Great Western Hotel

I hate to write a bad review about anything but we stayed here on Saturday 11th April having missed our last train home. Its location is good being right next to the station but that is it! The rooms are appalling. The room we had had clearly been smoked in and you could smell smoke throughout the hotel. Rooms are very dated, Walls are thin and we were convinced someone was going to come through the ceiling as we could hear the people upstairs walking around. We only stayed here due to how late it was and that we had to catch an early... more

The staff were o.k but the rooms were very dated. Although clean the rooms need a good makeover. Don't use this hotel if you need parking as for the most part all carparks around are pay and display. (£6.50 per 24 hrs) The room walls are paper thin, hence two sleepless nights. No security at night was evident -anyone can walk in to the darkened reception area at night and up to the rooms. The dining area was fine and the breakfast very nice. The hotel is sited on a double roundabout so you need your wits about you... more

Stayed in the hotel for a function in their restaurant. The standard of service and the quality of the meal I had were of a very high standard with the food hot and well presented on the plate. The real ales at the bar were up to their usual high standard and the service at the bar was good considering it was very busy at the time, although another member of staff or two on duty would not have gone amiss, especially as it was a Saturday night and the usual busy turnover this generates along with the amount of people attending the... more

Stayed here twice in December when on buisness in Exeter. The first time I was shown to a room (0 degrees outside temp) where the heating wasn't working neither were the bathroom lights. Asked for a room change & was given one - I pointed out the reasons to reception who seemed disinterested. Stayed again 2 weeks later - shown to the same room! Unbelievable - Same problem! No heating, no lights!! Asked for room change again pointing out that I had notified them of the issues in that room 2 weeks ago - received a wry smile for my... more

Ok , here goes. This is a slightly run down Hotel. If your used to having a lovely luxury room, forget it now. This Hotel is down to earth basic. I ate here last Friday, it was great. The bar has a fantastic choice of beers, its a real traditional bar with traditional food. The staff are really friendly, couldn't do enough for us. We did not stay here so cannot comment on the rooms. The location is great for the railway station ( a minute walk) Exeter center is 10-15 mins walk, partly up a hill. Don't stay here... more

Very poor. Tired, cramped and a kind of dirty feel to it. I stayed one night and frankly it was one night too many. The next night I stayed in a Travelodge and it was SO much better.

I stayed at this hotel in early April 2007. The standard of the rooms and service were, quite frankly appalling considering the extortionate price I was charged. The food was mediocre and extremely expensive. I was told by a regular in the hotel bar that staff rarely last long here, including chef's, because the current management pay extremely poor wages. Suffice to say that I will look elsewhere in future....

I picked this hotel as it was very handy for the railway station and it had a very extensive range of real ales on in the bar. The beer in the bar was excellent - a good choice and in good condition. My room was a single and quite small, but did look out to the front of the hotel (rather than looking out on a brick wall or a kitchen or something). The decor was a little faded, but no real complaints. Shower/toilet area was small, but adequate. Only gripe was the alarm clock/radio was faulty, which I pointed out to staff when I... more

Some people say that the great western hotel was bad but as you can see by the reviews they were a long time ago and i have just gone recently and i thought it was fabulous! The restaurant food was fabulous and they had a good selection of food in the bar and restaurant and good choice of drinks. Even though the shower rooms were a bit small, but apart from that it was fabulous. I also heard that they are re-furbishing the restaurant bar and reception. My overall view was an excellent place to stay and the services were quite good as-well... more

Read the previous comments. I would like to add my own, I stayed in this, so called, hotel in March. As a none smoker I requested when I booked for a non-smoking room. The request came back as 'requested' On arrival I checked in, looking at the decor which hadn't been changed from the days of steam! I thought then it was a bad move to stay. Bath or shower was the first question - in this day and age don't you get both? I was okay a bath in my room and a shared shower!!!then upto my room passed the bar and up throught the old fashioned... more

My family and I stayed here on 23Nov05. It was the last family room available in Exeter. The room looked okay, so we decided to have dinner at the pub. The dinner was good. After dinner, we retired to our room. About 3 am, my husband noticed a bug on his bed and flicked it off. I said that I hope it isn't a bed bug, thinking of course not! Upon hearing "bedbug", our 12 year old woke up and discovered 5 bedbugs. Her bed was infested with them. The bedbugs were also crawling on the walls. Now it is 3:15 am, and every one's skin is crawling. I... more

This is the worst hotel I have ever stayed at in England. If like I was, you ever have the misfortune to be forced to stay in Exeter, then do not stay in this run down, over the hill, once grand now grotty, zero star hotel. My unfortunate experience included: It started with the key not fitting the door. Followed by large cracks in the ceiling roof. The Bedroom floor was on a slant, it was like sleeping on the side of a hill. The Room’s central heating was stuck on and the temperature became unbearable. A fan... more