Midland Hotel

I have rated the overall experience above average but their were some problems. Humour me while I rattle on. My husband and I are "friends of the Midland" and have followed its fortunes since staying there in July 2000. Our stay 8 years ago was great, the hotel was a little tired, but an experience, mostly original, apart from the 70's wallpaper in the public loo's, sad to see it on the decline but it was atmospheric and friendly. The rooms were spacious, had original built-in Burr Walnut wardrobes and storage, large en-suite Art Deco bathrooms and single glazed rattling windows but is was great. The Ballroom/function room was a dream, all Horizontal panels of Burr Walnut with sliding doors onto the foyer, this is now the hotel residents bar with most of the panelling gone. Also gone is the Art Deco cocktail bar which was behind the present reception area which they now use as a private function room, off bounds for the guests of the hotel. I think Urban Splash has spent a lot of money on the fabric of this hotel to keep it going for a very long time and for this they have to be praised, I also think they have their own agenda and will re-coup their money by developing prime land on the promonade with apartments etc., Back to the hotel, we first booked a Penthouse Suite for the opening week (6th June) back in the begining of December 2007 following confirmation and reassurance we were informed two days before our arrival that the suites were not ready! I was gutted. They listened patiently to my ravings and they kindly re-scheduled us for 20th July for two night in a Penthouse suite accommodation free! The suite was out of this world, not in keeping with Art Deco style but very modern and all mod cons, electrically operated curtains, large flat screen TV, fantastic bathroom, Italian swivel chairs etc., The views from this hotel, especially this suite, and the sunsets cannot be bettered and will bring me back, what was very disappointing was the standard of the housekeeping, it was very poor. We tried to book in app. 15.30 to be told they were in the suites getting them ready, e wondered over to the residents bar and had a frre drink while we were waiting. 16.10 we were in the room, carpet had not been hoovered in places, did not bother me, some of the toiletries were half used, that also is a minor irritation and I would not fuss about, someone elses slobber and face make-up on the pillows really bothers me! the bed had not been fully changed, by this time "housekeeping" had gone and a nice young porter came with fresh linen and we all joined in to change the bed, problem solved. It should not happen, and especially when the rooms cost £195.00 per night. There was some fumbling excuse the following morning by a housekeeper, part blaming reception, anyway we cleared off for a couple of hours while they serviced the room, came back and apart from the bins being emptied it did not look any different, the fridge was not re-stocked, there was no milk or teabags, I went down to reception to inform them and to get some milk from the bar, an hour later it was re-stocked, I do not think we were the only ones requesting re-stocks. The food in the restaurant was lovely, if a little pricey and the views and sunset spectacular, we did not breakfast there at £8 pp but went over to Rita's Cafe over the road which was a good English breakfast. Apart from housekeeping or rather lack of it, the room was exceptional, the foyer lacking in atmosphere, there is nowhere for residents to sit and relax following dinner apart from a plastic bar stool, the emphasis appears to be on private functions and the paying guest is somewhat overlooked. The issue with privacy in other Trip Advisor comments appears to have been resolved with planters put into place to prevent anyone wandering around the top floor, except for the viewing platforms. None of what I have waffled on about spoiled our stay, I will certainly go back. The latest is that Urban splash in their re-development ambitions are planning to demolish the grade II listed wall which surrounds the car park, what next I ask!

