place myself, I felt that most of the staff did not know what they were meant to be doin or where they were supposed to be. The communication between them was, I felt quite bad. If they could just sort that out itd be a really great place. Until then I wouldnt recommend it to anyone.

Date visited: anon

Review by john holmes on 19th August, 2008

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Got this overnight stay via ebay, first impressions were charming place in nice parkland location, we were in room 10 overlooking the park, the room, and hotel were clean but dated, single glazed sash window in non-opening rotted frames, sash cords hanging loose and draughts galore in the windy weather, nice large bedroom but pathetic lighting and a tv that will only receive 3 channels,[remote control not working]. meals were a bit of a fiasco, took ages to get the menu, wifes soup not very hot, main meals cooling rapidly as we waited for the vegs to arrive. The in-bath shower had a very poor flow and the diverter on the bath-tap kept sending water back through the tap instead of the shower, there was an abundance of black mould on the bath sealant. There was no room information to notify you of meal times, and precious little to do in the main public area, the tv in the bar was a cctv trained on the car park. We had a very sleepless night which we put down to [possibly] a waterproof mattress cover which made the bed feel hot and sweaty. we were glad to have our breakfast and depart. The hotel needs a major overhaul to raise its standards to 21 century expectations, it was an experience, but I didn't pay a lot, I won the auction at £51, glad it didn't go above or I would be megga upset

Date visited: 18 aug 2008

Review by Peter Taylor-Lane on 14th October, 2006

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This hotel has been recently acquired by the owners who provided a very warm and friendly welcome. The standards were good and the food was excellent value for money. I was particularly impressed by the full English breakfast!!

Date visited: 12/10/2006

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