An infamous hotel has begun taking aim at its negative reviews as complaints continue to bog down its Tripadvisor page.
The Grand Hotel in Scarborough has been subject to a barrage of criticism since 2021 from guests and even ex staff members who were stunned at the condition of their rooms and the huge queues at check in.
A number of people contacted YorkshireLive directly to raise their concerns and the borough council stepped in to address the complaints.
This month the Grand Hotel has taken it upon themselves to respond regularly to reviews on travel site Tripadvisor.
One person left a review complaining about "appalling, rude, arrogant, miserable reception staff", saying: "The whole experience of a lot of staff was terrible for a big company that is struggling. Staff need all new training and everyone stick to the hotel policies , it's a shame for the staff that smile and actually care for customers."
The Grand hit back with a reply though, saying: "We do not agree with your comments in regards to team members you have mentioned, both these team members have received outstanding feedback in the past and valued members of our team. We are disappointed you felt it appropriate to name and shame on a public forum instead of resolving the matter direct with the hotel. Our most recent reviews praise the team for outstanding customer care."
Another person complained about receiving a complimentary early check in and that the staff "loudly and rudely" pointed out that they needed to pay for the service. They said: "You completely ruined our day and we asked for a refund and left."
The Grand responded saying they had offered free early check in only on the basis that the room type was available, which it was not.
It said: "As such we could not offer you a room that was ready to go. However, you became abusive to the team so we were only happy to provide you with a refund and let you leave the hotel."
In another case, a guest said that they had had "nightmares" since staying due to police being called out three times during the night and it sounding like a neighbour was "sledge hammering the floor all night and hotel staff did not care!"
The hotel responded: "This is not what we expected to read, considering many fellow travellers have commented on how warm and friendly our team are. Whilst we work closely with North Yorkshire Police, it very rare they would reattend, we have a zero tolerance policy and any breach of our terms conditions does lead to guests being asked to leave immediately."
Guests at the historic hotel on the Yorkshire Coast haven't all been disappointed though, with one recent five star review praising the venue's 'cleanliness' and 'value for money'.
The most recent was a five star review saying that every time they visited it got better.
They said that a refurbishment is now "well under way", adding: "Rooms all nice and cosy and all facilities have improved .The public spaces are now back to their previous splendour. Great location for both seafront and town. Staff very helpful and will go out of their way to please."
Another five star review read: "The Grand was an amazing hotel, clean and comfortable. The food was excellent and the staff very helpful and hard working. It was unbelievable value for money and we would thoroughly recommend staying, Britannia Hotels are obviously in the process of refurbishing the entire place, which is a huge project, but they are doing very well."
Another reviewer said that he was sceptical about booking after reading but left "very pleasantly surprised".
She wrote: "We were so pleased we did! Firstly, the building is very impressive - especially the grand foyer. Decor, carpets and furniture are good. All of the hotel is very clean with cleaners constantly working to keep it so. It’s a pity some people can be so disrespectful and think it’s ok to leave their rubbish around for others to pick up."
She added that the room appeared "newly decorated" and that towels were "spotless", adding that the meals included were "very good quality" and that the views in the dining room were "fantastic".
The Mirror spoke to a spokesperson at the Grand Hotel in Scarborough who did not wish to comment.
