Best Western The Hilcroft Hotel — Hotel in Great Britain

I stayed at this hotel about a month ago and found it to be something of a hidden surprise, particularly in terms of its cosy atmosphere. While I’m unsure if it’s officially rated as three or four stars, it’s definitely not a five-star establishment. Nevertheless, it had everything one might need for a comfortable stay.

The standout feature for me was the bathroom in my room. I’m one of those people who check the bathroom first thing upon arrival, and this one did not disappoint. After a tiring journey and coming off the back of a big holiday, I was feeling rundown and desperately needed a good soak. The bath was exactly what I needed, and with some bath salts, it turned into the perfect relaxing experience.

The room itself was tidy, clean, modern, and thankfully free of any unpleasant odours like sweat or smoke that sometimes linger in hotels. The hotel gave off a peaceful "village" or out-of-town vibe, which I found appealing. It’s not centrally located, though. Initially, I thought the hotel was in Edinburgh, but it’s quite far from the city. After hiring a car at the airport, it took about 30 minutes to drive there. Parking at the hotel was very easy and, importantly, free.

One small issue with the location was that the entrance is a bit tricky to spot. I drove past it the first time and had to slow down to find the quick turn. Fortunately, there are two entrances, so even if you miss one, you can easily turn in without needing a U-turn.

The reception staff were polite but didn’t leave a lasting impression. I wouldn’t say they were rude, but I didn’t feel much of a connection with them during my interactions.

My stay was booked by my company and included an evening meal and a drink. While these are nice additions, the hotel had some notable drawbacks. First, there are no lifts, so if your room is on the first floor and you have mobility issues or heavy luggage, it could be a challenge. I personally struggled to carry my suitcase up the stairs, though I managed since it was just a one-time effort during check-in and check-out.

During my stay, I noticed a lot of construction workers were lodging at the hotel, which meant the parking lot was often filled with commercial vehicles and vans. This didn’t bother me personally, but it might be worth noting for others.

Now for the biggest downside: the pillows. The bed itself was comfortable, but the pillows were absolutely awful. They felt like sleeping on pavement slabs. After the first night, I woke up feeling like I’d been run over by a steamroller. The sleep quality was so poor that I asked the staff if they had any softer pillows, but they said all the pillows were the same. On the second night, I ended up rolling up my hoodie as a makeshift pillow, and it made a huge difference. I even contemplated going to a 24-hour Tesco to buy a pillow, but the hassle of carrying it back stopped me. This issue significantly affected my overall experience, as I felt drained at work the next day due to lack of sleep.

Regarding the included meal, I didn’t end up eating at the hotel as there were no halal options. The dining area also felt more like a pub than a restaurant, which didn’t appeal to me. Instead, I found some great halal kebab shops about a five-minute drive away in Bathgate, which worked out perfectly.

Final Thoughts: This hotel offers a pleasant, cosy stay with a modern and clean room, a great bathroom, and convenient parking. However, the lack of lifts and the terrible pillows were significant downsides. If the hotel could improve the pillow situation, it would make a world of difference for future guests. Overall, I’d rate my stay as positive, but the poor sleep quality left me feeling less...

My wife and I stayed here for a couple of nights and it was a very good experience. I booked the hotel through Booking.com for £151.20 for the two nights for bed and breakfast, so quite a good rate if the hotel was okay. ||I sent a message to the hotel through the Booking.com website to let them know that we would not be arriving until between three and four in the morning, and to request a room close to reception to allow us to get to bed immediately on arrival. They messaged back fairly quickly to let me know that this would be done.||On arrival we got parked no problem at all in the large, free car park, and we never had any problems throughout our stay finding a parking spot.||The night receptionist was waiting for us when we got into the hotel, and we were soon booked in and in our room which was just a short distance from reception on the ground floor, so all was good. We should have paid for our room on arrival, but were told that we could do that next day, and to just get off to bed, so that was very much appreciated. We were asleep in around ten minutes of our arrival, so a really good start to our stay. The reception staff were all friendly and welcoming every time we had interactions with them.||The room was spacious, very clean and in a good state of decoration. If I were being really picky, then the carpet could really do with a deep clean, but it’s not unusual for these types of establishments to just vacuum, and not shampoo the carpets when required. The bed was comfortable with good quality bedding. There was a fairly small flat screen TV, hairdryer, iron/board, electic desk fan, toiletries, good quality towels, brew kit/kettle and a great shower – the water pressure was so strong that when I turned the shower on the head shot up and soaked the towels that were on the towel rail at the other end of the bath, so be warned. Now there are a few things that were not in the room or en-suite, and these are my pet hates when I’m staying away from home. The first was a safe. Now I never understand why most British hotels do not have these, given that people carry around expensive items with them nowadays. Another thing not present was a loo brush, which I hate. I know that hotels think that they are doing this for hygiene reasons, but I loathe not being able to clean the bowl after myself. Finally, there was no power next to either side of the bed. Again, this is a pet hate as we both like to charge our mobiles on the nightstand as I in particular like to have my phone close to hand due to the fact that some notifications, like our alarm system and CCTV, are important if they come through during the evening, and I like to be able to have my mobile on charge and be able to ensure that all’s well at our property.||The free WiFi was a real no-no for us due to the Terms of use and marketing consent, neither of which I agreed with. We did not connect to the WiFi, and I really would advise anyone who stays at this hotel to read them carefully as they are not something that I would agree to. Why they cannot just have a password like most other hotels is beyond me. Anyway, we used our O2 data, which ran at 29.3 Mbps download speed, so not too bad at all, and we both have plenty of data included in our plans.||The breakfast on both days was excellent, although the staff in the dining room could do with an enthusiasm and humour injection, as they were all rather sultry and didn’t make you feel happy to be there.||So, would we stay here again, and would we recommend this hotel - that would be an...

Edit. Thank you for the apology. I was in previous to this and a lovely female member of staff gave us permission for my animal. My family and I sat down in the corner to have a burger and dessert. I returned again and there was a young male memeber of staff who actually asked to clap my animal. I returned yet again with no issue for hours until the female manager approached me in an aggressive manner (out of the blue). I actually have a video of this. Upon my return the deputy manager aggressively confronted me after i had been in the market for some time purchasing from vendors. He did this in front of one of the vendors who had her young daughter there. He then bacame physical with me. Again i have a video. These two intances caused distress which is the opposite of what my support animal is there for which I tried to explain to your members of staff. Thanks again for your apology, it's fair to say I wont be back and actually recommend anyone to go to the Rowan tree which was a much nicer place and were more than happy to allow me to have my animal with me.

I was in the market enjoying myself. I have a hidden disability and I always have my support animal with me. Saorsa the dog.I was confronted by 2 members of staff, the second being the deputy manager who interrupted my conversation with a vendor. I had made it clear before this she was a support animal. He was very confrontational and ended up blocking my path and becoming physical. I tried time and time again to explain my hidden disability and the rules of a support animal. However, he ended up saying I needed to leave and he didn't require to give me a reason. I was upset as I had friends and family in the market that I wanted to see and then he laughed at me and said haha I don't see any friends and family around you now. I don't understand why this had to happen and how having a support animal has turned into the opposite of what she...