The Crown Hotel — Hotel in Stoke-on-Trent

I needed a cheap place to stay for the night in Joke On Trent. This dive was the cheapest place going. I would argue that even £35 a night for their cheapest room is too much. I tried to reserve a room online through their main site, and their main site rejected my main credit card, so I had to use another card that I have, which I know has no money in it, just to reserve a room. The site said that the card would be used just for making the reservation. It didn't say anything about being charged for it at the same time. When I arrived on site, I immediately noted the railway platforms running adjacent to the hotel. The trains go past every 30 minutes or so making a right old din. It is also right on the main roads in and out of Longton. Not exactly picturesque scenery. Outside the hotel, I saw what can only be described as the denizens of a drug rehabilitation clinic hanging around outside the hotel foyer and the carpark at the rear, and the rehabilitation didn't seem to be working very well. One resident I saw walked out with two suitcases and several bin bags. There was a clapped out, rusted transit van with no wheels on it, parked at the back end of the car park, which is worrying. Nervously, I approached the foyer. My back began to ache, which is a long running issue of mine, so I decided to sit on the step leading into the main foyer for a minute. Within a minute, an immigrant employee of the hotel came running out. He was very rude and almost unintelligible. From what I could make out, he was screaming at me for sitting on the step because of some health and safety ruling or other. I explained that I had health issues with my back and needed to sit down. He got angrier. At one point, I thought that I would have to phone the police. He proceeded to kick a disabled person, I.E. me, off the step leading into the hotel even though I should have had a reservation at the hotel. I went inside feeling quite agitated. The inside of the hotel is a cross between a funeral parlour and the hotel out of "The Shining". I was half expecting the employee to charge at me with an Axe shouting "Here's Johnny". I approached the main office and asked about my reservation. I was stood by the doorway leading into the office. This short, fat woman was sat at a desk. I explained that I had a reservation. Her immediate response was to demand that I left the perimeter of their main office, which I wasn't even in. I was stood by the doorway leading to the office, which the staff had left open. She was actually rather rude about it. She asked me for my card number. I gave it too her. She then told me, after all that, that my card had been declined. I explained too her that I had to use a card that I don't use to reserve the room through their online facility. She then told me that I would have to go online to cancel the reservation that hadn't even been made. I asked her why I couldn't do that there, and she said that I could. So I elected to cancel it on site, face to face. I mean, how stupid is that? Your on site, but you have to cancel online? Then I found out that, on cancelling my reservation, the reservation that hadn't even been made, that I would still be charged £35. I hadn't even seen the room that I hadn't reserved... Either way they make £35. It doesn't matter what you do, you still get charged. It doesn't matter if you make the reservation, if you cancel the reservation, no matter what you do, you still get charged £35. Be very careful with that if you decide to book at this... Hotel, if you can call it that. To me, the staff should be sacked, and the building should be condemned, but that's me. Seriously, you would be better off buying a tent and pitching it in the garden next...

