Shocking photographs reveal how guests were forced to eat cornflakes out of a plastic crate with a fork at the ‘worst hotel ever’.
Images taken at the Vale Guest House in Hull, East Yorkshire, appear to show damp spreading up the walls and rooms ‘like prison sells’.
Of the 78 reviews posted on TripAdvisor since 2009, 31 deemed it ‘terrible’, while nine rated it ‘poor’ and eight rated it ‘average’.
Only 13 were categorised as ‘brilliant’ and 12 ‘very good’.
But now, the new owner, known only as John, has spoken out against the reviews, and claimed that some of the reviewers didn’t even stay there.
He said work is now underway to redecorate and refurbish the guest house and change its image.
A reviewer called ‘Catherine T’ said she was forced to eat her cereal out of a red plastic crate during her stay in March 2014
The owner of Vale Guest House (above) in Hull, described as ‘the worst hotel ever’, has spoken out against a barrage of scathing online reviews
A reviewer called ‘Catherine T’ said she was forced to eat her cereal out of a red plastic crate during her stay in March 2014.
In the review, entitled ‘take your wits with you’, Catherine said: ‘There is no weekend breakfast; this is not made clear until after paying, even then it is hidden pretty well.
‘I had to buy cornflakes, there was nothing to put them into so I had to empty the basket which had the dirty tea bags (yes, dirty tea bags) and coffee sachets and eat them from there, with a fork.’
Pictures posted in the reviews show flaking wallpaper and paint, and in another review, a guest described their room as ‘like a prison’.
It said: ‘The first room we was offered looked like a prison cell. The second room wasn’t much better.
‘If you ever do decided to risk it, remember to wipe your feet on the way out.’
Pictures posted of the guest house in the TripAdvisor reviews show flaking wallpaper and paint
The review, which was unsparing on the details, claimed rooms – which are priced from £27 – were ‘nothing like the pictures’.
Another reviewer said: ‘Give me a cardboard box any day, rather than ever step foot in that place again!’
The new owners say they took over the guest house in June and are still in the process of renovating some of the guest rooms.
Since the takeover, guests have said it was a ‘perfect place to crash’ and described the new guest house owners ‘as lovely people’.
However, a woman called LynneJay posted on the site on Tuesday, saying there were problems with her room.
LynneJay said: ‘There was a stain on the sheet, the smell of smoke was constant.
In another review, a guest described their room as ‘like a prison.’ Pictured, inside the hotel
‘There was mould in the shower, furry mould on the bathroom ceiling, the bathroom floor tiles were mainly broken and the carpet was dirty.
‘We paid to stay two nights – but decided not to bother for the second night.’
But the manager at Vale Guest House said redecorating and refurbishing is still underway, and staff work hard to keep it clean.
They said: ‘We only took over from the previous owners in June this year.
‘Some of those reviews are four years old – we are not dirty and unclean at all.
‘My wife works really hard to clean the rooms, we are still redecorating and refurbishing the rooms here. Not everyone who writes a review actually stays at the hotel do they.
‘People can just post these websites and slander hard working people’s businesses – and put them out of business.’