I stayed here with my family for a funeral / wake.
Check in was fine, only one room was ready but that was to be expected. as it was only 11.30.
On our return there was some confusion with the single person being allocated the twin room but it was soon sorted.
The room was very tired, with worn and damaged furniture, the ceiling in the bathroom was mouldy ( there was no working ventilation ), the toilet roll holder was broken, the towels were very fluffy and the entire suite was clean, the bed and pillows were very comfortable.
We booked dinner which was uneventful except for me getting the incorrect starter but it was no problem, i just went with the alternative.
We retired to the bar after dinner ( the seating was very comfortable). However, I was disappointed not to be offered at least a slice of lemon in the G & T's. But worse was to come, the young gentleman behind the bar was lifting a handful of ice holding it in his hand and letting it melt back in o the ice bucket! One of my party spoke to the lady who was also working and she said no that was not acceptable and that she would speak to him.
I know its not a huge thing but there were a couple of bulbs out in the beautiful lights in the bar area which was a shame.
Breakfast was OK except for a couple of problems, the sausage smelt bad ( I regret not mentioning the sausage thing as 2 members of my party commented ) I just pushed it to one side, the black pudding was tasteless ( disappointing for the home of black pudding).but for me the worst thing was the carpet which i( n more than one place ) was raised making it a possible trip hazard..
We checked out and thought that was the end of it but...... I got home to find there had been an overcharge on my bill. I contacted the hotel 24 hours later to be informed that the breakfast charge had been duplicated and had now been refunded to my card, disappointing that no one thought to email or call me to inform me of this overcharge.
At this point i decided to respond to the request to review the hotel.
I pointed out the problems that had been incurred and the response was sadly quite surprising.
Dear Carole Bremner,
> Thank you for completing the survey regarding your recent stay at our property.
>
> On behalf of our entire team, I would like to apologise for not exceeding your expectations. Your satisfaction is important to us and we will be using the feedback you gave us to implement improvements to ensure we offer a better experience for guests in the future.
>
> Our food is cooked fresh each morning and we follow strict food guidelines so we wouldn't serve food going off. We are awaiting parts for the bar lights as they are not standard bulbs. The bar staff should have served lemon with your G&T and apologies they didn't but they didn't stick their hand in the ice bucket and let it melt off, there is a clear scoop that's kept in the bucket which you've not seen.
>
> Please accept my apologies for the error with your bill and cleanliness of your room, I will bring this up with the reception staff and housekeeping to rectify.
>
> I hope that you will consider staying with us again so that we can have another chance to provide you with a superior experience.
>
> If I can provide any assistance, please don't hesitate to contact me directly at 01382 480033. >
> Yours sincerely,
>
> Nikki Robertson
> General Manager
> Best Western Dundee Woodlands Hotel
I was a little disappointed with the response - I've never been accused of lying ( even it was only about a sausage and an ice bucket) .
I felt my criticism was justified and was a little taken aback with the response from Nikki Robertson.
What is the point of requesting your opinion if the response is going to be so aggressive?
I did try replying to Nikki Robertson direct but my email was undeliverable and there is no other contact information.
An unloved hotel makes customers feel under valued which in turn leaves staff also feeling under valued. less