Grand Hotel

1 reader found this review helpful

have travelled numerous times with travelstyle and never been disapointed, however this hotel was certainly the exception and is not worthy of three star status.
The rooms were very dirty and even had urine under the toilet seat which remained there after i had asked it to be cleaned. The room carpet was full of sticky marks and i was unable to wear bare feet,the furniture was old fashioned and not functioning adequately, it was very depressing to have to spend any time in the room which should be a relaxing experience. The dining room was like a cattle market and the staff were either overworked or did not make an effort to provide basic service such as having the table set properly ! The tables were also dirty, this was described in the brochure and internet site as good quality Yorkshire hotel of which it certainly is not ! I asked politely at reception to be moved and was met by a defensive hostile response,stating the hotel was full and there was nowhere to move me to. On reflection and had I not been on an organised trip with my elderly mother, should have left straight away . An experience never to be repeated.

1 reader found this review helpful

Having enjoyed regular stays at various bed and breakfasts across Scarborough, my partner and I decided to visit the Grand, having seen it dominate the landscape from afar. Upon arrival at the Grand Hotel we were quietly confident, having viewed the beautiful entrance area with stunning period features. Then it happened. We found our room.
As soon as my partner and I entered the room we felt groggy and it felt it was difficult to breathe; it was as though room was full of fumes. What struck us next was the smell. It was like nothing you have ever smelt before- unless you happen to work with rotting animal carcasses. It was a mixture of this and industrial strength cleaning fluid, presumably to attempt to mask the stench. We reported our distaste to reception and housekeeping who came to our room twice , sprayed air freshener and left. We took it upon ourselves, after airing the room for two hours, to investigate and discovered someone had been violently sick over the bedspread and the floor. The only explanation housekeeping could provide was that the previous guests had smoked in the room. We were forced to change the bedding ourselves (I suppose we were lucky that the catch on the cupboard door that contained the bedding was broken, as was the bathroom door and the sash window).
The single blanket was rough and itchy; the room was devoid of a telephone, hair dryer or any information about the hotel's facilities or meal times. Having a bath was a riot because the plug had to be removed with the aid of a spoon and a great deal of patience.
The staff were odd. Most seemed genuinely unhappy to have to let us down continually, whilst the supervisor spoke to a friend and lamented on how horrible her job and general workplace was - right in front of us and other guests!
The one redeeming feature of this hotel was seen when you were playing on the pool table (which we had to pay a deposit of £10 for- why can't they trust their guests?): the old photographs adorning the walls of the hotel's former staff circa 1910 who looked smart, content and ready to help, in complete contrast to those we found throughout the hotel.
At breakfast time, we were greeted with anti bacterial dispensers, apparently there was a virus going round at the time. Surely if this had been going round the hotel it should have been closed for a deep clean? The food was rubbery, tasteless, cooked without care or attention and the ingredients were of an extremely poor quality. It was a self service system, even coffee, toast and additional cutlery had to be found by the guests. Not once did they check to see if we were enjoying the meal- they were probably afraid of the answer.
Once the refurbishment is complete, we fully expect the hotel to be 'Grand' once more, as there are small hints of its former glory throughout the building.

stayed for 3 nights 4 days had a lovely break. went as two couples rooms 219 and 220 rooms clean and nicely decorated. stayed half board both breakfast and evening meal fine vaied choice. paid £99 each with transport through national holidays would return to the hotel again. the hotel is undergoing refurbishment and you have to bear that in mind.

myself and my fiancee have just returned from the "not so grand" grand hotel and have immediately had a shower to wash the effects of a dirty weekend (and not in the sense you may be thinking) off!however we didn't bump into basil fawlty amazed me,and am still waiting for jeremy beadle to jump out and offer us a full refund!
to say this hotel needs a major overhaul is an understatement,and whilst we are led to believe that one is underway at present,we did not expect to find ourselves suffering as a consequence.
holes in the walls and ceiling,wires hanging out,damp walls,dirty curtains,carpets and bed linen which i wouldn't inflict our cat to sleep on,were just some of the little "surprises" waiting in our room.
after plucking up the courage to venture into the harbour lights restaurant past all the hospital handwash on the way in (very inviting),we found that the food really did taste as bad as what it looked!thus we decided to escape to a local pizza shop which cost us a small fortune but was worth it as at least we are still alive to do this review!
what made our stay bearable was the knowledge that we would have tales to tell when we returned of guests ordering in outside catering,appalling entertainment and conditions not unlike a haunted house.
luckily we were only there for one night and just to say that if you are thinking about booking a room for even that long,think again.you have been warned!

This is a fine Victorian building in the best location imaginable and deserves better from its owners. My travelling companion and I recently stayed in a Premier room facing the beach. A very large room with what would have been a fine view, had the windows ever been cleaned. I don't think the carpet had seen a vacuum in weeks. The bedding had blood stains, the TV stations were jumbled, the towels were ancient and the spiders large and plentiful.
Our stay lasted 2 nights and our room was not attended to during our stay; we had to go hunting for replacement towels, tea and coffee. The front line staff on reception and in the Premier restaurant were helpful although seriously unsupported. When we had a problem with a bathroom door lock the receptionist could not call upon any maintenance help (in a 300 room hotel).
This is a huge rambling place, teeming with lost and confused elderly guests. There didn't appear to be any signs or information regarding the location of restaurant, terrace, or any other part of the hotel. In a similar vein, the rooms didn't include any hotel or attraction guidance either. Increased staff numbers, better training and improved cleanliness please.

