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Located just outside Irvine, in Ayrshire, one of Scotland's most beautiful areas and only seven miles from Prestwick Airport, the Riverside Lodge Hotel Irvine is perfectly placed for both business and leisure. The hotel facilities include 125 en-suite bedrooms including family rooms, a contemporary newly refurbished restaurant and bar, serving quality and worldwide wines, beers & cocktails.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to TheAA: The Automobile Association.
HOTEL STYLE
Residential Neighbourhood
Business
Languages Spoken
English
Location
46 Annick Road, Irvine KA11 4LD Scotland
Riverside Lodge Hotel
3.8 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
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While some guests have complimented the Riverside Lodge Hotel for its spotless public areas and overall cleanliness, many travelers report the rooms to be outdated and not as clean, suggesting a need for renovation. The amenities are considered satisfactory but have room for enhancement, especially regarding dining options.
Several reviewers have pointed out that the hotel's value is questionable, with expensive extras and drinks diminishing the sense of worth. Service quality appears to be a hit-or-miss, with experiences ranging from friendly to neglectful.
Atmosphere
Outdated
Rooms
Dated
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Underwhelming
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Our first time staying at the Riverside Lodge Hotel and from the photos online it looked lovely, leaving us with high expectations.
On arrival, there is adequate parking directly in front of the hotel reception with disabled bays conveniently located next to the front doors.
The lobby, bar, restaurant, and function suite are all very modern and decorated to an extremely high standard. The check-in process was expedient, and the member of staff was pleasant and welcoming.
Immediately on exiting the lobby towards the accommodation, you notice a step back in time with dated and tired looking furniture, carpets, and decor. Under the stairs is a large selection of old furniture and replacement wood for rooms or old wood that has been removed and yet to find its way to the skip.
The rooms themselves are fairly standard, also showing their age and looking tired in comparison to the ultra modern and stylish public areas. The lampshade in our room was thick with dust, the mattress was firm, and every spring could be felt in it. There were a few large questionable stains on the carpet and a bar of soap with hair clinging to it in the shower presumably from the previous occupants.
We dined at the hotel restaurant where our drinks orders were taken and never delivered. When our waitress arrived to take our meal order, we had to order further drinks. The food arrived within a reasonable time frame, and the burgers were respectably large in size. I was incredibly disappointed however at being charged an extra £3 for a tiny sprinkle of grated cheese, a tiny bit of sour cream and half a slice of bacon being sliced onto the fries and them being described as loaded fries - absolutely not value for money, so would recommend avoid doing so.
When the bill arrived, the drinks we had initially ordered that failed to appear were on it. However, they were removed without a fuss. Overall, the dining experience was a sad 4/10.
Breakfast the next morning, however, was fantastic. A real variety of cooked and continental options that you helped yourself to buffet style. The cooked breakfast was exceptional, with staff attentively replenishing each item well before it emptied. The cups provided for drinking the fresh fruit juice are akin to the size of a shot glass... easily remedied by taking a coffee mug and filling that up. The breakfast gets a respectable 9/10.
Overall, a fairly standard stay which initially promises to be something special judging it on the high level of finish in the public areas, but is sadly let down by the tired, poorly cleaned accomodation behind the scenes and the average food available for evening meals. Overall, a 6/10 stay for us.
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Date of stay: February 2025Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed at the Riverside Lodge on the DBB deal through Myhotelbreak. We chose to upgrade to one of the patio rooms which had two double beds.
The staff at MHB were very helpful in changing my dates as I initially made a typo, which they sorted out quickly.
When it came to book my dinner time at the hotel I was offered 4.45 or 8.15. Nothing at a reasonable time, which seems to be a common theme looking at other reviews - I suspect the hotel is reserving the peak times for those not on the deal? Which really is not fair. As a result we ate really late and it did taint our stay.
The food and drink we had during the stay was nice, service very prompt and you could see they were very busy and the staff all managed exceptionally well.
