The Grafton Rooms

Located alongside an industrial area, this accommodation has absolutely nothing in its favour. The information on hotel booking sites doesn't make it clear that there are no staff on site. After booking online, I received a confirmation email, then a text that provided the access code for the main door and explained how to get into the room. On arrival, I discovered that the "free car parking" was just an unsecured gravel area with rusty gates that were permanently open. The front door has a keypad on it, but the door itself was ajar and I was able to push it open! The room was locked and entry was via a key in a key safe beside the door. The room itself was small, oppressive and smelled of sweat and feet. The sheets looked fairly clean, and there was a tired looking towel left on the bed. I didn't inspect the bathroom, I'd seen and smelled enough. The acrid smell, oppressive feel and generally dingy space wasn't helped by a sound of dripping water from somewhere out in the unlit corridor. Even in bright daylight the building felt dark and slightly menacing. I felt so vulnerable that I left the premises and sat in my locked car to try to book elsewhere. The person who sent the text messages did not respond to my text message about security concerns as the front door was not shut. So they aren't concerned with the safety of anyone using their facilities.

While I was trying to book an alternative room (thank goodness for technology), some men arrived and loitered near the entrance. I think they were staying there, but their presence and evident curiosity really added to my sense of unease. Don't be fooled, this is a poorly maintained boarding house with no staff and very little security. It is NOT a hotel.

If you are female and travelling alone, avoid my expensive mistake and DO NOT book here. This may look like a good deal when viewed online, but believe me, it isn't what it purports to be. This place has been misrepresented on all the sites where it is listed. Tried to allocate zero stars, but had to give one in order to post this review. Caveat emptor!

It was a handy stop whilst working in the area, low cost. The bed was clean, comfortable and freshly made, with TV and WiFi available in the room. Unfortunately the room was cold and there were signs of damp, and the bathroom could use a good clean.

It exceeded my expectations
I wasn't sure what to expect after seeing it on Google maps and reading the reviews. We pulled up into a secure parking area and went up some stairs to a lovely seating area to greet us and on seeing we had a less mobile member promptly gave her a lower floor room. He was very helpful. Our rooms were clean but needed a bit of tlc but the bed was clean and very comfy. It's handy for the town centre and I would go back

having stayed here i believe for the 7th or 8th time now it’s always so lovely to come back here, the owner his family and his staff are all such lovely people, where it’s located is perfect for me and is another reason why i keep coming back with a private car park and all the amenities you need as well as customer wifi as well very clean i love coming here and will continue to do so, thank you Mr Butt for the hospitality!!

I stayed overnight as I was traveling for an exam in Northampton the next day.
*The room was freezing cold & the heat was poor/ almost non-existing in the middle of December (both in the bedroom & the bathroom)!! I couldn't sleep at night as my feet were ice-cold + there was a non-stop loud noise in the middle of the night by males (I couldn't discern whether inside or just outside the place).
*The room in which I stayed may need some serious renovation & the stained carpet could do with a little cleaning.

Pros: The hotel is in proximity to the exam centre. & there was a nearby restaurant (thank God).

There was mold in the bath room and also on the walls near the bed ( bed not even near the bathroom) the bed is horrible. There are pee stains on the bed and also hairs aswell. And behind the fridge there was a used waxing strip. It was horrible I went to a different hotel

I stayed at this place for three nights as I work away a lot.this place could do with a deep clean the bed was wet stained I always pull bk the sheets and the mattress add stains on it the bed bass was deity. I.like my window open but the the cars going up and down the road I could not get a good sleep very bad place to stay lads.I forgot the shower leaked all over the floor. DONT STAY.

Pleasant staff, clean rooms, basic facilities but they all work and are acceptable, it's good value for the price. Some of the routines like checking out and opening the main entrance door could be communicated better and the car park is a little bit messy but these are minor issues