Macdonald New Blossoms Hotel

The 2 starts are for the staff and the breakfast which were both excellent, however my room was grim with a window that was covered in bird poo on the outside and cobwebs on the inside, the hotel is very tired looking and the carpet on the stairs looks filthy. There is no parking at the hotel which is right in the centre of Chester, great location but the closest parking is at a shopping center which opens at 8.30 and closes at 6, outside of this you have to access the car park from the side that you drive in as a single female this feels a bit vulnerable. I would not stay again due to this main point.

No hot water. Unfortunately I cannot leave anything other than a 1 star review because there was no hot water and not even an apology. Location was good and staff were friendly and helpful when checking in and asking for assistance. Did not eat or drink at the hotel so cannot comment on that. Other minor issues were that we were placed in a twin room instead of double (this was corrected upon request). Room had no remote control for telly (one was provided upon request). Windows do not open and no AC. There was a plug in heating/cooling device which was extremely noisy so could only be used when not in the room but would likely have annoyed the neighbours, if there were any. Worst point was the lack of hot water in the morning. I rang reception and was advised there was a plumber on site. We waited as long as we could but had to check out so could not wait any longer. Not very pleasant having to go without a shower or even a proper wash. The problem was not acknowledged when checking out. I asked what the normal process is when there has been a failure of facilities and I was advised that somebody would call me to discuss. I sadly never heard anything back, despite following up with emails. Whilst a one off failure of the hot water could be understandable, poor customer service is never acceptable.

Great location and reception staff were welcoming. Beds were comfortable. However … the rooms were very much dated and not clean. There was dirt and mould in the rooms (we booked two rooms) bathrooms not clean. Rooms were so warm the air con didn’t work. The breakfast service wasn’t very good. Again unclean area, food was very greasy, not a lot of choice for pastries and cereals. A really disappointing stay especially for the price.

I'd previously been to the Travelodge and Grosvenor and booked this hotel off the strength of the positive experiences I've had in the Manchester Piccadilly Macdonald. Then I read the reviews both here and Tripadvisor and got scared as I booked a non refundable rate- aargh! Location is perfect and reception staff lovely and friendly. However there's an empty atmosphere about the hotel- are they getting ready to close down, who knows? Bar looked lovely but was either closed or unmanned and didn't have breakfast as it finished too early and not much for veggies. It is definitely not a 4 star hotel, completely different from the Manchester one, but could be. The reviews are not wrong about the dust, tiredness and dirt. Corridor was not vacuumed at all, even 2 star ibis and travelodge are constantly cleaned. The first room I was given looked pleasant enough just tired full of chipped paint and stained carpet but it was full of thick dust, cobwebs, mouldy sealant and no soap in the bathroom. The cobweb was that thick it looked like a joke one you'd stick up on Halloween. Also there were wrappers at the side of the bedside table proving it hadn't been vacuumed. Changed room and that had not only more dust and webs but the toilet was 'pebbledashed'. Thankfully on the third attempt, my room was not only changed but upgraded and although my upgraded room was tired looking, it was spotless as if more care had been taken of the superior rooms. This toilet had blue cleaning fluid in while the other 2 didn't and the bathroom looked newer. Shower lovely and powerful too with nice Elemis stuff. Bed comfy and a nice seating area in room and could really relax with no worries of allergies like the other 2 rooms. Would I stay again? If I was guaranteed a clean room, absolutely. I have no idea why the cleaning is so bad and the hotel bar etc was dead as it's full of potential and could be as good as the Grosvenor as similar sweeping staircase and has a lot of history. From a H&S point, a fire door was wedged open on the 1st floor, not good at all. I hope someone takes the feedback on board from me and the other reviewers as it could be a great hotel!