Sheffield Metropolitan Hotel, Alpha Suite

I stayed at the Best Western in Sheffield for one night. The room itself was clean and presentable – no issues with hygiene or cleanliness. Bed was fine, and the general upkeep was what you’d expect from a 3-star hotel. However, the room lacked a few things that you’d reasonably expect these days. Only basic tea and coffee were provided, and there were barely any plug sockets, which made charging devices inconvenient, especially if you’re travelling with more than a phone. No fridge, no water, no real extras – very stripped back. The biggest issue was breakfast. It cost £10 per person and felt like a waste of money. There were no proper vegetarian or vegan options available by default. The hot buffet was mostly pork-based – no alternative sausages, no non-dairy milk, and no labelled allergen or dietary info. When I asked for a vegan option, they brought out a so-called vegan fillet that was badly cooked, dry, and broken in half when served. It looked and tasted unappetising, like an afterthought. For a chain hotel in a major UK city, that’s poor. There was no effort made to accommodate dietary requirements, and staff didn’t seem prepared to handle basic requests. I left feeling dissatisfied and didn’t enjoy my morning at all before checkout. It’s acceptable if you just need somewhere clean to sleep and don’t plan to eat there. But for anything beyond that – especially if you have dietary needs – I’d look elsewhere. Wouldn’t stay again based on the breakfast experience alone.

Felt like we had gone back to the 60s with the decor, patchy paint on walls and could see where damage had been repaired, pieces off wood just screwed to the inside of the wardrobe which smelt awful inside. Water pressure was horrendous took ages to get a shower, shower head had black mould on it and also black on the tiles around the bath. Coffee making facilities were poor and milk tasted off. Over all will not stay here again very disappointed 😕

The reception was cold and unwelcoming, with no provisions to warm children's food. The kitchen staff were exceedingly rude and utterly unprofessional. Despite clearly explaining that my daughter has multiple severe food allergies and that we always carry her food, which requires heating, the kitchen staff refused to accommodate our request. There was no microwave provided, leaving us with no option to warm her food. To make matters worse, we were issued a parking ticket for parking in the reception area while we were checking in. I had to challenge the unjustified fine. It is crucial that senior management urgently address and rectify these issues to prevent further guests from experiencing similar frustration and dissatisfaction.