Dear Trip Advisor readers,
Having read the above comments I can only wonder if the person writing this review actually came to stay at Montfort Cottage!!
Like most other guest house owners from the Windermere and Bowness area of the Lake District, I always read the good and not so good reviews with great interest and amusement. Imagine my horror to now be included among the more damning reviews on this website!! If all this were true even I wouldn’t want to stay here!!
It is unfortunate this guest has chosen to air their negative comments regarding their stay at Montfort Cottage in such a public forum, especially as they gave the impression throughout their three day stay that they had enjoyed themselves. At no time during their stay did they make me aware they were unhappy or give me the opportunity to put right the concerns they have described in great detail.
This is my ‘War and Peace’ response to their epic concerns:
Montfort Cottage operates a flexible arrival time policy for all its guests and prioritises rooms to be cleaned based on the ETA guests have stated on their booking forms. However, we cannot guarantee that any room will be ready before 2pm as priorities can change throughout the course of a day. Guests arriving before this time are welcome to check-in, leave their luggage and even have some refreshments while they wait. Most hotels and guest houses in the area do not allow guests to check-in before either 2pm, 3pm or even 4pm. This guest checked-in at 1.30pm and had to wait for 10 minutes (with a cup of tea) while the room was being prepared for them.
With regard to the concerns regarding the room itself all could have been easily rectified both quickly and professionally. They would have been offered one of the alternative 4 poster rooms which were available had their concerns been brought to my attention at the time of arrival.
The room they stayed in (Room 4 – also called Windermere – a 4 poster en-suite room) is the largest of all the rooms at Montfort Cottage in terms of actual floor space and is often requested by returning guests. The beams and sloping attic roof in the room are seen by most as romantic and give the room character.
I do take umbrage at the implication it is not safe to leave a window open in Windermere. This is not an area rife with crime. The double glazed windows at Montfort Cottage are less than 4 years old and all are lockable, with the added security feature of restricted opening, making it impossible for someone to gain access from the outside. Never mind that Room 4 is on the second floor, about 25 feet above ground level, and not even my window cleaner has a ladder long enough to reach it!!
Montfort Cottage offers an upgrade to rooms, for a small extra charge, in addition to all the basic features such as TV/video (with free films to watch), CD player, hairdryer, iron and ironing board, tea and coffee, etc…. This upgrade includes fresh fruit (bought on the day of arrival), bathrobes and bath sheets. It does not, however, include a newspaper and there is no mention of one on the website. Perhaps this is something to consider for the future as I continually strive to improve the facilities offered at Montfort Cottage.
Finally we come to the real reason this review was written. The audacity – how dare I leave a note regarding the misuse of a hand towel!! Montfort Cottage uses a linen service which provides quality white Egyptian cotton bed linen and fluffy towels. I would like them to stay that way for all my future guests. Cotton wool balls are provided to assist with the removal of facial make-up, not the towels. The note was left (a ‘thank you’ was also written on the note but appears to have been forgotten) as a way of a reminder and the towel was replaced with a nice white clean one. The linen service has been unable to clean the ‘offending’ towel to the high standard I expect (that is how dirty it was) and it has been replaced at cost to the guest house.
I would have quietly spoken to the guests regarding this issue had I seen them at any time other than at breakfast. However, guests have the freedom to come and go without restricted access which means I do not usually see them from one day to the next unless they want me for something; in which case they come and tell me!
Guests staying in the same room immediately prior to and since this particular guest have not expressed the same concerns. In fact I take great pride in the number of favourable comments received on a regular basis in both the guest comment book and the thank you cards which grace the entrance hall.
Three of the other four couples staying at Montfort Cottage the same weekend were previous guests (two couples were on their third visit!). The fourth couple were on their honeymoon and left a thank you card as well as a lovely comment in the guest book.
I believe Montfort Cottage offers excellent value for money. There aren’t many places in the area that offer all the above features for just £55 a night (that’s the total cost for two and includes breakfast and free use of the local leisure club facilities). Other styles of room are even cheaper!
I would like to thank Trip Advisor for giving me the opportunity to respond to this review.
Kind regards.