[Duty manager] was a one-man team and did an amazing job with the resources he had, which didn't seem like much. During our stay there were over 100 guests, yet the hotel appeared to have very limited staff. [Duty manager] was working on reception while also carrying out housekeeping duties, which highlighted how understaffed the hotel felt. Unfortunately, there were several issues during our stay. One member of our group discovered bed bugs in their room, which was extremely unpleasant. In addition, some of the children's rooms had the heating stuck on and it could not be switched off, despite there being a red alert heatwave. This made the rooms unbearably hot and uncomfortable. Overall, [Duty manager]'s hard work and professionalism stood out, but the hotel seemed severely understaffed and poorly equipped to cope with the number of guests. The restaurant staff were excellent with the children and made them feel welcome throughout our stay. The meals were enjoyable and generally of a good standard. There was one issue with a vegan meal, but it was dealt with promptly and professionally. The subsequent meals were prepared correctly and were excellent.
[ED Response: Edited to remove names]
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
Ocean View Hotel
The corridors and bedrooms were way too hot. We appreciate there was a heatwave but it was so hot we were dripping in sweat!
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
Ocean View Hotel
- we shared with another school and they caused some issues with children running around and not always monitored.
- sandwich mix ups, we had children allergic to diary and a couple of times they had butter. This was swiftly changed but was frustrating. Mix up of many sandwiches each day caused us delay when checking each morning.
- unfriendly front of house staff. Some children were mistaken for the other school and shouted at unnecessarily.
- 'checking out', no time was discussed and so as breakfast was at 8.30 we then checked rooms and left after. But cleaners were quite rude to us and the children when chasing us out of the rooms so they could prepare them. Had this have been asked the night previous we would have sorted more easily.
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
Ocean View Hotel
No written comments provided.
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Ocean View Hotel
(older review)
First time here with a group of 62 students and any concerns I had about sharing the hotel were unfounded as we were given our own wing of the building and our own dining room so we actually had little contact with other guests. A good experience overall and we'll definitely consider staying here again.
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Driving Real Change
Your feedback isn’t just filed away; it’s our primary tool for quality control. Every comment is reviewed internally and directly dictates which providers remain part of our residential portfolio.
Where improvements are needed, we roll up our sleeves. For instance, when a hotel received poor ratings for their packed lunches, we collaborated with their chef to rebalance their catering budget — scaling back over-generous breakfasts to significantly boost the quality of the mid-day meals.
Similarly, when a popular crazy golf course faced feedback about chaotic arrivals, we implemented a 15-minute staggered entry system to ensure every school group receives a calm, organised welcome.
At the end of every season, we compile these insights into anonymous performance summaries for all our partners, providing them with the clear, actionable data they need to keep improving.
We also reward our most successful partners with our Customer Excellence Awards each season, and our customer feedback is key to deciding the most deserving winners.
