Mercure Queens Hotel

Like the English football team, whose semi-final we watched during our stay at The Queens this week, the hotel fell short of delivering a winning result. The location is superb and the building magnificent, but there were too many little faults that marred the overall performance and value for money. What WAS memorable about our stay, however, and the reason I am writing this review to warn others, is our experience when we were checking out on Thursday morning. One of the main reasons we chose The Queens was the fact that it was dog-friendly. We happily paid the not inconsiderable £30 a night fee to have our small Jack Russell in our room, but were totally taken aback when we asked the receptionist to book us a taxi to the railway station when paying our bill on departure day. “Taxis don’t take dogs” was her dismissive reply even though we knew this was untrue, as we had arrived in one. With ill grace, she eventually contacted a company who worked with an independent driver who ‘might’ take a dog, but they apparently didn’t know when he would be working. When we pointed out that as a hotel which advertises itself as dog-friendly, we would have expected them to at least have the number of a suitable cab company, she haughtily replied “That’s not our responsibility!”, following up with the equally dismissive: “I wouldn’t want to use a cab that had had a dog in it!” As an elderly couple with mobility issues, and by now worried about making our train on time, we were then flabbergasted when her only offer of help was to direct us to a bus stop round the corner so we could use public transport. We suggest The Queens takes steps to link up with a taxi firm who can provide rides for guests with dogs, and at the same time arrange for the stroppy receptionist (who it seems has been criticised in previous reviews) to receive some much-needed customer service training.

An elegant hotel in Cheltenham that harkens back to day when things moved at a slower pace and people took the time time enjoy the fine things of life. Nestled along the edge of the Imperial Gardens, the Queen remains a stately landmark. The staff is very friendly and service-minded, going the extra step to take care of their customers. When I had an issue with my room late in the evening, Kseniia quickly upgraded me to another room which allowed me to have a restful nights sleep.

Staff were all respectful, polite and went out of their way to help but a special mention must be made of one of the breakfast waitresses, Ruby, with her engaging curiosity about our wellbeing and delightful manners.