CombatCritic's TravelValue™: Stratford-Upon-Avon, England: WAY Overpriced, Unprofessional Staff, And Nonexistent "Free Wi-Fi" Left Us Feeling Underwhelmed

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Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Stratford-Upon-Avon, England: WAY Overpriced, Unprofessional Staff, And Nonexistent "Free Wi-Fi" Left Us Feeling Underwhelmed

The New Inn

Clifford Chambers

Stratford Upon Avon CV37 8HR

United Kingdom

Phone number: +44 178-929-3402

Facebook Page

Prices: ££££

For the price, the place is a bit of a dump and their "Free Wi-Fi" may as well have been nonexistent, slow as a snail if you were able to connect at all, which we were not.

Breakfast, a mediocre buffet, is only served from 8:30 to 9:30 AM and checkout is at 10 AM, so pre-planning is essential, especially if you have an early morning departure (you must notify them by 9PM the night before). As you will see below, their policies seem to favor themselves rather than the paying customer.

When I asked the bartender why there was no internet in our room and unable to connect in the common areas, she threw up her hands and told me "what do you want me to do about it?". Explaining to her that "free Wi-Fi" was advertised when we booked the room and that I needed it for work, she looked at the local standing next to me and said "what would people do without internet these days?". When I commented on her rude and unhelpful response, she said she would do something about it, but never followed through. We were unable to connect that night and the next morning before leaving.

At £65 ($92) per night, the small room was plain with mismatched furniture, a tiny TV, and a bathroom desperately in need of repairs (see photos). We stayed at much nicer places in both central London and Chester for $12 less than this shithole in the middle of nowhere.

The sole highlight was their "carvery" (£8.95/small plate - £10.95/large plate) dinner with sliced beef, turkey and gammon (ham) as well as roasted and mashed potatoes, parsnips, stuffing, Yorkshire pudding, gravy and several veggies, but when I asked about the policy for seconds on sides, the carver told me "read the sign mate, one trip only". Like the bartender, not very professional. Actually, nobody was friendly, neither staff nor customers, which had not been our experience in London, Cambridgeshire, Manchester, Chester, Nuneaton, Stratford Upon Avon, or Windsor. Maybe they simply do not like "Yanks" or outsiders in Clifford Chambers. In any event, we did not feel welcome and were extremely disappointed by our experience.