Dunsley Hall Hotel Reviews 4

“ BEWARE YOU DONT DINE AT THE ADVERTISED VENUE”
Booked the afternoon tea for a special birthday for a family relative.
Big mistake not checking the reviews before hand.
Relative made the reservation as per instructions but on arrival found the hotel CLOSED.
They managed to speak to a gardener who found someone who was very rude and told them they have to go to a CAFE near by, “the mad hatters tea room”
Apparently the food was ok but it was certainly not what we booked.
Disgusted by this and should be investigated under the trade descriptions.

The hotel is very nice and set in beautiful grounds, that’s the best part. My family went for afternoon tea and the service was just horrendous. On arrival there was no pleasantries and then once we had been served no one came back to see if you wanted refills of coffee or tea unless you caught the eye of a waitress. For at least 60 minutes there was not one waitress on the floor and people were having to go and find them if they wanted something. On arrival, we were placed in a huge room with no atmosphere and then we had the loudness of a huge hen party to deal with.

To top it off the manager couldn’t have cared less and didn’t even engage when I was complaining with another guest to the waitress on exit. Honestly, this could be a very good place with the right people running it but based on our own experiences, I wouldn’t recommend this venue to anyone.

The hotel itself is superbly located in the countryside above Whitby and the rooms are delightful. I had Room 18 which boasts a four poster bed and a lovely freestanding bath. I visited the hotel for 2 nights in 2020 however the service standards and management left much to be desired. On check out I asked for the name of the General Manager so as to feedback my disappointment but this was refused and I was treated rudely, almost aggressively by the person dealing with me at the front desk.

In fairness, the General Manager, Lynn Watson, phoned me later to discuss my experiences and I subsequently wrote to her with formal feedback. What subsequently disappointed me was my written communication was totally ignored and I never received a response. This was further evidence of very weak management.

As I was going to be in the area again in August 2021 I decided to give Dunsley Hall another chance and to make right my previous experience. I emailed Ms Watson directly however I never received any response. As I needed to firm up my arrangments quickly I attempted twice to telephone the hotel however, on both occasions, the phone went unanswered. My business has been lost, as has that of my clients as I work in the travel industry.

Dunsley Hall has the opportunity of being such a wonderful establishment however the poor quality of the service and managment leaves it lacking in a very significant way. However nice the building itself, it is service that is the key driver in any hotel and this is where Dunsley Hall fails, and fails rather dramactically.

I had a 50th birthday party arranged for 24 people at Dunsley Hall (or should I call it fawlty towers) and I had been looking forward to it all day, unfortunately it was a complete disaster, I will not or my family and friends be using it again.We booked a room last year at no cost, but this year we had to pay £75 , I would never hire a room again the food and service were terrible.
Starters
The bread came out first and the soup starter’s (which were cold) 10minutes later by which time all the bread had been eaten but when we asked for some more, the request was ignored.
A large number of Starters came out cold, one starter was not even cooked as it had been forgotten, and when we complained they said if they had to cook it now it would ruin the main meals which the person had said they would catch up if it was brought out. But 10 minutes later they came back to say would you like something else and the reply was I have already said I wanted the original starter I ordered , so at that point we had to say forget it !
Main Meals
As for the main meals they were being put out all over the place and by the time the Vegetable’s came out a large number of mains had to be sent back to be re-heated . By the time they came back the vegetables were cold. Some of the main dishes were hardly touched, not the best!
Deserts
A crème brulee was brought out up side down in a glass ramekin dish which had fruit on top, firstly this dish doesn’t have fruit on normally and I think this had been done deliberately because of the complaints. I believe this could have been a health and safety issue. Just imagine if it had broken and the food and glass had been consumed, what would have been the consequences.
Complaints
I must stress I was doing a lot of complaining because so many things were going wrong .I spent more time out of the room that we had hired , than in it , consequently my night was completely ruined . I asked at about 11pm to discuss the bill with the Manager they had all left. I did compromise with a member of staff on the Bill, who was very sympathetic, but at several points during the night I almost walked out, but didn’t as It was a special occasion and I had family and friends who had come a long way.
The way this particular evening was managed I can not put in strong enough words. It was a complete disaster. I hold the management completely responsible as I don’t believe the two girls who were looking after us on the evening were to blame. They were very friendly and tried their best. The training, if any was very poor and they didn’t know what to say or do with so many things going wrong; they should have had guidance from senior management.
I did have a phone call from the owner the next day apologizing and “saying I don’t know what to say! “Well I am a Manager and if somebody wasn’t happy with my staff , service or food I would have said what can I do to compensate or put it right for you but this was never even mentioned and I gave him plenty of time to think over what he was saying . As I said earlier I will never be using this Dunsley Hall (Fawlty Towers again).