Mercure Maidstone Great Danes Hotel

Hotel need’s updating, to use the spa and swimming pool you have to walk outside not much fun when it’s raining hard. Four of us stayed the night for friends birthday and had a couple of drinks in our room then we’re informed by the staff very loudly knocking on our door if we didn’t keep the noise down we will be escorted off the premises by the police. 9.15 in the evening. We obviously will not be returning,do not go there if you want to enjoy yourself.

Asked if my room was available when wanting to check in early (12.15) after travelling since 4am. Was told that yes my room was available but if I wanted to check in before 3pm I had to pay £20, by a rather sour faced receptionist. This was the most expensive hotel in the area, would not expect this service at all. I'm current sat in the bar area falling asleep with all my bags. Wouldn't stay here again!!

Great one night stay at the hotel. Lots of staff who are professional and super helpful. Room, bathroom and bedlinen clean and fresh. Huge comfy and clean (I checked) bed and mattress with two protectors. Plenty of choice at breakfast where the tables were cleared as soon as they were vacated and everything looked clean and fresh. Well worth the price.

Staff friendly, welcoming and helpful. All seemed very professional. Evening meal very good with great table waiting staff. Double room with huge bed created by putting 2 singles together but that means there’s only room for one tiny bedside table. Struggled with space for cases. Very small wardrobe, no drawers and one shelf for all non hanging clothes tucked in a corner of the wardrobe., very small bathroom, shower curtain not long enough to tuck inside bath. Tired decor and a bit grubby looking. The outside is similar, it looks as though render is falling off in big patches. Overall it was adequate 3 star rather than 4 star which I assume they get because of the leisure/spa facilities. The hotel side of our weekend however was totally ruined by the disgusting and disgraceful behaviour of a group of young adults who treated the hotel as their personal playground to shout and scream their way around the corridors, banging room doors shut repeatedly until gone 5am on Saturday and again 4am on the Sunday when we were due to leave. I have no idea what they were doing. As we left staff were cleaning out their rooms and we saw the piles of alcohol bottles being put out so behaviours were probably drink fuelled. I complained at reception on leaving and asked were there no security staff checking at night and was told there is none which surprised me. We were given a refund on the cost of our evening meal but I’d have preferred a decent sleep. A hotel break is meant to be relaxing but it ended up being exhausting. We only chose to stay there because of a wedding at Leeds castle and transport had been arranged for the guests staying there. Now I wish we’d taken our caravan. It would have been far cheaper and more relaxing. Apart from a revamp to Premier Inn standards I’d suggest some security staff to deal with people who have no idea how to behave like adults and not feral children. Check first on events being held there at the same time as your stay. Very disappointing.

Pitched up here at the end of (nearly) the last warm & sunny day in September. Beautiful location in parkland and gave a great first impression. Not a bad room – not very big, but clean and looking out over the park. HOWEVER – it was 37degrees inside, because nobody had thought to close the curtains or open the window. I couldn’t open the top part of the sash, and the bottom was locked nearly shut “For your protection”. I couldn’t find the controls for the air conditioning – because there is none (! In a fairly modern supposedly 4 star hotel? ) They didn’t have another room available, and it was too late by that time to find somewhere else. Helpful handyman eventually forced the top of the sash open and unscrewed the locked bottom bit – and found us a (very noisy) fan. Altogether, not very clever. The restaurant wasn’t having a good day, either. Couldn’t have a rare burger ( ‘Elf ‘n Safety police won’t let restaurants serve them like that unless the chef is specially trained – and the duty chef didn’t appear to be trained at all.) so I ordered pork belly – which arrived, limp and very soggy, 25 minute before my partner’s pizza. (To be fair, the attendant crashing, screeching and shouting from the kitchen provided a certain amount of entertainment while we waited. ) Wine by the glass had obviously been open for a l-o-n-g time as it had turned to vinegar. Replaced promptly and very apologetically. Breakfast, by contrast, was really quite good.