The Mercure Blackburn Dunkenhalgh Hotel & Spa, Exclusive Hire

From the very beginning, my stay at this hotel was nothing short of disappointing. Upon arrival, it took the receptionist over half an hour to locate my booking. Once she finally found it, she simply walked me halfway towards my room and then left me with no directions at all. There was nobody to greet me or offer help, and since I was on my own setting up a surprise for my partner, I ended up getting lost trying to find the room. The spa, which I had looked forward to, was by far not a relaxing experience. Instead of a calming atmosphere, it felt exactly like a noisy leisure centre—children splashing and screaming, dirty and foul-smelling saunas, and only two changing cubicles, which was very uncomfortable. Back in the room, things didn’t improve. The temperature was unbearable with no air conditioning, and when I tried to use the phone to call reception, it didn’t work—meaning every query required walking all the way downstairs. The beds were extremely uncomfortable; we were given two singles pushed together rather than a proper double. When we went for dinner in the restaurant, both my partner and I were served undercooked, pink chicken. The waitress was shocked herself when I pointed it out. I asked to speak to a manager, but there was none available and I was told to “come back in the morning.” My partner ended up ordering food from outside the hotel because there was no alternative, while I was left being violently sick all night. On top of this, the noise levels were awful—it sounded like people were running above us constantly. The next morning, we left early, missing breakfast, as I was still unwell from the food. When my partner again asked for a manager, he was told that “all the managers are in a meeting.” The fact that not one manager was available to deal with serious concerns was unbelievable. When I returned home, still feeling unwell, I received a call from a manager who offered only £60 back for the food. When I explained that I had been ill, he told me to “go to the doctors and get it put on paper that you had food poisoning.” His tone was demanding and dismissive. Even worse, he then said that if I left a review, he would not follow through with the refund. Later that same evening, I received another phone call from him, repeating that I must not leave a review or else he would withdraw the refund. This felt like intimidation and blackmail, which is completely unacceptable. I also contacted the third-party company I booked through (Spa Breaks), and they were mortified at how poor this experience had been. From start to finish, this hotel failed on every level—basic service, food safety, cleanliness, comfort, and professionalism. The way management handled the situation was appalling and left me feeling not just disappointed, but mistreated. This was supposed to be a special stay, and instead it turned into one of the worst hotel experiences I have ever had.