Radisson BLU Hotel Durham

We visited Radisson BLU for three days/two nights as a surprise trip for my partner's birthday. When we first arrived, we were shocked to find the hotel is located right next to a half-demolished building which is an eye-sore and noisy during the day. We parked on the hotel car park and were shocked again that the hotel charged an extra £9 a day to do so - although we were aware of an additional charge, we found this extremely expensive. A friendly young lady at reception greeted us and explained the facilities the hotel had to offer and gave us directions to our room. We didn't have breakfast here so can’t comment on this, however the spa/pool looked lovely. We stayed in a standard double with en-suite at the rear of the hotel, which was very modern and clean - apart from the pair of false eyelashes still stuck to the bedroom mirror from a previous guest! Each time we passed reception to tell someone all the staff were busy, so they remained there throughout our stay undetected by any cleaners. Everything else however was spotless, and the bathroom was one of the nicest I've used at a hotel. We unfortunately also experienced a fire alarm at the hotel which we believe was a false alarm, but since we didn’t see a single member of staff during this until we were told to come back inside, it will remain a mystery. Despite the hiccups, we had a nice time overall and would consider returning although we didn't find it to be the best value for money at this time of year.

Pros:Customer service is great and tries to meet all your needs. They are so helpful! The room we had was huge and fit the baby crib they gave us easily plus our stroller and lots of space. We had a great view of the river and castle. The gym was so nice and huge. The pool was nice too but the water was pretty cold and our baby started shivering instantly. The whole hotel is really nice and modern. It is just a 5 minute walk along the river to the center of town. It was 4 pounds for us to take a taxi up to the train station. We walked down since it was all downhill. They also seem to allow late checkouts often. Cons: The bathroom is small and the shower is a half glass door. I hated this because you are left cold since it doesn't close all the way. I don't know why they didn't make the whole thing glass. No real thermostat! You can't really control the a/c or heat. We had a temperature reader and couldn't get our room under 73 so we would sweat at night under the comforter. No refrigerator in the room. No outlets on both sides of the bed. If you are handicapped or have a stroller the ramp into the hotel is maddening. It goes in the opposite direction of the ramp for the bridge across the river so you have to backtrack.

The hotel is very pleasant however the service was poor. Maintenance confirmed that the heating wasn't working because all guests were trying to get increase the temperature in their rooms. It was -1 degrees centigrade. We were then going to be charged a surplus for a complimentary drinks voucher at the bar - we had ordered 2 glasses of wine. Waited 20 mins to be seated for breakfast. Staff in the respective departments seemed unsure of their own and other available facilites i.e: we were room only and wanted to buy breakfast. We were wrongly told by one member of staff that A La Carte was not available for breakfast. He said he was going to check and provide a menu, but sent a manager over instead. She also said there was no A La Carte but when asked to check, she subsequently provided one ! Very disappointing !

2 night stay over Easter weekend, river view, very comfortable room. Terrible weather meant we spent more time in the room than normal. Issue with TV meant we only had 2 or 3 channels. Reported it at least 4 times. On Saturday afternoon maintenance were eventually called and sorted out the problem. Unfortunately when we returned to the room at 9.30 the problem had recurred. Reported at least twice more but maintenance clocked off at 7.30 so the problem remained unresolved. We were eventually offered a move to a different room at about 11.00pm. Not an option at that time. When checking out staff were aware of the problem but had to be prompted for an apology. No recompense was offered. Bar offers cocktails but unless it is on their list staff have no idea how to make them. Martini espresso was a hot coffee with Baileys in it presented in a martini glass. When advsed this was wrong, barman said "that's how we make it".

The room was nice just let down on the dust and large cob web above the bed. I was charged £9 for an overnight parking even tho there were no parking spaces! (I Parked at the end of a lane) but the worst part for me was the customer service. Meeting a group of friends at the hotel bar and the full group of 8 of us waited 25min to be served. Three members of staff queuing to use one till. When I asked if they could not open the other till to help speed things up for both them and people waiting... I was purposely left to wait even longer... When going for breakfast the following morning the lady taking our room number whispered "you do know it's £17.50 each for breakfast" however luckily the breakfast was really nice... not worth £17.50 but still good.