I would support many of the comments left here - the Midland is a mixed bag, showing some great touches and some basic errors. In some ways it is unfair to judge a new hotel so soon after opening as teething troubles are inevitable...but I paid good money so here goes... On the plus side, great building, stylish and sympathetically refitted - in parts. The notorious green chairs in the lobby are hideous to look at but try sitting in them - they cocoon you from sound and are very lounge-able! The rooms are pretty good, though you can see how quickly wear and tear will show in them. The refit is not quite 1930s glamour, more garish and trendy boutique hotel...I think it could have gone for more substantial and classier interior myself but others will doubtless disagree. The heating system (way too hot, unadjustable - at least in my room) and noise from the water pipes (Chinese water torture) were both abominable and need sorting out sharpish. This was by far the worst thing about our stay. The restaurant is fabulous, great view obviously, and the food was passable. The bar areas are nice enough, but fictures and fittings were a bit cheap and nasty in the rotunda bar..and the prices way too high. Also why hire a jazz duo to play in the restaurant if you are going to leave the pumping Euro-pop on in the bar to drown them out...bonkers. The bar areas were also pretty dirty and scruffy, no-one was cleaning up, crates and bottles stacked up everywhere - looked a mess; not the seamless, well-oiled luxury we were expecting... The staff were friendly enough and tried their best - but they were obviously struggling. No apparent system for ordering, many orders went AWOL, no-one was taking an overview....it was a shambles just trying to get a cup of tea at breakfast (30 minutes)...they need a firmer hand on the tiller and some managerial input into how to run an efficient bar and restaurant... Overall, I think once good staff systems (and a bit of soundproofing) are in place it will thrive. But they will also need to make it a much more special and memorable destination hotel - there's currently no other reason for the experience-hungry middle classes to go to Morecambe.....its got to be the kind of place where everything is high quality, distinctive and effortlessly catered for..at the minute its just a bit chaotic and I have to say cheap and nasty on some of the detailing...(sub Ikea furniture in the rotunda bar, cheap flooring)...so come on Urban Splash this is the Midland! Get some quality hotel experts in and make this jewel shine again...

I have had two visits to The Midland since reopening, once just for coffee and a look and the other to stay. Even though there are a few teething problems i am giving an excellent rating as i, like many others, have seen the midland in decline for many years and feel that Urban Splash deserve all the praise they can get for having the nerve to take on this difficult building and bring it back to life so succesfully. I think some people may be disapointed that it is not a recreation of the hotel when it first opened but times have moved on and it has to be a money making business with modern faciliies, rooms, bars, restaurant etc. No more draughty metal windows etc. Furninshings are certainly nothing like Ikea but very expensive modern designs. maybe not to everyones taste but certainly a talking point. On a visit many years ago we asked while taking tea if there were any cakes or biscuits. We were quickly presented with a tin of Family Choice biscuits and invited to 'just help ourselves'!! Thankfully things have changed. On my first visit since reopening which was during the day it was chaotic due to the hundreds (yes hundreds) of mainly over 60's having a good nosey around. The staff were coping well under the pressure despite having people in their way all the time. I think numbers of 'lookers' are dwindling but with such huge local interest it isnt surprising. I would guess that staff asking previous reviewer if they were residents was to reduce the numbers of 'lookers' trailing around the bedrooms and disturbing guests. Second visit was a delight with a great atmosphere and mainly residents or function attendees. At all times i found the staff to be very pleasant and polite. The room was a good size and fitted very well with a great bathroom. For info. to previous reviewers the hairdryer was in a thin drawer under the dressing table/mirror area and the waste bin in one of the red leather tagged drawers. If possible always have a sea view room as it is well worth the extra few pounds. In response to reviewers saying it opened too soon i would tend to agree but hindsight is a wonderful thing. A date would have had to be set many months in advance and i am sure that if the complainers had their booking cancelled late on they would have given a bad review for that too! and i am sure those with functions and weddings booked would not have been amused. The work will, i am sure, soon be fully completed. i understand that the car park is well on the way to being properly surfaced. Maybe people with complaints should speak to a manager at the time and try to resolve the issue rather than run home and 'have a go' via tripadvisor. To Summarize Lovely building in great location with wonderful views. Good food in contempory setting with waves just a few feet away. Fantastic original features by Eric Gill. Go and enjoy the place and have a walk along Morecambe Prom., look at the superb views over the Bay and see the stunning sunsets. Hope i havent gone on too much!

