Best Western Clifton Hotel

We stayed in May 2017. We arrived late after a very long journey. Parking is very difficult in the area of the hotel. The Clifton is undergoing a major refurbishment. It is covered in scaffolding and tarpaulins. Inside it was shabby. Narrow corridors, a tiny arthritic lift and confusing signage. It looked like a refit was long overdue. We checked in. The reception area was cramped and looked chaotic. A large party of German visitors had just arrived. The queue blocked the reception area and the corridor and spread out down the steps and onto the street. If this was their first experience of UK hotels , I pity them.We went up to our 4th floor room which looked more tired than we did. We went straight out to eat. On our return we discovered a cockroach in the room. I returned to reception, complained about the unwelcome guest and a member of staff came and killed it. To be fair, we were offered another room but we declined. We had no expectation of any other room being any less grim. It was late at night. We did not sleep much, the bed was cramped and uncomfortable with the headboard end noticeably lower that the foot end. In the morning I went into the bathroom. I found a second cockroach in the shower. I then noticed the general level of grime present in the shower and on the shower curtain. It was quite appalling. A member of staff came and killed the intruder . We demanded and were given a full refund. Breakfast was a dreary affair and the whole experience was like Faulty Towers , but without the humour. The hotel should have closed for refurbishment. It should not continue to trade whilst in this state. less

We have been using this Hotel over twenty years,and sorry to say we had a disappointing stay this time.When we booked we were told the building would be surrounded by scaffolding,no problem.On arrival we had to make our way through builders sitting either side of the entrance stairway and this seemed to be their meeting place.Inside,parts were closed off,temporary bar and dining area.Ok the Hotel needed a refurbishment but we were not told that there would be any internal disruption.Breakfast used to be waiter service in a pleasant dining room,now it was buffet in a windowless room.Only mushrooms in one hot container available,had to ask for other food on three occasions,it doesn't take much to have someone making sure food is constantly topped up.Having decided to do these major renovations while still trading ,proper warning should be given or rates reduced.lets hope all is back to normal soon. less

We arrived at the Clifton Hotel at 0415am due to an overbook at Hilton Gatwick! As I feared it was a dump! It did not bode well that the outside was covered in scaffolding and builders net draping. There was no car park and we had to squeeze into a very small space in the parking area at the front - luckily there was just one space. We checked in - reception was a grotty area with loose wiring and untidy, ancient shelving piled with folders and paper(nothing like the pictures on the website) - and the male receptionist while very pleasant made no apology for the state of the place. It was like Fawlty Towers - awful old patterned carpet, flock wallpaper, dado rails and a warren of higgledy piggledy narrow corridors just wide enough for one person, the lift would only take one person plus baggage at a time so we had to travel to the 4th floor in shifts. Upstairs the corridors were narrow and uneven, more twists and turns, up steps, down steps, up slopes down slopes than I could count. We finally reached our room - tired and old fashioned, small double bed with only one pillow each and a very uncomfortable mattress with a join across the middle - and eventually got into bed at 4.27am! Our bathroom was very old and dilapidated, cheap lino floor, an avocado bathroom suite and grotty shower curtain plus the noisiest fan ever. So, imagine my surprise when I was woken early (between 0730 and 0800) by the sound of workmen talking and drilling - oh and also I heard a strange noise at the window which upon investigation turned out to be a workman scraping paint off the window frame - 4 bloody floors up!!! That was it - furious and fully awake I thought OK I will make some tea, NO only coffee in the tray!!! I didn't even bother to shower (I knew it would be rubbish and my husband confirmed this)and went for breakfast, I just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible - breakfast was through another maze, single file of course, passing workmen frequently to arrive in a poky little room where a selection of hot and cold breakfast was laid out. We asked for fried eggs, along with another lady, as only scrambled were offered, these were to arrive in a couple of minutes. Eventually, 10 minutes later, another gentleman asked as to the whereabouts of the eggs to be told sharply that they were coming and had to be cooked to order. When they arrived a few minutes after this they were barely cooked. This is an awful hotel, the staff are friendly and helpful and I am sure that the location is great but this does not make up for the fact that it is a mess. less

We made a late booking online and was very impressed with the online photos. When we arrived the Building was cloaked in scaffolding and a major refurbishment program was underway I was given a single room which was very scruffy and tired and contained a terrible old and worn out single bed, dirty carpets and a shower with a broken door which consequently flooded the floor whilst in use.To date this has to be the worst hotel i have ever stayed in,why they cannot close down and push this much needed refurbishment forward only proves they have only have one thing in mind and that's money. One positive,, the staff were very helpful and genuinely sorry. PLEASE DO THE RIGHT THING AND CLOSE DOWN AND THEN REFURBISH!!! less

Booked here for one night as a stopover, cheap deal with breakfast. We knew that it was being refurbished. Yes, it's tired, yes it's covered in scaffolding with a temporary reception, and yes it needs doing... But notwithstanding all of that the staff worked really hard to make it a pleasant stay. The room was ok, breakfast was good, and the future plans suggest this will be a lovely hotel once completed.. At present book in the knowledge things are a little disrupted, and accept it's priced accordingly. less