A motorway services hotel has been voted as one of the worst in the UK - with guests advised to ‘wipe their feet as they leave’. The Days Inn by Wyndham at Taunton Deane services on the M5 scored second in the top 10 worst motorway hotels in the UK, according to research by car maintenance brand Prestone.
Researchers searched the country to discover the best and worst motorway hotels, according to customer reviews. Prestone analysed 90 motorway service hotels, using review data from TripAdvisor, Google and the hotel’s own sites to provide average scores for each, reports Somerset Live.
The Days Inn hotel - which received an average guest score of 3.1 out of 10 - was only pipped to the number one worst motorway hotel in the UK by the Rivington Lodge at Rivington Services on the M61 with a score of 2.8. Reviews on Trip Advisor on The Days Inn, operated by Roadchef, do not make good reading with complaints of the accommodation being "dilapidated" and guests being advised to "wipe their feet as they leave".
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A spokesman for Roadchef said they were reviewing facilities at the site and we're sorry to hear of the complaints.
Other complaints included dirty bathrooms, filthy headboards and "horrid" smells left lingering in the rooms. Others said the beds at the hotel, which offers rooms from £50 a night, was like sleeping on a "bed of nails."
Posting on TripAdvisor, Nread who stayed in March this year said: “No, no no. Wipe your feet as you leave. Pretty much dilapidated guest rooms - didn’t want to take my shoes off in the room.
"Twin room booked, just one single bed in it. Window security lock broken, the smallest duvet I’ve ever seen.”
Lmarto871227 also had an unpleasant experience during their stay last month and said: “Never again! Bath and sink and toilet was dirty, used towels left in the bathroom and there was a horrible smell throughout the room.
"Check in was good but checking out the woman didn’t even acknowledge that I was leaving, handed her my key…no thank you for staying or asking if there was anything wrong with the room, won’t be staying here again.”
Another guest, Penelope Jaquet described the place as ‘filthy’. In her review on TripAdvisor she said: ”Awful place! Dirty! No service! No breakfast!
"Had to get housekeeping to clean the filthy headboards - it was gross! Not worth the money spent and don’t recommend it! Will never stay there again even if it were offered to me free of charge.”
Another guest said the hotel needed to be knocked down and gave it a measly one star rating. Cal1posted: “The only good thing I can say about this stay is the guy on the night desk was very friendly and helpful, apart from that the place needs knocking down.
"I’m not usually one to leave a review but this has got to be the worst room I’ve ever stepped into, the bathrooms are awful, the bed if you can call it that is like laying on a bed of nails the springs dig into your back, honestly laying on the floor would have been a better night sleep, if your thinking of wasting 100 pound on a night here like I stupidly done, DON'T!
Roadchef, the services operator that looks after Taunton Deane services, appears a further four times in the top 10 worst motorway hotels list. However it's not all bad if you were looking to stay in a Westcountry motorway hotel while travelling.
Travelodge Bristol at Severn View services on the M48 appeared in the top 10 best motorway hotels, scoring 4.2 - making it the best motorway hotel in the south west. Moto, which operates the Severn View services, appears a total of six times in the top 10 best motorway hotels across 5 different regions.
A spokesman for Roadchef said: "Roadchef consistently ranks highest of the major motorway service area providers for the service we deliver to our customers stopping at our sites, either for a long or short stay. We are disappointed that some guests at our Taunton Deane hotel were not pleased with their stay and are reviewing our facilities at the site.”