I, like many of the other reviewers who stopped at the Midland, am an Art Deco Architecture devotee and have watched with interest the hotels restoration. I was incredibly excited to go there but must say that I was a bit disappointed when i first saw it in the flesh, so to speak. This is only because the front elevation is ruined at the moment by huge building containers and red and white plastic barriers, nothing to do with the building itself (although if i was going to be REALLY picky I would have wanted it to be more of a brilliant white!). When we got inside it was pure chaos.......there were just hundreds of people milling around looking at it! We tried to check in at 2.00 and were told that the rooms weren't ready till 2.30. The desk staff could have had a little more decorum but this will come i'm sure with time.....anyway to cut a long story short we were eventually given our room at around 4.30. There was alot of confusion as two other guests had the same and similar surname as me! It was a room with sea view and balcony and I thought it was lovely. The only thing that let it down was a perspex panel above the sink had yet to be put up (or had fallen down!) and was propped up in the shower! There was also no hair dryer in the room, that I could find anyway! There were lots of little hidden compartments..............even the toilet was in a cupboard!!!' We made the most of our balcony and the late afternoon sunshine then went down for drinks and dinner. The atmosphere after the 'day-trippers' had gone was wonderful........very calm and it was great to actually feel like you were in a top hotel instead of a Comfort Inn! The bar tab was a little steep but the food was excellent . All in all the hotel has just opened and I expected some teething troubles. I don't think anywhere could open and run smoothly from day one. I expect the staff to become much more customer savvy in time and all the little niggles people have will be ironed out. I wouldn't tell anyone not to go as its a beautiful building, I think you will just need a bit of patience to begin with!

I booked our stay at the Midland in January and couldn't wait to go and see the end result as a I am a huge fan of Modenist and Art Deco architecture. I booked to stay with my fiance at the first opportunity... On entering the hotel was stunned with the artwork and the quality of the refurb, it was the most gorgeous entrance area and the staircase has simply to be seen to be believed! The sea views just take the breath away and we couldn't wait to see the room. We stayed on the second floor in a sea view room and the view was worth the money alone. Only complaint was the toilet was making a bit of a racket and the room had not been cleaned that well, but the staff who came to attend to it were obviously passionate about the hotel and they were so friendly, really nice people. They couldn't apologise enough about the cleaning and hoovered all around again for us. We didn't eat at the hotel as we are getting married this year and have to watch our budget, the stay was a real treat for us and worth every penny, but we did have a drink in the Rotunda which again needs to be seen to be believed. It is like a mix of the Big Brother house and Art Deco grandeur - far better than it sounds!! I would recommend the Midland to anyone, and we can't wait to return. Top tip - the toilet door is the coolest thing I have ever seen, but I won't spoil the surprise!!

All the negative comments from other contributors, I am afraid we can only echo. The hotel and its staff should not yet be exposed to the public. Both are not ready. We stayed for 2 nights - anticipating a special treat on a special occasion (my birthday).The service was poor from reception to restaurant to room service. The first day we saw absolutely no sign of management but, instead, a leaderless group of young people trying (perhaps) to do their best. All too frequently, in response to a problem we got the glib 'no problem'. This, however, never resolves a problem and serves only to irritate. We have a serious interest in architecture and have followed the ups and downs of this hotel over many years. We particularly wanted to see the work by Eric Gill. On trying to look at the famous map of Morecambe Bay we were told it was "Out of Bounds". On asking why it appears we were a "security risk" - there was a bar in an adjoining area which was unattended. This was only slightly less insulting than continually being asked "are ya' stoppin?' when approaching the lift or stairs. PLEASE,PLEASE GET IT RIGHT. We will return to give it at least another chance but rather more in hope than expectation.

Not surprised to read the earlier reviews. I have been ringing for days trying to book a room for my partner's birthday on 24th August and the phone has been unanswered or picked up and immediately put down again. Once it was answered and i was told all the receptionists were busy signing people in, someone would ring me back...Still waiting 36 hours later. Very frustrating and disappointing.

