We are confused with the nasty, awful things others have said abut this hotel, so decided to follow up as we will be back there this Autumn...we fell in love with the hotel and the town, too, in the mid 90s. The Spence family who run the place are hilariously funny, and those with nasty comments might not get the dry, Scots humour, but Mr. Spence especially is as accommodating as anyone can be. His entire staff makes every effort to make us feel at home, which us why we have returned time and time again. His pricing is fair for what one gets (super breakfasts) and his ability to make a decision and stick with it (no "let me go call the boss" or "ask the supervisor" here) is great. While he can't always say yes he does always go out of his way to please his guests including accepting parcels for delivery prior to our last stay and even putting them in our room ready for our arrival. He is also great with area history, has advice on where to see and what to do and has so inspired us that we plan to shop for a house and move to Lockerbie on our next trip!
That said, the King's Arms IS an old coaching inn and while up-to-date with modern TV, high-speed internet etc. it is still an historic building meaning that yes, some floors do creak and some rooms are laid out a bit less conveniently than one would find in a modern Hilton or chain hotel...but this is NOT a chain hotel and not a cookie-cutter property! It's unique and many famous historic figures passed through in their time, so one can fairly sense the history and live past here. It might not be for everybody, but having stayed repeatedly (last time for 4 days) we can say that it's the "home" we choose in Scotland and can hardly wait to return!
