Shap Wells Hotel

I went online to find a hotel near M6 and Shap came up in the search, nowhere near the M6, terrible road in and damage to my car from a very big pothole on the road in. I arrived at night and there was no lighting to show the main door. Reception wasn't open an Reception area poorly lit. I rang the night manager number and was told it was too early to call the night manager but he would come anyway. It sounded like he thought he was doing me a favour. My room key was in an envelope outside the closed reception. Not good service for the money I paid.

Once grand art-deco hotel, it could be great now, but somehow managed to be deeply depressing. Most public areas had a lot of character and lovely physical features, but the ethos and attitudes are seriously in need of updating. Some were unpleasantly neglected. It felt like going back to a crumbling hotel in 1970. While staff were polite and helpful, the style of service and food offering was vers stuffy, unimaginative 1970, even though the prices were inflated to today’s peak rate. Dinner was truly poor- a very limited menu, and despite that 2 dishes were unavailable (the two most appealing) as early as 6pm. Vegetables had been prepared and reheated and were tough and rubbery, gammon was inedibly salty,, and the greasy fish and chips (small portion) came with no veg at all. Very poor £19.50 worth. Filthy windows and planters outside them made it feel very u pleasant to sit and eat at a window table in the smaller dining room. The large room was better. Bathhouse rooms felt in need of serious upgrade, and have damp mould in places . Shame- it could so easily be lovely with a different management attitude