as booking the hotel i phoned up with the foreign speaker whos english wasnt up to scratch and i felt like she didnt fully understand me, as i tried to book a room she put me on hold for over 10 minutes with out asking if i would hold firstly.
eventually i was transferred to reservations my questions werent answered fully and she seemed new as her knowledge of basic ammenities was very short.
i booked the hotel on short notice so i went through with the booking anyway but was dissapointed as she didnt listen to my needs.

as i arrived at the hotel the histrorical building was lovely and well maintained. but as i checked in i felt as though id made a mistake booking into this hotel. my reservation wasnt booked correctly as my double room was transferred to a twin room and had to wait over an hour for the housekeeping to rectify this error.
on addition to this my luggage was not stored over this period and then i had to carry my own bags to the room with no directions

the bar wasnt staffed properly and waited for ages to be served a drink, which wasnt cold then when i complained they just changed the glass and added lots of ice to cool it down quickly. the bar people need to be trained in compentently serving drinks also i suspect that at least one of them was underage himself.

we later booked a table in the attic restaurant this was booked through reception, but as we arrived at the restaurant there was no recollection of a booking with the waiters.
as we were seated and the menu was presented to use but the covers were worn and stained. the dishes were basic something im used to seeing in a lower star rated hotel.

the waiteress we had "Natasha" was very welcoming and friendly it was as if nothing was to much of a problem for her. however none of the other staff were as friendly as her they seemed bored and looked annoyed when asked the most basic of questions.

the food was simple the presentation of these dishes was terrible as if the chefs didnt care about the dishes. the dessert seemed to be factory brought flawless in presentation but tasted poor. there was no coffee or after dinner drinks offered so we signed the bill(after a 15 minute wait)

as we checked out, we asked to speak to a manager. the reception called the deputy manager who spoke with us about our stay he seemed disinterested and bored with our comments. he didnt offer us a discount let alone an apology!!

This hotel was the only place available at short notice in the area, for a Saturday night in September. It is easily accessed from the Motorway in South Yorkshire just off M18 at junction 1 (and we knew where it was from trips to the area on lots of previous occasions).

The place looks palacial in the photos on any website but is in fact situated in the centre of an industrial estate, that was built around it when it was derelict. The life of the building has been removed completely and, apart from the 'pretending to be smart' reception area, you could be in a modern warren of motel rooms anywhere once you are inside.

The double room we had was clean, functional and fairly compact. The family room was on a separate wing and was part of an older barn building. With 3 double beds and a sofa bed it could have easily fitted a family of 8!

Breakfast was excellent, a choice of cereal, yoghurts, full english and fruit. The coffee was a little disappointing, just a 'hot pot' flask to serve yourself!

Staff were not unpleasant but other than the East European receptionist who always smiled and answered graciously, they looked bored and did the minimum! (Even during the false fire alarm at 10pm at night as the hotel was evacuated completely their movements were slow and lacked interest.)

The swimming pool was a bonus, with sauna and steam room all open til 10pm (although we sort of felt we were being 'cleaned' out of the pool at 9pm as they swept and rinsed round us and checked their watches).

The pool is 1.4m deep everywhere so not ideal for younger children, board floats and woggles were provided, and the changing rooms were warm and clean!

We paid per person via Superbreaks and had 2 rooms for 1 night B&B TOTAL £126 for 2 adults 3 children under 13.

We could have booked just one room (family sized, with 3 double beds and a sofa bed) including B&B for approx £95 direct with the hotel.

We were a little worried after reading previous reviews that the weekend might be a bit of a let down but I have to say they couldn't be more wrong.
The Hotel rooms were comfortable, spacious and equipped with everything you need. The beds are very comfy and the bathrooms clean and bright.
We decided to eat in the hotel restaurant instead of going into town. Again we were pleasantly surprised, great food, great service and value for money in a relaxing atmosphere.
We were able to use the leisure facilties even after checkout - gorgeous pool with windows all round to let in the sun. Towels provided and all the leisure staff were very firendly.
If you're looking for a quick gettaway at reasonable prices I can highly recommend Hellaby Hotel.
ENJOY!

Average and over priced