The common areas and reception bar are really high standard, great selection of drinks behind the bar and lots of comfortable seating. The place had a great atmosphere.
The room was large, comfortable with lots of storage, powerful shower - and although in need of a refurb, was great for the one night.
The problems came at 10.30/11 when you could hear everyone shouting in the corridors, and this lasted till around 1.30.
As a couple who booked the getaway, to spend a nice evening away from their toddler (and get a full nights interrupted sleep) we were deeply disappointed. More so that there were no staff members managing the rowdy behaviour which went on for hours. It was not a weekend, it was a Wednesday night.
All in all I would recommend the hotel at the right price, but would request a room further down the corridor away from any passing traffic, and ensure before I booked that i could get in for dinner at normal time.
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Date of stay: December 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Get a room far down the corridor.
Check you can get a normal dinner time before booking in.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kaleigh-Anne Hannah, General Manager at Riverside Lodge Hotel
Responded 3 Jan 2024
Hi GTBellQ88, Thank you for taking the time to send us your feedback I am thrilled that you found several aspects of your stay enjoyable. Please accept my apologies for the disturbance you faced from other guests. With regards to dinner reservation, our restaurant is extremley busy as we do have 124 bedrooms, booking in advance of your visit to secure a peak time reservation is always advisable and this should have been state on your MHB confirmation to avoid you arriving at the hotel and not being able to secure your prefered time at that point. I will certainly contact them to ensure that this information is in fact avaliable for their guests to stop this from happening in the future. I do hope you will return to the hotel again, have a lovely day. Kindest Regards, Kaleigh-Anne Hannah
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We stayed her as part of of national holidays trip to go see the Edinburgh Tattoo, but being at the other dide of Scotland I would not have choose it myself. When we arrived we were given our room key at the door as everything had been pre booked so they had our details already, however as we went to our room the smell on the main corridor of dampness and foistey. Once in our room we discovered what appeared to be blood on the doorframe to the bathroom and a thick layer of dust in places, the glassware was filthy but the rest of the room looked to be ok. Once unpacked we headed downstairs to the restaurant but noticed on the stairwell lots of cobwebs on the railings, another sign of a lack of cleaning. We went to the front desk and explained about the possible blood on the doorframe and the other things and the were genuinely shock and said they would get it sorted straight away. Once in the bar we ordered a couple of drinks before dinner and it was your typical hotel prices and service was quick and friendly. In the restaurant itself the dusty decor continued but the staff were friendly and pleasant, they took our order quickly and concidering were were part of a coach load they got our food out to us quite quickly. The food itself was decent however I felt my starter concidering it said fish cakes ( plural) we only got one and it tested very bland but the rest of our meal was very nice. We asked the staff about breakfast and what it contained as my partner was looking gorward to a good old fashioned Scottish breakfast with haggis however our server said they had stopped doing it due to it going to waste as nobody ate it, so she was out of look there.
When we retired yo our room later that night and settled down in bed, we noticed because of the light from the bedside lamp a lot of strange fluid marks all down one of the walls. So we turned the light off and called it a night. We stood no chance of a change of room as we were one of 4 coaches there thst night plus a wedding party, plus one of our groups an elderly lady asked if dhe could get a room on the ground floor as she was no good with deeps and there was no lift and she was told they were fully booked. Next morning at breakfast we found it was buffet style and there was a good amount of warm food but if you wanted any breakfast pastries you had better be quick as once they had gone that was it. We dud ask if more was coming out but we never saw any appear. The food wasn't too bad but the bacon was too undercooked for my liking the fried eggs were like plastic and the potato bread was swimming in fat. As we were going to the Tattoo after lunch we had to stay for lunch which was very nice in its self but there was not a lot of it if that was all you were having but as we had only had breakfast a few hours previously it was very filling. The next morning at breakfast the food was the same so we did not eat as much and it was still a scramble for the pastries.
