Best Western Hotels GB Reviews 

I stayed at The Lakeland Hotel – a Best Western hotel by the station in Kendal – and it turned into one of the worst travel experiences I've ever had.

Not long after checking in and going to bed, I began to notice painful bites on my body, which turned out to be caused by bed bugs. I was bitten multiple times and when I alerted the staff they advised they didn’t have an alternative room and instead offered just a change of sheets. As a result I had to leave the hotel in the middle of the night due to the severity of the situation. It was distressing, unhygienic, and completely unacceptable.

Since then, it has now been over 3½ weeks, and we have called multiple times and sent several emails to both the hotel directly and to Best Western’s Careline. Despite all our efforts, we’ve received no response whatsoever — no apology, no explanation, and no offer of compensation.

This experience has caused physical discomfort, stress, and additional out-of-pocket expenses for emergency accommodation. But even worse is the complete lack of accountability or concern shown by the hotel and the Best Western brand.

I strongly advise others to think very carefully before booking here. A hotel should offer a safe, clean environment and, at the very least, take responsibility when things go wrong. In this case, both the hotel and Best Western have failed badly and we’ve had to now go public with our views which we wouldn’t have had we received an acceptable level of customer service

I stayed at the St James Hotel in Nottingham from 20th–22nd December 2024 and it was a very poor experience.

The room was absolutely tiny, the windows didn’t close properly, and it was freezing cold throughout my stay. On the second morning, the fire alarm went off at 7am. There was no explanation, no apology, and nobody available at the front desk to speak to – which seemed to be the case the whole time I was there.

I contacted the hotel afterwards but never received any response. Expedia also tried to reach out on my behalf, but with no luck. For spending over £120, all I’ve been offered is a £25 voucher from Expedia, which doesn’t come close to compensating for such a bad experience.

I would strongly recommend avoiding this hotel.

This was my first stay at a Best Western hotel, and I’m not sure I’d be in a hurry to return.

Valley Hotel (Ironbridge)

Check-in was smooth, though most of it was completed online beforehand. On arrival, the room felt underwhelming. The tea and coffee tray was fine, but there was only one bottle of water provided for two guests. Something as simple as one per person would have met expectations. The décor in places could do with touching up, and cables had been crudely tacked along the wall. The bed initially seemed comfortable, but more on that later.

We had dinner in the restaurant and couldn’t fault the food or service. Breakfast was also tasty and well presented, with friendly staff. Unfortunately, the experience was disrupted when the fire alarm went off. Guests were directed outside, but no headcount was done at the assembly point, and upon returning I noticed that no staff had directed anyone to the nearest emergency exit. This felt concerning from a safety perspective.

The lack of soundproofing was a real issue. We could hear absolutely everything from the neighbouring room, from light switches and the toilet seat to conversations and even the bathroom fan that ran constantly. Once in bed, the pillows proved very poor, offering no support and resulting in a restless night. The information pack stated extra pillows were available in the wardrobe, but this wasn’t the case, so we had to call reception for more. Unfortunately they were just as uncomfortable.

The bathroom was also disappointing. The shower was awkwardly positioned under a sloping ceiling, meaning I kept hitting my head. The complimentary toiletries were basic and felt cheap.

There are no lifts in the hotel, so be prepared for stairs. Around the property, at the bar, reception, and even on the back of the room door, there were QR codes and tap-to-pay devices for staff tips. While I appreciate staff recognition, the presentation felt overbearing and somewhat off-putting.

Overall, the food and service in the restaurant were excellent, but the room, noise issues, poor sleep quality, and safety concerns significantly let the experience down. Unfortunately, a comfortable night’s rest is the main reason we stayed, and on that front the hotel failed to deliver.

Best Western Ipswich - disgusting, dirty, run down, dump outside area next to accommodation. Unhelpful staff, inability to do the simplest of tasks. I would never stay at a Best Western again. Bugs everywhere, stale, damp smell in rooms, toilet doesn’t flush, run down. Would give it minus stars if I could.

Appalling.

It isn't actually a real company nor is it a franchisee like Marriott. Instead it is a banner organisation that is mothing more than a logo.

Tried four times to use Best Rate Guarantee (BRG) for a property. Rejected every claim, for example for not showing a 'cents' value on a foreign currency that has no lower denomination. Utter frauds.

Hotel in question then charged us for the full stay after telling us - and continuing to tell us - we had no booking.

I'll skip the actual state of the BW properties we've used in the UK recently but generally they were poor.

Final recommendation... avoid joining their membership scheme - no actual benefits - and ALWAYS book through a consolidator like Agoda.

