My husband and I stayed as I was at a meeting at the hotel. We arrived about 1.30 hoping to have a swim etc and chill before the meeting at 6pm. Our room wasnt available and we were advised that official check in was at 3pm. Husband went for a walk and I chatted with colleagues. He returned at 2.50 and we went to check in - room still not ready. We waited and were given the key about a minute after 3. Why didnt they make our room a priority to clean as we were waiting? Such a quick customer service win!
Our room was fab - at the front with excellent views. It was part of a conference deal - rooms booked in bulk and all the same 24 hour delegate rate so I cant comment on the value of the room except to say it was a great room on the rate!
I tried the leisure facilities and they were superb. Large pool, jacuzzi, 2 steam rooms and sauna and I sampled them all and felt like a new women.
Dinner was as a group and I ordered steak rare which came medium and very fatty and chewy - it was sirloin as by the time we ordered (8pm) it was announced that there was no fillet left!. I returned my steak and got a new one - better. My next door neighbour asked for his medium to well done and it was rarer than my rare one - he said it was too rare and left half of it - It sounds like there isnt an effective system for ensuring people get the right meals. The meal was part of the package and I wasnt paying for it - however the quality of my meal did disappoint and I would be concerned about what I would get if I was paying with my own money so this would put me off booking for myself. My husband said his meal was excellent. Service was slow and we finished eating about 10. We went into the bar and waited some time to be served. Busy bar with only 2 staff serving. Drinks pricey (beer and cider £8) but what we expected to pay in a hotel of this type. Room ok for sleeping. Shower was a bit basic given the quality of the room - I did expect a qualilty power shower or some exotic type given the bathroom is huge and the shower a double one.
Breakfast good - lots of choice and food appeared fresh. We went to our meeting in the golf club house and there is a car conceierge service which we used. We had used a room in the meeting suite the previous evening which had been fit for purpose. The room in the club house was not. It was a lovely room, however it was very cold. Temperature outside was - 2 and the room didnt have sufficient heat sources to heat the room to an acceptable temperature
The coffee and tea was sited in front of one of the 2 radiators which didnt help. Some of the 20 people attending sat in their coat and scarfs for the whole 4 hour meeting. The hotel supplied a small portable radiator but this was half way through the meeting and wasnt enough to heat the room. The ladies toilets had a very sticky floor - not cleaned as it should be and unpleasant to walk on and the toilet was partly blocked.
We went back to the main hotel for lunch (and warmth) and that was OK - good choice of food and excellent sweet trolly - a standard that I would expect from the hotel.
Overall an enjoyable stay. The location is stunning and there are some excellent parts - rooms are lovely, the public areas are sumptious. The hotel is let down by the service - there don't appear to be enough workers - cleaners, bar staff - for the job required, and there are silly mistakes and no contingency planning for potential and actual problems, and no proactivity that one would expect from a hotel of this stature.
- Carden Park Chester
- Hotel Carden Park
- Carden Hotel Park