When I was a little girl in the 70's my Grandad used to work as a waiter in the Midland - it was the number 1 hotel in Morecambe then but suffered a sad decline in the 80's and 90's and closed. Having followed its progress after it was purchased by Urban Splash I was thrilled to hear, in November 2007, that an opening date had been set and immediately booked 2 rooms (for me and my husband and my Mum, a Morecambe girl) for a 3 night stay in early June 2008. That was last week and I have to say that I am really disappointed. The restoration of the building is excellent but not finished. My immediate reaction on entering reception was "Ooh, I didn't know IKEA did hotel furniture". The staff were, on the whole, lovely but clearly had not been properly trained and were struggling. One morning they ran out of orange juice at breakfast which is inexcusable given there are 2 supermarkets literally across the road! The young lady who checked us in wasn't able to direct us to our rooms but helpfully suggested that we follow the signs! No assistance was offered with our bags. The Rotunda bar prices are extortionate - £16 for 2 gin and tonics and a Coke. Apparently the bar manager was fired on opening night and 3 replacements had since come and gone - this was on day 5! My husband had to direct a bartender to the port and show him how to open it! The bedrooms are very modern, v comfy beds but only a standard double - why not Kingsize?, the bathroom was excellent, the wardrobe was difficult to access with insufficient drawer space, on arrival our lamp didn't even have a bulb in it and the loo was faulty - this was fixed with 2 hard clouts but reoccurred several times during our stay - not good enough in the 1st week! The curtains did not keep out the light making an early morning wake-up unavoidable. The worst thing about the whole experience was dinner in the restaurant on Friday night - I had booked a table in March and was stunned to find that they were only serving what could be called a pub lunch menu at best for dinner - no warning had been given and I had been looking forward to a special meal - according to the waitess the chef couldn't manage a full menu! In summary, the hotel should not have opened when it did and is not finished - the staff need much more training and the whole place needs a metaphorical bomb under it. Urban Splash's inexperience in hotels really shows and it is a desperate shame.

Having been looking forward to visiting this refurbished Art Deco gem, after years of decay and many false dawns, we were extremely disappointed when we made our visit last night. Not only was the building not finished (10 days after officially opening), but the staff seemed either bewildered or inefficient and rude ("Mind out of the way! This tray's heavy!"). The decor in the public areas, whilst not to everyone's taste, was in the spirit of the original 1930s designs, with many features tastefully restored, but the rooms were more "Swedish Travelodge" than state-of-the-art modern, with grey and dark brown being the dominant colours. However, both the public rooms and bedrooms were dirty and ill-finished, and the car park was little more than a work site covered in dusty aggregate which brought more dirt into the place. The only lift was not working properly, stranding a wheelchair-bound lady guest upstairs. After being promised food to be delivered to their room, and getting none after a long delay, there followed a loud and embarrassing scene between the lady's husband and manager - with the sympathy of all witnesses being towards the husband. The quality of the evening meal was good, except that the service was slow (cold plates + late vegetables = cold food). Equally, the breakfast service was slow and of a limited choice (no menus available). The guests on the table next to us were still waiting for their coffee after more than 25 minutes. All the fellow residents we spoke to felt equally disappointed. One couple we met decided to check-out early as they couldn't bear another night. This is tragic. The building is beautiful and still has so much potential and, given a half-decent management team, should eventually succeed - if the hotel lasts that long. Morecambe is not a resort anyone goes to nowadays unless they are forced, and the Midland needs to be a destination in its own right. But to pay £140 b&b for a double room in Morecambe is at the high end of the price spectrum and rooms will not be easy to sell, particularly off-season. We had hoped to be able to recommend the Midland to friends and family. Instead, we will tell them not to bother going, unless things change radically. Urban Splash (the developers) must have been under a very tight schedule to allow the handover. This will not do their reputation any good at all.

We stayed at this hotel, literally three days after it had opened after hearing about the refurbishment. We had a wonderful stay and were blown away by the "new look" after all these years. The hotel was still not fully completed and workmen were frantically working around us but this did not alter our experience. We found the staff to be helpful and keen to please, food also wonderful, although not the complete menu choice was available was adequate and wonderfully presented. We wish everyone involved in this project all the best and we will return again and recommend for sure. Keep up the good work!!!!