Best Western Hotel Hembury Lodge Bristol.
My wife and I loved our stay at this hotel. The staff were just great - friendly, helpful and nothing was too much trouble. We thought the food was excellent - top marks to the chef for the best, home made pie we have tasted for many a year. Starters and dessert also worthy of mention. The morning was started by a first class breakfast. What more could one want.
The hotel itself is beautifully decorated in the old styles - v interesting pictures on the walls tell their own story many from the history of the pub. The furniture is sumptuous and envelops you in comfort.
Will visit again on our way south from Lincolnshire. Highly recommended

This was the 3rd time we have used this hotel for Park and Cruise. First time the room was excellent, 2nd time the bed was a double, so this 3rd time I paid £20 to up grade the room via their email.
We were put in room 15. This room is SMALLER than their standard rooms and would make make a Hobbit feel squashed. Not sure where they get the idea of Executive Double at a lower grade to a Standard from? I would not recommend paying any extra money for this room....it is terrible. BUT that wasn't the main issue. When I tried to open the window (it was the middle of a heat wave) it fell off the runner where it had already been broken. Went off to reception to report it. I was told by the man covering reception that there were no other rooms available as they were fully booked, but he would like to come to the room shortly and see if he fix it before calling maintenance. I went back to the room. AND WAITED, AND WAITED. After 20 mins the wife went to reception to be told that this man had gone off for his break but we were offered a small refund as we would have to stay in the room. He did eventually turn up, looked at the window, said it was broken and would call maintenance whilst we went out for our evening meal.
On our return reception told us that Room 2 had become available and would we like to move. This is a fantastic room, and even though we refused the offer of the refund we/reception decided the £20 upgrade fee would be waived.

So well done to the reception team for sorting out the problem, but thumbs down for Room 15, the window and the service during that problem

PS We will return next year, but we'll ask for a specific room and not get caught out again

The Best Western Rembrandt Hotel in Weymouth.

Not including the row caused by one of the guests on Friday night who returned to the hotel drunk and proceeded to scream the place down and then drive off drunk...

We found our room unbearably hot and had to keep the windows open to be able to tolerate it. Unfortunately the person who liked to race down the road in the middle of the night (every night) on his scooter/motorbike had little consideration for everyone's sleep. If the room had not been so hot, we would have been able to close the windows. It was peculiar as the hallways were perfectly cool...

The worst part of our experience was on Sunday. I went to go and wake my daughters up, and as I walked through the door outside our room, I felt something on my foot. I instinctively kicked out and noticed A RAT that had run over my foot (I was in sandals) flying ahead of me!!! I tried to chase it down the stairs in the hope it would go down into the foyer and run out the door, but the RAT decided it wanted to go back up the stairs. It was trapped by the doors, so I went downstairs to inform a member of staff. The member of staff on duty said she would help but couldn't leave reception. When I quietly informed her it was a mouse or a rat, she called a colleague for assistance. She then got a small bin and came upstairs and managed to trap it under the bin. The member of staff had to wait around 15 minutes for another member of staff to come to her aid. Meanwhile, whilst she was waiting for assistance, I had to lead my children to our room past the upturned bin without drawing attention to it. Thankfully after we came out to go down for breakfast, the RAT had been relocated. I did admittedly struggle to eat my breakfast due to the implications of having a RAT in the hotel.

I did my very best to be discrete about the RAT, but there was another guest who witnessed it's arrival.

I didn't inform my partner until we were in our car ready to leave as she has a massive phobia of RATS. If I had told her of the incident when it occurred, she would have screamed the hotel down! God knows what would of happened if it had gone in our room had it not followed me through the other door!

Having a RAT run over my foot whilst on the first floor of a hotel is unacceptable and should never be allowed to happen. It brings up all sorts of questions regarding H&S, food standards and cleanliness.

I contacted the General Manager who offered a minimal refund (less than 7%), and after I replied saying I was still not happy, his reply was curt and very dismissive. The Best Western head office was completely perfunctory.

As mentioned, I am obviously distressed by the incident, but also concerned about the H&S, food standards and cleanliness situation for other guests at the Best Western Rembrandt Hotel in Weymouth.

Boycot all best western hotels, want your money now they cant get millions for housing illegal immigrants!!!