DO NOT STAY HERE! Four of us went to this hotel, including me we were looking for somewhere cheap to stay as we were going to Alton Towers two days in a row. We did see some of the previous reviews that were really bad but some of the newest ones were not and we heard there was a refurbishment so we decided to go book. Upon arrival we got assigned two rooms for 4 People the two people we were with got a room that hadn’t been cleaned and was filthy hairs in the sink, unmade beds And the room me and my partner got which stunk of sewage the other two people we were with got assigned another room 120 which was one of the rooms which I think was renovated it was very clean. I must say. I also had a UV light and couldn’t find any dirt or stains. Not all of the rooms are like this as I saw 3 rooms in total that night. There was no hot water the first night. I had to shower and splash myself in freezing cold water went down to the manager to say and she didn’t even care. She had a very rude attitude and said to run the water for about 20 minutes I was sat there for about half an hour running the water and it was freezing. The next day there was hot water but it wasn’t hot. It was warmish the water was either freezing cold or boiling hot. It was hard to get a temperature in between. There Accommodating homeless people at the moment to (which is a good thing) but the whole hotel stunk of weed one of the nights we came downstairs the whole hotel stunk of it and Staff didn’t care there was one lady on the first night we came not sure of her name, but she was absolutely lovely. She sorted the room out the us and there was a guy at night who was lovely as well the manager also charged us an extra £40 each then what was advertised on booking.com and made us book 2 rooms and we all ended up sleeping in one room as there was room 120 which slept four people and she refused to give a refund which will be taken further as we only needed one room and she made out we needed to book 2 which cost us more and lucky we did all fit in one room as the other one I would rather sleep in the car absolutely stunk. The area of the hotel is good as it’s in the town centre near the shops got a massive Tesco’s nearby but the area is very rundown and full of drug addicts everywhere would not recommend staying here, especially if you have kids. Also we had no control over the heating or Aircon rooms were boiling all night and the heater wasn’t even on, windows were jammed shut so you can’t open them. The manager is a very rude lady! Who is just money grabbing! This hotel needs taken of booking.com and other websites. The bathroom needed updated to. The other room we got also had clearly been broken into loads of times as it wouldn’t shut properly. Really rundown area and hotel we were lucky enough to get a renovated room and I still saw problems with it. Would definitely NOT stay here again. I spoke to one of the guys that was staying there too and he got charged £30 per night which was really cheap compared to what we paid. There was so many problems with this hotel definitely will not be returning and definitely do not recommend. The windows were shut you couldn’t open them the rooms were boiling couldn’t control the temperature this hotel is known to of had mould and they don’t even let you open the windows. This hotel needs shut down and completely refurbed! Room was never cleaned whole time we stayed here Will never book again worst hotel I’ve stayed in my life and I’ve...

So I wasn't going to be staying in the area until I was half way there from South Wales and it would have been a ridiculous time getting back after a show. A quick search was done on availability and there was a travel lodge for £120ish or this for £35 and as it was just me, I figured as long as I survive, all good 🙂 There are loads of bad reviews on here and the place doesn't have the greatest reputation in the area but guess what... I survived! As you walk in, it reminded me of an out of season seaside town, ornate stairs, high ceilings and in its day, this place would have looked pretty majestic. Unfortunately yes, time has taken its toll and it does need some work. There were staff each time I got to reception who were all friendly and helpful. The key to my room (I stayed in room 111) literally just had a little tag on it so I panicked about losing it. The room was as clean as it could be for such an old building charging £35 a night, the bed is VERY soft and springy but didn't break (I've stayed in a £200+ a night air BnB where the bed base just fell apart 🤷🏻‍♂️) there were 3 clean towels of decent standard and size, the duvet was really nice and warm. The room is basic but still had everything needed, decent TV, nice selection of tea/coffee and enough milk sachets unlike other places where you barely get enough for 1 drink. DIY in the room is evident but again £35 a night! During the night I heard someone walking around upstairs but that happens in every kind of hotel, this one is just older and a bit more creaking. I didn't hear any noise from outside on a Saturday night nor did I hear anyone walking past the room through the night. I was up at 6am and had plenty of hot water for a shower (definitely not the worst shower I've had in a hotel but as it's an old building the hot water does take a while to get to the taps, they also provide a soap bar and small shower gels. Plus there was a big radiator in the room so it was pretty hot in there lol.

This is not a romantic getaway at all presently but it is a decent place just to get your head down for a really good price PLUS FREE WIFI, try and find a better deal. It has free parking if you're staying there and I will happily stay there again in my own. The team there did say it's under very new management so I do hope they can make some differences there, it won't take a lot to bring it up and feel a bit more secure and family orientated but I do understand that it takes a while to build up renovation funds when charging so little. Good luck guys to make the changes you said you want to.

Simply set your expectations to a £35 nights sleep and you will be...