A reviewer staying at a “hellhole” hotel found out the reason behind its nickname during an overnight stay. Despite solid first impressions at the Grand Hotel in Scarborough, with its tall “majestic” facade, one aspect made for a fitful night’s sleep.
Built in 1867 and now owned by Britannia Hotels, the Scarborough hotel was once called the “largest and handsomest hotel in Europe”. Reporter Samantha Teasdale even likened it to Buckingham Palace, with its green carpet, lofty ceilings and lighting, writing for Yorkshire Live. However, an overnight experience made her contemplate skipping breakfast to escape, which is included in the rates as low as £50 a night.
She said the room was equipped with everything you need, including a bed, kettle, telly, wardrobe and a bath/shower, but, on the approach to the hotel, she noticed cracked windows and bird droppings everywhere, and seagulls circling overhead.
Once inside the room, filthy windows marred with bird droppings gave a hint of what was to come, which was a “seagulls’ relentless cacophony all through the night”.
She wrote: “Their racket was unstoppable; it seemed as if they possessed foghorns in their tiny bodies, and closing the window made no difference.
“The only downside to the entire experience was the incessant noise of the seagulls, which made me contemplate leaving the hotel early and skipping breakfast. The cacophony was relentless throughout the night.”
She managed to sleep until 8am, pack up swiftly to vacate the room, and head down for breakfast, eager to leave the room as quickly as possible.
Another reviewer on TripAdvisor recounted: “The first morning we were awakened at 4:00 when the sun rose and the seagulls decided it was time to feed their chicks. This sound was very loud and continuous. The entire north end of the hotel is covered in seagulls (and seagull poop)”.
Another Google review titled “stay away from this hellhole” said: “We had a room on the ground floor which was smaller than a broom cupboard, the corridor that led to our room had such a strong smell of foist that we had to run to our room to stop ourselves from gagging!!!!”
The Express has contacted the hotel for comment.