All in all the bed was comfy we had a roof over our head in the typical bad Scottish weather. Would I go there again ? No. Would I recommend it ? No was it value for money ? I don't know it was part of the package we booked.
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:It's an OK hotel they just need to clean better, everything from the rooms to the glassware and...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I would rate this hotel as a travel lodge/ holiday inn. No way 4 star. We stayed in three dog friendly hotels during this break and the other 2 were superb really dog friendly excellent service not the Riverside Lodge, They charge £20 a night for a very small King Charles dog We stayed Three nights costing £60 disgusting. asked what they were doing for that you receive a ziplock bag with a handful of dog biscuits and 1 tennis ball so for 3 night we were given 3 bags and 3 tennis balls so if we stayed for 7 night we would get 7 bags with a handful of biscuits and 7 tennis balls ludicrous. Next our first night we went to small set table waited for service 30 mins later my husband went up and asked for someone to take our order after getting the menu himself they took our order meal arrived once we had finished they did not come back to clear table after another 30 mins wait my husband went up again and asked had they forgot about us. After dessert arrived My husband asked for bill I turned to our little dog next thing I know she has taken away my dessert which I had not finished so I said you have taken away my dessert she apologised did not offer to replace the icecream . I put a please make up room on door handle person had come in to room and did not put new toilet roll or biscuits etc . All in all I have never experienced such a terrible hotel in my life. Needless to say will never go back. Some hotels put deep clean room reason for charge well they do not deep clean room it is exactly the same as normal clean. The other hotels the Sweeney in Oswestry and the Board Inn were lovely very dog friendly and did not charge at all, they also made sure the dog was made a fuss of. I recommend them but do not recommend the Riverside Lodge.
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Date of stay: August 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Do not book if you have a dog.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Utterly disappointing stay which is hugely disappointing as we have stayed on a number of occasions and even had a Christmas dinner stay here before now but the place, facilitates and staff have gone dramatically downhill.
The room was freezing cold for the first nights stay and I had to go to reception to ask staff if there was a way to warm it up the next day due to arriving very late at night (to be told we need to manually turn the dial on the actual radiator - not something you expect to have to do in a hotel) so it was a very uncomfortable first nights stay. Having one thin duvet and one pillow each in January is not ideal either especially when most people sleep with two!
We were vacant all afternoon and until 10pm on our first day and our room was not cleaned despite speaking to the house keeper on the way out who was on our corridor cleaning a room further down. Meaning we had no milk for a cup of tea this morning or biscuits/sugar and there were no clean towels etc.
There was a 20 minute wait on breakfast the first day standing in a queue, and hot food was constantly running out, there was a queue of people waiting on potato scones and/or toast and sausages on both days and whilst I appreciate they are busy, it was complete chaos we weren’t all able to sit down as a family and enjoy a hot breakfast at the same time.
Not only that but the breakfast staff most definitely do not want to be there and we were spoken to very rudely.
The bathroom in the room was mediocre and did not have the cleanliness standard I would expect from a nice hotel, the stainless steel was grubby, some of the grout unclean, the shower curtain had some staining and the toilet had not been fully cleaned prior to our arrival. Definitely not hotel standard.
We were charged £60 for spilling a drink and staining the mattress, this I do not dispute as it was a total accident I had missed (done by my six year old and a pillow put over it!) however I think just to charge a card with no explanation after we had left was very wrong. After I called and enquired photos were sent and I was given an explanation.and as I say I do not dispute this (and I did apologise) but the way it was handled was not appropriate.
I have emailed the hotel with my complaints but I have not had the courtesy of an email or acknowledgement.
So all in all we were very disappointed on this occasion.
