Trafford Hall Hotel, Chester

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This weekend, we stayed at Trafford Hall Hotel, Chester. The hotel is part of a registered charity, The National Communities Resource Centre, which offers support and training to people working and living in deprived areas throughout the UK, to develop their skills and ultimately empower them to improve their situations.

We chose to book this hotel as a change from the usual faceless corporate hotels we find ourselves in. Trafford Hall is a grade II listed Georgian Manner House situated in beautiful gardens and woodland just a short drive from Chester city centre.

We stayed in one of the hotel's 42 eco-chalets, which were clean, comfortable (although very, very basic), and had a large window overlooking the forest. It was perfectly restful, quiet and tranquil.

Capture

The room, as I mentioned before, was very basic, the whole chalet is made of wood, meaning creaky floorboards and thin walls. There was little on the walls, a very old carpet, no artwork, nothing to make the room homely or comfortable. There was also no hot water in the morning, and breakfast was very basic. The room smelled like disinfectant when we arrived, and there was not enough shampoo / shower gel in the pump container in the shower.


Overall, I love that the "hotel" does such good work, but I think that not offering guests a quality experience is a short-term tactic, meaning that the hotel can maximise the revenues given to charity, however with longer-term investment, it could better justify it's hotel-level rates by behaving more as a hotel and less a hostel.

It has the kind of attitude that due to it's charitable status, it's infallible. Many, many Tripadvisor reviews have mentioned the same issues I have, but responses (and staff on-site) seem not to have any proactive plan to tackle them, which is why I think, from the guest's perspective, the venue presents as poor value for money. I'm sure many guests, including myself, feel good about making the choice to stay here, but it's only at the expense of not acknowledging the charitable contributions (and employment opportunities), offered by hotel chains, which are still able to provide stylish and comfortable accommodation to their guests.

As a hotelier, I'd happily share more detailed feedback / suggestions should the hotel wish to reach out.

Regrettably, 4/10
Location: Ince Ln, Chester CH2 4JP, UK

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