This place is an absolute dump, the room was filthy and the fixtures and fittings (if one could call them that) were poor i.e. the mirror was cracked, the door didn't shut right and the over bath shower was a death trap because the water doesn't drain away quick enough, the only clean things in that room was the bedlinen and towels. But we did have a sea view albeit a misty one through the filthy windows.
The crunch came when we went down for our evening meal in the harbour lights restaurant, the food looked disgusting and tasted even worse and the smell was horrendous (anyone ever drove past a sewerage works, well the smell was something akin to that) so no evening meal for us ( i'd be interested to know if the local environmental health have ever visited this place). I immediately went to reception and complained and was told we would get a refund if we left the next day so we left the Not So Grand Hotel first thing next morning.
I really feel for the staff who work at this hotel and considering the conditions in which they have to work i.e. THAT SMELL, they were quite helpful and the reception staff did apologise that we had not enjoyed our stay. I know the hotel is undergoing a 7 million refurbishment at the moment but personally I think the 7 million would be better spent by demolishing it.

Don't expect anything 'Grand' from this hotel.
When we arrived we were quite impressed - the hotel dominates the skyline in Scarborough. When you first walk in, the place does look pretty impressive. HOWEVER, the room was awful, and if I'd have paid the full £110 for the night, I'd have felt robbed. The room was orangey brown in colour, and had no creature comforts or character whatsoever, the word 'basic' is an understatement. There wasn't even anything as simple as a hair dryer, clock radio, bath mats, or pictures on the walls, just something to make it feel comfortable.
The redeeming feature of the hotel was the food. We got free evening meals, and along with the breakfast they were buffet style. The food was plentiful and of good quality. The hotel is supposedly going through a £7 million refurbishment, but reading other reviews on here this seems to have been ongoing for quite some time with very little progress. There is also a parking problem at the hotel - no private parking, just pay and display IF you can find a space - beware of the Traffic Warden !

Just spent one night with my husband and 9 year old child at the Crown Spa. This has to be one of the nicest Scarborough hotels that we have ever stayed in. The staff are extremely pleasant and nothing was too much trouble for them. They all seemed to actually enjoy the job that they were doing.
I have stayed in quite a few hotels and have always found something to moan or complain about but at the Crown Spa I could find nothing! Had a bit of trouble with the sofa bed for my 9 year old but after a quick call down to reception a member of staff came to our rescue within minutes. There is a nice complimentary turn down service at night which was a nice touch.
At breakfast the service was quick and the food was lovely with plenty of choice besides the traditional cooked breakfast.
Can't comment on the evening meal since we had made other arrangements.
I guess my only tiny complaint was that the indoor swimming pool was too cold for me to use which was slightly disappointing. Overall, an excellent hotel to which we would definitely return to!

This place is dreadful
We booked a Premier Room for £100 a night plus £20 for a sea view. What we didn't realise was that all Premier rooms have a sea view anyway. Our room was in the basement with no view because there was scaffolding up at the window. The website does say that the hotel is undergoing refurbishment but surely they could advise you not to book the 'Premier' rooms which cost more and have no view.
I had to spend a long time convincing several layers of management that they should give us a refund for the premier room supplement and the extra for the sea view. Premier rooms should not be in the basement of such a beautiful building. The Premier restaurant doesn't have a view either.
The Harbour Lights restaurant is really bad (for those who aren't in 'Premier' rooms). You have to queue to get in and then you get no service at all. You have to have your wits about you if you want anything. It's self service which means only the resourceful get anything to eat. The cheap frozen puddings look disgraceful by the end of the night after so many people have attacked them with any cutlery they are lucky enough to find.
If you ask any member of staff for anything they look at you like you are asking a really big favour. Most people are over 60 and you can hear them complaining at every table under their breath. The atmosphere is solemn It's as though there has been a major disaster and this hotel has put people up for the night at the last minute. Everything is so badly organised. It's the old folk I felt sorry for. They seemed lost. There were people taking things from other tables in desperation.
The main difference between the Harbour Lights restaurant and the so called 'Premier' restaurant is that if you ask a member of staff for something they do try their hardest to get it for you.
At neither restaurant did anyone ask us if we wanted a drink or wanted to see the wine list. Drinking wine with the food on offer (tinned peaches and mushy veg for example) wouldn't have felt right anyway. Cattle don't drink wine after all.
The breakfast was okay in the Premier Restaurant as long as you are persistent and lucky. If you go at a peak time you can forget a hot drink or any butter for your toast. Cereal bowls were hard to come by too.
If you like a laugh stay here, but avoid the eating at the restaurants and don't book online. Ask the hotel to describe the room you have booked.
I secretly enjoyed it though - to watch the chaos. Those poor old people.