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Your reviews

The Queen at Chester Hotel, BW Premier Collection

Chester, United Kingdom
You are of no importance to staff
August 2025
Queued out of the door for over half an hour to check in. Asked if our champagne was ready in the room. It wasn't. Went for a pre booked meal at VA but told to come half hour early as chef was busy. We hadn't even unpacked. Got back to room at 9pm for the champagne still not to be there. Another trip down to reception and had to fetch back myself. Disgusting customer service. Following morning went to breakfast at 7.50 and most of the food was cold. Really not good. Went out for the day and when we returned the bin hadn't been emptied in our room, the tv wasn't working and the bed wasn't made properly. Again a trip to reception to complain. Went out for food and on our return the tv was fixed by the other things werent rectified even though they had been promised. Staff shouldnt promise if they cant fulfil. Was just a number and of no importance to any member of staff. Definitely won't recommend this hotel

BEST WESTERN GLASGOW HOTEL

The best I can say is, that it was a marvelous experience 😊because:
Mohamed from Egypt welcomed us with warmth and 🤩 Next dear kind, beautiful and smiling Jade made my point score at best Western with glad fun☺️You all the way around help us with kindness and smiles: the parking, bikes, breakfast and adapter🤩🙏THANKS 😘
Thanks to Adam for making our departure easier and perfect 🤩
Again- a heartly thanks for your service, support, smiles and kindness 🤗🥰Just a marvelous stay❤️So- are you gyro Glasgow- please don’t hesitate to book your staying here☺️I can only recommend it❤️

Dear [Manager's Name / Best Western Customer Relations],

I am writing to formally express my disappointment and concern regarding the handling of my wedding booking at the Best Western Plough and Harrow Hotel, which has unfortunately led to us cancelling our plans entirely due to the lack of communication, empathy, and support from the venue.

My partner and I originally chose your hotel after a personal recommendation from my mother-in-law, who attended a family wedding at your venue previously. We initially spoke with Emma Griffiths on 5th February 2024, who left us with such a positive impression that we decided to book our wedding for 5th April 2025 without even exploring other options. We paid a £1,000 deposit and signed the contract, reassured by the professionalism and warmth Emma provided.

However, after 23rd April 2024, we received no further communication from Emma. I sent an email on 11th October 2024 regarding a possible date change due to new visa requirements that could impact our European guests, but received no response. Repeated calls to the hotel were unsuccessful until I was eventually informed that Emma had left the company some time ago, and that Mr. Paul Smyth had taken over.

I was disappointed not to have been informed earlier of this important staff change, especially as we were working with Emma closely. Mr. Smyth explained that he had prioritised contacting weddings scheduled for 2024 first, but I still feel that the lack of communication was unacceptable, given we had already paid and were relying on timely updates.

I did not feel the same confidence or connection with Mr. Smyth, and much of the warmth and personal touch that influenced our decision to choose your venue was lost. Despite this, he did accommodate a date change to 13th September 2025 following our visa concerns, and requested an additional £1,300 payment, which we made.

Later, on 21st March 2025, I contacted Mr. Smyth again with another deeply personal request. My mother-in-law had just been diagnosed with breast cancer, and we were concerned about her health and appearance in the wedding photos. I asked to reschedule once more, this time to 12th September 2026, to give her the chance to recover.

While Mr. Smyth agreed to this date change, he imposed a £1,000 penalty fee. Although I appreciate his willingness to accommodate us, I was surprised by the lack of compassion shown during what is an incredibly emotional and stressful time for our family. This change provided the hotel with ample time to rebook the original date, and we were more than willing to provide proof of the medical situation if required.

Ultimately, due to these repeated issues and emotional strain, we made the difficult decision to cancel the wedding entirely. I informed Mr. Smyth by email and stated that we understood the loss of our £1,000 deposit. However, I did ask whether the £1,300 payment could be refunded or partially returned, but received no reply to this or any previous messages.

To this day, I have not received a response.

This experience has been incredibly disappointing. What should have been a joyful and exciting time became stressful and disheartening. The lack of communication, empathy, and professionalism from the hotel has led us to completely lose trust in the service, and I am genuinely relieved that we are no longer planning our wedding at your venue.

I am now formally requesting a review of our case, and kindly ask for consideration of a refund or partial refund of the £1,300 that was paid in good faith. We believe this to be a reasonable request given the circumstances, and we hope Best Western as a brand will uphold a higher standard of care than what we have experienced so far.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I would appreciate a response within 14 days.

Sincerely,

One of the worst hotel chains on the planet.

They say the local community is important to them but then sold themselves out to the government to house illegal immigrants the biggest danger to the children and woman in the local community

Use to be a customer of these hotels a lot. Will never use again now they are housing illegal immigrants. Please boycott Best Western Hotels

My three night stay at the Best Western hotel and Spa Heronston was very good, I spent three nights and took my dog with me and it couldnt have been better.

