Liverpool Liner Hotel

My wife and I have now stayed there twice, for 2 nights at the end of July and for 1 night on 5th October 2006, this stay being complimentary to make up for the disaster of the first stay!

First stay: 2 nights in 3 different rooms.

1st room - Filthy mattress with stains near pillow end - sheet too small to cover mattress and no valance. Moved to second room.

2nd room - Used towel hanging in bathroom with stain. Recently fitted double glazed window not "made good" - bare wood wedges exposed and not plastered in. Radiator cover below not secured and hanging loose - fell over when touched. Broken hinge on folding vanity unit, so it would not stay open. Large pool of congealed coffee on unit - appeared to have been there for some time.

3rd room - Moved to suite by Marketing Director. Would have been very nice except for missing section of curtain rail next to bed that allowed morning light to fall directly on your face, and 3 out of 4 milk cartons were sour and solid!

The Liverpool Liner Hotel was roasting inside. We eventually obtained a fan after several phone calls.

After sending a letter of complaint we were offered a complimentary night, which we accepted. For this stay we had 2 rooms.

1st room - 2 dirty cups and teapot, toilet had been used and bed sat on. Went straight back to reception where we found Duty Manager. Informed him of problems and he remarked that we were the second couple that had complained about it!!

He accompanied us to the 2nd room - wall paper coming off wall over bed, dirty bed valance and security chain broken and lying on trouser press. We requested refund for original stay so we could change hotel, but this was refused. Letter from General Manager had instructed us "not to hesitate to contact him personally". Requested this of DM, but we were informed that the GM was a very busy man and was in a meeting, but he would try to speak to him.

In the lift the next morning we again met the DM. He went to speak to the GM, returned and said that if we would wait a few minutes he and the GM would return to speak to us. After 15 minutes the DM returned and said the GM was too busy to speak to us, so we left!!

Note that this hotel charges a £50 deposit.

One positive point - there is free parking in a secure compound - shame that the best bays next to the hotel are all reserved for staff, leaving guests to walk the greater distance with their luggage!!!

The liner theme is a nice touch, and the hotel has potential, but the management setup and quality control needs improving!

I have given the Liverpool Liner Hotel top marks for location because we wanted the Empire Theatre, and it was literally just across the road. It is also in a good location for Lime Street Station. I don't know about other attractions. Anyway, when we arrived the key card machine was broken so we had to be escorted to our room by somebody with a pass key. A while later, we discovered that we couldn't put the bathroom light on because you had to put your key in the slot. I had to go to reception for a blank key card.

We had a light meal in the bar in the evening, which was empty apart from us. Food was fine. Had to be escorted back to our room again to gain entry. Went to theatre, came back and had to be escorted to our room AGAIN! This was becoming a pain, as they had to find a member of staff to do it every time.

The room was fine, and the beds were comfortable. The bathroom was spotless, but there were iron-shaped burns on the carpet under the ironing board.

Breakfast was a decent hot and cold buffet. You need a token to exit the car park, which nobody told us, so having driven to the exit, we had to park the car again, go back inside and get a token. Whenever we were in the hotel it always seemed deserted apart from us, until we got to bed, and then all hell broke loose in the corridors. It was noisy both inside and out all night.

The hotel decor is supposed to be like an ocean liner, but I can't say I really noticed. It looked quite new and modern.

All in all, it was OK, and ideal for the theatre. Not bad.