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We visited the hotel recently on a 2 night DBB deal with friends. We booked 2 Double Double rooms which looking at the pictures on the hotels website looked fairly spacious. We like to have a game of Dominoes in the room when we are away for a few nights, and based on the pictures we looked at we booked this hotel. Check in was a slow process as when we arrived at the desk both members of staff were dealing with telephone bookings, we waited 5 minutes to be spoken to and checked in. Once we completed this we headed to our rooms, both side by side as requested. When entering the room we were surprised as to how small they were compared to what we had seen online. Based on this we returned to reception. We made our case to the lady on the desk who abruptly stopped us mid conversation stating ‘give me a second till i look’ and once looking more or less said you have got what you booked!! We explained our reason for questioning but it fell on deaf ears.
We decided we would need to make do with the rooms, so done a little re-arranging to make space for our game of dominoes. When moving the bed the fluff and crumbs under the bed proves that deep cleans in this hotel don’t happen often. Another thing notice in the room was behind the bedside cabinet has had some shoddy wallpapering as the paper does not even cover the whole wall!! In general the room was dated but done the job for the nights we were there.
The only positive of the 2 night stay was the meal on the first night which we really enjoyed. The drink prices are very expensive at the bar. And even worse when the pints of lager are flat most of the time.
Breakfast on both mornings was again poor on the whole. Both morning there was no hot water/tea/coffee available in the flasks that were there. And the staff were always running to try and get tables cleared to deal with this. The food was stone cold on both mornings. Infact on the Sunday there was no food to get as it was empty with no signs of it being replenished
Based on this stay we would be very unlikely to visit again, we have stayed on a few occasions previously with no faults but on this occasion it was disgraceful.
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Date of stay: February 2025Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Be prepared for plenty of faults!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Just back from a 1 night stay on the Dinner, Bed and Breakfast rate and unfortunately we were very disappointed.
Yes the deal was cheap at £99 (with an extra £20 added at check in for a Saturday night stay) and I guess you get what you pay for, but it's quite disingenuous to advertise as a 4 star when the reality is 2/3 star at best.
The room was incredibly basic - only one bedside table, no sockets near to bed, bed seemed small for it being a King and it was quite hard so neither of us slept well, very thin duvet, broken hangers in wardrobe which had been sellotaped back together, very old kettle and basic tea / coffee.
Bathroom was very dated and not as clean as it could have been. Pedal bin was filthy. Grouting needing redone. Very old fashioned shower and basic / cheap toiletries. The biggest laugh we got was the lovely 1970s mini hair dryer 🤣
A small positive was that the dinner was decent (hence 2 stars). Restricted menu but what we had was fine and we didn't have to wait too long despite it being busy. The restaurant and bar area are nice although it was heaving with a very rowdy wedding party and there were dirty glasses etc everywhere so we didn't stay for more drinks after dinner.
The worst bit of the stay was breakfast. We paid extra to have it in the room and marked what we wanted on an order form (whoever wrote it can't spell pastries) but what came (20 mins late) was very small, wrong and stone cold - weirdly the plates were hot , but the items all cold. I ordered bacon, sausage, eggs, haggis and potato scone but all I got waa one small sausage, one rasher of bacon and runny scrambled eggs. It made for a very sad looking plate of food. 😓 and the toast was burnt black and cold as well.
We were going to raise our issues at check out when we were asked how our stay was, but the receptionist didn't even bother asking us, which kind of summed up our experience - what's the point ? Don't think they'd care.
We've been at 2 other 4 star hotels the last 2 months and both were far, far superior to this so we're confused by some of the 5 star reviews this hotel is getting. Can only think those people haven't stayed at a real 4 star before? We recommend you pay a little more for a proper night away.
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Date of stay: December 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We have been going to the Riverside Lodge Hotel for many years for an overnight stay with dinner & breakfast and we always felt we were getting good value for money - but not anymore.
It now costs £129 for our usual deal which used to be a LOT less.
The dinner menu is even more restricted than before with very little choice and then to add surcharges on is just so disappointing to say the least.
The haggis starter was delicious but the pasta l had was well-overcooked & soggy.
