Great location, not so great value for money. (Malmaison Hotel (Newcastle))

Member Name: col81

Product:	Malmaison Hotel (Newcastle)
Date:	20/08/09 (26 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Superb location, free secure parking.

Disadvantages: Expensive rates, room felt a bit shabby and worn.

Friday the 13th turned out to be a lucky day for me; my boyfriend asked me to marry him, I said yes (woo hoo!) and then he swept me off to Newcastle for a romantic weekend in the Malmaison hotel on the quayside. I had heard great things about the hotel from friends who had stayed there so I was really looking forward to staying there.

On arrival at the hotel we found plentiful, accessible secure parking behind the hotel which was free when you asked for a validated ticket at the hotel reception. We walked around to the front of the hotel and were struck by its fantastic location. Right in front of the hotel is the Millenium Bridge leading over the river Tyne to the Baltic art gallery and then across the river and to the right is the Sage concert hall; fab view! We entered the hotel and the reception from the staff was lovely; very helpful and looking to make your stay as comfortable as possible. The decor in the reception was very dark: blacks and purples, lots of velvet and the strong smell of lillies - it seemed rather decadent and sumptuous!

Our room was a suite so we had a double bed, corner sofa area with a large plasma screen television and a beautiful bathroom with a huge shower, bedecked with slate tiles, all very chic. The decor in the suite was very contemporary and echoed the black and purple colour scheme which we had seen downstairs. There was a lot of faux leather and velvet in the furnishings and, on first view, I was very impressed but as we spent more time in the room, I began to notice that parts of the suite, excepting the bathroom, looked a little shabby and not as luxurious as I had first thought. For example, the faux leather pouffe had stains on it as though something had been spilled and not mopped up and the velvet cushions were beginning to look a little worn. Not quite what we had expected when the price was about £260 for one night!!

It was almost like we were staying in a theme hotel and the room was dressed up to be something it wasn't. This really made me feel that it wasn't worth the amount my partner had paid for the suite.

We didn't eat at the hotel as we had a meal booked elsewhere but the hotel restaurant and bar is apparantly very good, I can't pass judgement though as we didn't use it!

The bathroom was the best part of the master suite and I had been told by a friend that we'd need a carrier bag to put all the lovely freebies in from the bathroom. We were a little disappointed with what was available in the bathroom as it was nothing more than in any other hotel: soap (grapefuit, it smelled good enough to eat!), shampoo, shower gel. I had been shown photos which my friend had taken of the bathroom when they had stayed there and there were products galore, all of which could be taken away! Perhaps the credit crunch has affected this somewhat.

We had a very comfortable night's sleep in the hotel and we did enjoy our stay. Our only disappointment was the shabby feel of the decor in the suite. It just didn't give the feeling of being in the lap of luxury that we had expected for the price we had paid.

Although I have been quite critical, the service in the hotel was great, the bathroom was stunning and the location is great; within walking distance of the train station and city centre and had a great lookout over the Tyne and I would recommend this hotel for people to stay in, just make sure you get a good deal with the price as £260 was ridiculously over priced for the quality of room.

Summary: Disappointed with the room's decor and was overpriced.