New Kent

I stayed here on a recent business trip for a single night. It’s a small, family-​run hotel, and part of the Best Western franchise. It is located on the Osborne Road, just around the corner from the main strip of hotels, bars and restaurants that forms an extension of the city centre. There’s a lounge bar and restaurant; the latter takes last orders at 8.30pm, and room service also stops an hour or so later.
Inside, the hotel itself is clearly converted from a number of formerly residential properties, with one of those complicated layouts with lots of little bits of corridor and multiple short flights of stairs, and lots of internal fire-​doors.
On the plus side: it’s conveniently located and it offers car parking (albeit limited). The staff were very pleasant and helpful (something on which the hotel prides itself); I was upgraded to a large room without asking; there’s good free wifi, and plentiful instant hot water. The bed was very comfy and everything was spotlessly clean.
As it happens, I slept very well, although the upstairs floor creaked, so I was glad I’d requested a top-​floor room, and the bedroom door could have done with extra sound-​proofing. Had their been more numerous or noisier guests staying, it might have been a different story.
The cooked breakfast was prepared freshly to order, and offered a good choice (fried bread is a rarity these days) although the cold buffet of cereals, juice and croissants would have been improved by taking the cling film off the containers.
That all said, areas of the hotel could do with upgrading. The rooms have been partly refurbished, with new wallpaper and decoration, but the furniture and common parts need further modernisation. The bathroom, although very clean, also needed a refit — the pink suite looked rather tired (the sink was cracked) and although I’m only 5’8″, I had to bend my knees to get under the shower head.
Essentially, service gets four stars and the hotel décor and fittings get two, so overall three. So, on this occasion, it fitted my purpose, but I’d equally happily try elsewhere next time.