Unfortunately you’re just not getting the breakfast set up right at all after all these years…running out of clean cups & plates, tea, hot water, pastries etc & customers having to wait. Then there’s the buffet food - where some items are cold.
To add insult to injury, I ordered a glass of Chardonnay to have with my dinner and it was £9.95! I googled the cost of the wine in the room (included in the £129) and it was £3.49!
The staff are pleasant & efficient. The room is comfortable and clean. There is a nice atmosphere about the place.
We always enjoyed the overall Riverside Lodge Hotel experience but l’m so sad to say we won’t be back.
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Date of stay: June 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Rachel McCallum, Guest Services / Front Office at Riverside Lodge Hotel
Responded 22 Jun 2024
Good evening NeeliieScotland, Thank you for taking the time to send us feedback regarding your recent visit. I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this further with you, if you could email me directly at rachel.mccallum@theriversidelodgehotel.co.uk. I look forward to hearing from you, Kind regards,
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Staff are very friendly and entrance to hotel is lovely but rooms are not the best and certainly for a 4 star id expect better. The room was very small and the bed was hard and uncomfortable. The bathroom could do with some serious upgrading and the tiles need replaced. It also wouldn't go amiss if someone was to check that the TV worked before allowing guests to stay we only discovered late in the evening so was too late to do anything about it. The doors do not shut properly as they are too big (maybe swollen with the heat) so if you do not slam it shut it doesn't close and some people aren't aware we walked past a room where the person was snoring and the door ajar definetly a safety issue there and we also woke very early with others obviously aware of the same issue and slaming the doors closed. The doors was also very hard to open so again if there was a fire id worry about getting out. We ate dinner in the restaurant the main was lovely (steak pie) pudding really dry so give it a miss (sticky toffee pudding) We ordered some cocktails and they where horrible pornstar martini had way too much passionfruit and was very strong didnt taste like it had been mixed properly and wasn't cold so no crushed ice mixed in either. The bottle of wine in the room came warm which i didnt understand either nobody wants a warm bottle of white. On leaving the hotel we raised some issues one in particular was that the window in the room safety catch was broken so swung open wide so very dangerous for a child and the staff member joked saying is that all! I dont normal write negative reviews but felt this one definetly needed addressed.
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hotel looks lovely and room where great but the review goes downhill from here. I was here with my dogs as the hotel claimed to be dog friendly, when we arrived we where told that the dog friendly area was over beside reception, the area was nice with soft seating and tables, however there was only 2 very small tables to eat your breakfast, dinner etc off unless you want to hunch over and try to eat off a low coffee table. We felt very restricted and isolated, any other hotel we have been in the dogs are allowed fully in the bar area. Onto my next issue the places was filled with dirt plates, glasses etc and there where sitting there was over 2 hrs at a time, everytime we when for food or drink we had to either move the plates etc to another table or find staff and ask for it to be clean but that would take like 20 minutes, I don't expect this from a 4 star hotel. On the 2 morning we where there they ran out of stuff for breakfast on the first morning it was bacon and butter. I don't think I would be back anytime soon until the address the issues with the dog area.
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Date of stay: March 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
While I was there people were coming and going with dogs but the information book in room says no dogs in public areas ie l reception area and bar I think most are just in the room
There are more places to choose from in the Irvine area.
PRICE RANGE
£78 - £97 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
menzies irvine hotel irvine, menzies hotel irvine, irvine menzies hotel
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Hallmark Hotel Irvine
LOCATION
United KingdomScotlandAyrshireNorth AyrshireIrvine
NUMBER OF ROOMS
125
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Are there any historical sites close to Riverside Lodge Hotel?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Dundonald Castle and Visitor Centre (3.1 miles), War Memorial Troon (4.9 miles), and The Mother Lodge of Scotland (3.5 miles).
Yes, it offers wheelchair access, reduced mobility rooms, and facilities for disabled guests. For specific enquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.
