Ari S.
Maintenance failures, mould odour, and then total silence after a formal complaint
I stayed at Bermonds Locke for one night on 22 November 2025 (approx £200). The concept and branding are great, but the basics of the stay and the way my complaint was handled were poor enough that I would not return. Room condition (Room G-0003): Cold room: The heating was up but the room stayed cold. I eventually discovered an outside door was ajar, hidden behind the drawn curtains, letting cold air in. Lighting issues: The left bedside light flickered, then I found the right bedside light did not work at all. Persistent mould smell: The most serious issue was a permanent, pervasive smell of mould coming from the bathroom (possibly ceiling/vent). Running the shower did not resolve it, and the smell travelled into the room. These are not “minor niggles” when you are paying premium pricing for a short business stay. Comfort and basic maintenance are the minimum. Reception interaction at check-out: When I raised the above calmly at reception, I expected at least a professional acknowledgement and an offer to verify the issues. Instead, I was handed a sticky note with an email address and told to write an email repeating what I had just explained. When I expressed surprise and asked what would be done to address the problems, the interaction turned hostile and intimidating, including being told I would not be “dictating” how they handle it. Most bizarrely, after I sat at a communal lobby table (an area used by guests and non-guests), the same staff member approached me and told me I was no longer welcome to sit there. Complaint handling (or lack of it): I submitted a formal complaint on 23 November 2025. I then received no substantive response. The only message I received was an acknowledgement on 2 December 2025 apologising for the delay and saying it had been escalated internally, followed by silence. I chased again on 9 December and 18 December 2025, still with no proper reply. So the takeaway is not just “things went wrong” (that can happen anywhere). It is that when things went wrong, the front-line handling was unprofessional, and management then defaulted to non-response even after repeated follow-ups. If you want a reliable, comfortable stay with accountable customer service, I cannot recommend this property based on my experience.



