Everything about this hotel is 5 star except the hotel receptionist and the head bar manager on the cocktail bar who in our opionion are both 5 star plus.Cant wait to vist again.Tom and Gwen stayed 8th feb 2012

My wife and I stayed 2 nights at the hotel to celebrate her birthday. The hotel is superbly placed for the many attractions in Liverpool. On arrival we had some difficulty with parking but finally made it to the hotel. The receptionist was extremely pleasant and helpful and the first impressions of 62 Castle Street were excellent. Our room was large and comfortable with everything one could require (except a minibar). We had dinner in the restaurant on the first night. The food was very good, although hotter plates would have been good. Breakfast on the first morning was a bit hit and miss. Salt & pepper and sugar were nowhere to be found at first but that was soon remedied. Breakfast was good but again served on cold plates. Oddly on the second morning everything was ok and in place so maybe the first morning was a glitch. All in all this was a very pleasant stay and we would certainly go back when we visit Liverpool again.

This is the text of my email in reply to one from the hotel manager asking for feedback following a recent visit to the hotel. I have had no response.

Dear Ms Wright

thank you for this opportunity to point out the various problems we encountered in our recent stay earlier this week.

We were initially given Room 301.

The room was cold. None of the radiators seemed to be working properly - barely warm at best. Some were only warm at the bottom.
The decorations are badly damaged particularly over the windows where there has been water ingress. There are also gaps around pipework as it emerges from the ceiling which have been stuffed with paper in an attempt to seal off draughts, one presumes.
The adjustable reading light on the standard lamp was not working.

I called reception and someone came up immediately to try to adjust the heating - by putting on the air-conditioning unit near the door to the room. I also pointed out the problem with the reading light.
I asked for another room and she reappeared shortly afterwards and took us to Room 201.

201 was warm.
There were also areas of the ceiling where there is evidence of past water damage to the decoration.
I checked the reading light - again the bulb was not in working order and I was told that this could be replaced the following day. Whilst this was offered in an effort to make things right - it wasn't helpful to us as we were there for one night only.
There was a problem in the bathroom where the seal for the shower screen seems to have perished and the water poured through and over the lip of the bath, pooling on the floor. I reported this problem to Reception the following morning.

The staff are welcoming, friendly and helpful.

The hotel is very obviously in need of repair and redecoration - there were more signs of damp/water damage in public areas, corridors etc and I tripped over a loose metal plate on my way into the lift on the 3rd floor. This all goes to give an impression of neglect and lack of ongoing investment.

The Receptionist indicated she thought it was a pity that customers did not report problems. In my opinion, that is clearly the responsibility of housekeeping/maintenance personnel of the hotel. A daily routine check would certainly throw up many of these issues which could then be dealt with as they occur.

I trust my comments are of some help.

Yours sincerely,

Pamela Norrington

We stayed here for one night, the staff are very attentive and helpful. The rooms are very spacious, the bed is very comfortable indeed! We dined at the Merchants Bar and the food is amazing. We stay at a lot of lovely hotels, this was definitely one of the best.