I truly worry about the wellbeing of animals, so I'm disappointed by Best Western's refusal to address the cage-free issues I have been hearing about.

Please be very careful when staying at The Connaught Hotel and Spa, Bournemouth.
Our room at this hotel was entered by a person using a staff key card and a substantial number of valuables and items of clothing were stolen. The burglar has been apprehended and jailed, but we are still waiting for recompense from the hotel 5 months later. There has been no explanation as to how the staff key was accessed despite the hotel confirming that this was used to enter our room, when the housekeeper was at home.
We have had no apology from anyone, and Best Western, whose branding is on the hotel refuse to get involved.
It is deeply concerning to think that one is not safe to even leave clothing in a room at this hotel as no responsibility for its disappearance will be accepted by the management, should it be stolen in this manner.
An extremely distressing and ongoing experience for my wife and me.

Wanted a place to stay near the Brecon Beacons and having had favourable experiences at Best Western hotels in the past, booked a two night stay at their hotel in Ebbw Vale.
Driving along a back road to the hotel, a sinking feeling began to build. Only about a dozen parking spaces, and when contractors vans are parked up as well, you have to take your chances leaving your car out in the not so desirable road.

Went into reception, and things started to look up. Receptionist was very pleasant and welcoming, as it turned out, so we're the rest of the staff we met.

Sadly that was pretty much the only plus point about the hotel.

The restaurant area is basically like a cafe.
Depending on the day of the week, determines if evening meals are available. We arrived on a Monday, which turned out to be one of those where the kitchen is closed. When it is open, apparently it is from around 17:30 to 20:00.
Breakfast on the first morning.....
The omelette served up to my wife was black on one side, and just about cooked on the inside. My breakfast roll came out with one piece of barely cooked bacon, and a sausage. As I finished the roll, the cook placed another sausage on my plate, saying he did me another one as he dropped the other one that was meant to have gone in the roll.
Second morning, bravely went for breakfast again, believing it couldn't be as bad as the previous day. The cook was trying to juggle cooking and dealing with a supplier, and the lady that was meant to be helping him, had gone walkabout. So he was stressing and the food was paying the price.
I thought I would go for something simple....how hard can it be to cook up a scrambled eggs on toast. Well, as it turned out, very hard as I was served toast with what looked like eggs that had be left too long in the pan, gone brown/dried skin appearance and minced up in a blender to try and hide the fact. It was tasteless and did not get eaten.
But something even worse....my wife thought she would go for another omelette but this time just keep it simple, and asked for a cheese omelette.
What came back was a omelette that this time was thankfully not burnt but....the cheese used was not grated cheese, but a couple of slices of the squares used for burgers.
Thank goodness we dined out in the evenings because the amount of money BW charge for breakfast, and what they would charge for evening meals depending on what you ordered, is simply not worth it. Absolutely the worst experience have ever encountered at any hotel. The cook should have been embarrassed serving that up.

To the hotel itself....
Plus point, the room was clean and tidy. As there were sheets of plasterboard in the corridors, I presume some form of refurbishment was taking place, although there was no mention of this at point of booking or checking in. The bathroom was compact. No toilet roll holder. Shower fittings had not been assembled correctly. Rain shower fittings had more water coming out over the top than through the shower head itself, as did the hand help shower. Both were probably missing the rubber seals/washers that are meant to be between hose and fittings.
Something potentially a bit more to be alarmed about...the basin tap. As far as I am aware, UK regs say that hot tap to the left, cold tap to the right. The bathroom basin has a mixer tap, so swivelled the lever to the right, lifted the lever expecting cold water, and soon got very hot water.
Feed pipes fitted the incorrect way round. Could potentially cause an injury to a guest.
Heating....you do not have any control over heating in your room. There is no air conditioning, you open a window (we had one that would open, and one thankfully that did. Heating (radiator) is controlled be reception.

So in summary....
Positives,
Staff
Clean room

Negatives,
Location of hotel,
Inadequate parking,
Food,
Price for what you get.
No control over heating/ventilation in the room.
Overall experience.

Best Wester group. This hotel is so far below the standards expected and paid for compared to experiences at other hotels of yours visited. So bad it made Travelodge look good.

You should refund the breakfast charge at least.
Will think twice before booking with Best Western again, if this is now the standard you offer.

Stayed at Best Western Hotel Andover for one night. Flaking paint and rust on towel radiator,no flush button on toilet, human excrement on bed base,stains on head board,loose wires on radiator,undesirable brown substance around sink overflow,wall light hanging off wall and cupboard and drawer fixtures hanging off.Paid £159 for one night to stay in this horrendous bedroom.