Looks Can Be Deceiving – Cold Rooms and Colder Value
I’ll keep this simple because there’s no point dressing it up, this place trades on looks and pricing, not on actual quality.
Room 19 at William de Percy was a let-down from the moment we walked in. Cold. Properly cold. Checked in at 15:00 and sat there wondering if the heating was optional. Ended up having to go and hunt down reception to ask them to sort it. You shouldn’t be chasing basic comfort at £255 a night. Eventually warmed up, but far too late to make a good first impression.
The décor is frankly baffling. Dark, heavy colours everywhere that drain the room of any warmth or comfort. That exposed brickwork might be sold as “character”, but in reality it just looks unfinished and out of place. The whole thing feels gloomy. Honestly, the Bates Motel in the horror film looks more appealing than this.
Bathroom? Shower itself was decent enough, but the water ran straight out across the floor and flooded up to the skirting board. Basic design flaw. Same issue again with the dark blue, closes everything in and makes the space feel even smaller and colder.
£255 for that room is laughable. Nothing about it justifies the price.
Food didn’t improve things. Ordered lamb curry, still not sure where the lamb was. About four tiny pieces if I’m being generous. Prawn crackers with a curry… makes no sense. Rice was fine, but that’s hardly something to praise. My wife’s salmon was cooked alright, but the sauce was ridiculously spicy, and I’m not someone who struggles with heat.
Next day we moved to Le Petit Château, room 17. Slightly better, but still nowhere near worth the money. The courtyard access and seating were nice enough, and at least the room was warm this time.
Then the bath, looked like it hadn’t been cleaned properly. Visible dirt sitting in the bottom. That alone was enough to avoid it completely. Shower had less power than the first room and, once again, water escaping onto the floor. Ended up using a towel to stop it spreading.
Same story with the décor, dark, cold, lifeless. £310 a night for that is hard to justify by any standard.
This place seems to rely on style over substance and inflated pricing over actual delivery. For comparison, we stayed at Crab Manor near Thirsk the following night. £299 for a private lodge, hot tub, proper privacy, and £70 towards a meal. You knew exactly what you were paying for, and it delivered.
My advice? Look elsewhere. There are far better places out there where your money actually gets you something worthwhile. This chain isn’t one of them.
