Sorry state

13 historic Coventry buildings and sites at risk of being lost - report

No mention in that report of St Christopher's Chapel or Caludon Castle ruins!

Morning all This hotel chain, awful review. There are three of these in the vicinity of Coventry. I had one bad experience a decade ago in one of them, but received a full refund & compensation, so I am all square regards their performance. They at least put it right for me, along with sixty guests.

My wife & I stayed in the Britannia near Pool Meadow back in January this year (it used to be the upmarket De Vere back in the 1970's I think) whilst in the City for a family funeral. We were there for 3 nights on a room only basis. We had to use a separate room for a shower! We were given a bottle of wine for the inconvenience. The reception staff needed some training in politeness although the Night Manager (who gave us the wine) was more diplomatic. I won't dwell on the other issues but needless to say I left a scathing report on 'TripAdvisor' and will not be back. I might add, we were previously there in 2001 and it was ok then.

No matter how poor the Britannia hotels may be, they would be made to look like the Savoy by the place that shames the city. Step forward the Hylands Hotel on Warwick Road. The Trip Advisor reviews are so bad they are hilarious. It would appear to be a cross between a tip, a doss house and a drug den. Let's hope the City of Culture judges didn't stay at the Hylands. Although apparently they would find plenty of cultures in the bathrooms.

I find a large number of Trip Advisor reviews are indeed hilarious - so much so that it's difficult to take the site too seriously. Some "reviewers" seem to almost make a career out of posting on Trip Advisor, whether it's a hotel, well-known restaurant chain, or the local chippy or Indian takeaway! It becomes interesting where the establishment responds to a long, rambling complaint in sufficient detail to suggest the review was not an accurate representation of the facts. I have read where a hotel manager in Glasgow accused a reviewer of "verbal abuse" since the adverse review included the manager's name. The manager was able to offer answers to all of the points raised, which made something of a mockery of the complainant's review. On the reverse side, there was a case of a hotel in Eastbourne where the owner was found to have posted a number glowing reviews of his own establishment. So, it's difficult on the face of it to take some of these reviews too seriously. Personal recommendations (or warnings) from family, friends or acquaintances seem much more preferable.