Abbey Hotel — Restaurant in Rother

We had booked the entire hotel (8 rooms) In February 2020 to house our wedding party and a week before our wedding we called to confirm everything for our stay, only to be told that we only had 6 rooms booked for one of the two nights we were staying. Even when given a valid booking reference, and based on the fact they had a receipt of the deposit transaction, we were made to feel as though we had caused the issue as their system could not possibly double book. Furthermore, we were then expected to resolve the issue and condense our wedding party down into fewer rooms… one week prior to our wedding… even though we had booked 18 months prior. The fact that this issue only arose due to our calling to check is also extremely worrying and makes me wonder how this would have impacted the wedding had we turned up to fewer rooms.

Based on this issue with double booking us, and then expecting us to resolve ourselves, we expected some form of gesture e.g. free breakfast, discount, etc. We were then shocked to arrive and not even receive an in person apology, and of course did not receive even a token gesture for the large inconvenience caused. As if this wasn’t enough, the staff then spent the entire weekend harassing our guests to pay the balance for the rooms, often chasing couples who had confirmed they had paid, multiple times per day. When we addressed the staff and outlined who still needed to pay (at check-out), they ignored this and continued to try and get all guests to pay the balance. I had also offered to pay the full balance, for all rooms, when I checked in, but this was ignored, so I really do fail to see what reason the staff could have for harassing the wedding party the day before, the day of and the day after the wedding.

To add insult to injury, we were given keys to all 8 rooms when we checked-in, so we assumed the mistake on their part had been rectified and we gave our guests the key to the room. We were then called, whilst setting up our wedding venue for the following day, to tell us that the other hotel guests had arrived and they needed the key! They then proceeded to move our guests possessions out of the room and into another of our guests’ rooms.

Finally, after we confirmed the guests names (a week before our arrival), I emailed to ask that one of the rooms was configured as a triple (which they said was an option on the booking form). In keeping with the rest of the experience this was, of course, ignored and we were offered a Z-bed for the room when we asked the staff. Notwithstanding the fact that the email was obviously ignored, the expectation that a guest would sleep on what is essentially some cushions on the floor is unacceptable, given the price paid per room.

Overall we would certainly not recommend anyone stay at the hotel, based solely on the horrendous experience we, and our guests, had to endure. I appreciate there are nationwide staffing issues and it is a family run business but there really is no excuse for the lack of apology or offer of any form of gesture/...

This review is based on my telephone customer service experience only.

I tried cancelling my booking due to Covid reasons. It was through Booking.com and 1 day after the 5 day cancellation period. I spoke to both the hotel and the booking company and was told cancellation was completed and the booking company were just awaiting email confirmation of this from the hotel. I received a very abrupt voice message from a lady called Sharon several hours later informing me they hadn’t received an email from booking.com and I needed to contact the company otherwise the hotel would go ahead and charge me if they didn’t hear from them soon. I immediately rang the hotel and was told again about the voicemail information. When I questioned this I asked to speak to Sharon. Instead of coming to the phone, I overheard her telling the person I was talking to what they needed and what I needed to do. I overheard the whole conversation which to me, again sounded very abrupt and rude as if I was in the wrong. I was taken back by the fact this conversation was able to not only be heard by me (and likely people within the premises as I had been asked to wait during my earlier call whilst the staff member informed another staff member how to make a drink!) but also that it was being conveyed via a 3rd person who didn’t know the situation instead of directly. The very least I would have expected is to be told that Sharon was unavailable at that time and asked me to hold whilst the information was correctly noted to be passed on to me. The staff member on the end of the phone sounded very confused and unprofessional.

Very disappointing and has put us off wanting to stay there again (had stayed for our wedding night a few years before so was meant to be an anniversary trip) based on the attitude and lack of customer service professionalism of staff (particularly Sharon) during this experience 😔

What I do appreciate however, is that the hotel were willing to waiver the charge for cancelling the room as it was because I had to isolate due to...

I have never been made to feel so unwelcome. I have been wearing masks into every establishment I have been in since July as per the rules, but today I genuinely forgot to bring out my mask as me and my wife were going to have one final lunch at this place before second lockdown, my wife suggested I wear her scarf around my face to suggest that although it’s not a proper mask I didn’t want to come across like I wasn’t trying to be polite. As soon as I walked into the place I was rudely informed that I didn’t have a proper mask on and that I could not eat here without one because it’s ‘law’, as if I didn’t know that?? Why would I be wearing a scarf around my face?? I wasn’t asked politely, discreetly or even given the consideration that It was just a general human error, no instead I was spoken too like a complete criminal and that I had no intention of complying with the rules. had anyone actually asked me kindly why I wasn’t wearing a proper mask I would have told them of my mistake and kindly worn one of their disposable masks that they had available. The clear incompetence of the staff here made it very clear to me that they had no intention of applying general common courtesy and use of customer service to get across what they wished to portray but instead just resorted to typical pub-like lack of communication and understanding to make me feel like I wasn’t welcome there. Considering there financial situation with the second lockdown I genuinely feel sorry for them as they will never have my custom or the custom of any of my friends or family ever again! It...