My husband took me to The Glasshouse for a birthday treat, something he does most years, so I am fortunate enough to have stayed in quite a few 5 star hotels, and my husband has stayed in hotels all over the world. The Glasshouse however misses the mark completely. The hotel does indeed have a lot of glass but is unfortunately covered in tasteless net curtain everywhere you look giving it a horrible 80's feel. It is not at all ultra modern which is what you would expect from a modern 'boutique' hotel. The staff who are mostly (I am guessing) Polish are polite but lack any kind of enthusiasm and are all rather dull and looked pretty uncomfortable in their roles - as if the guests may bite. I agree with other reviewers that the honesty bar is just a way of saving on staff costs but at £500 for a two nights stay I would like to be served my drinks from a barman with a friendly smile. The corridors are gaudy and decorated with artificial flowers (more money saving), they are long and souless which reminded me of a travel lodge. We stayed in a deluxe room which overlooked the roof garden and beyond. On Friday evening whilst enjoying the evening sun outside on the terrace we were entertained by the local youths who had climbed the hill overlooking the hotel, and proceeded to be lairy and smash bottles down the hill - nice, but at least it was interesting to watch which is far more than I can say for any of the staff!
The room was certainly on the small side with just enough room to walk around the bed. There were no comfy chairs to sit in just a desk chair and a small glass table with a couple of 'dining' chairs. The bathroom was clean and had nice underfloor heating but again the design was no better than a travel lodge.There was an extractor fan which did not work and on the first night whilst taking a shower it leaked over the floor and caused a bit if a flood.
The air conditioning in the room has a mind of its own turning itself up and is very noisey, we had to turn it off as it was keeping me awake. The bedlinen and bed were comfortable but the net curtains were mouldy and had cigarette burns in them. Turndown service comes very early in the evening - when you are in the shower at around 5pm! The hotel says that you get a bottle of mineral water - which we did, and a scented candle - which we didn't - more money saving. My husband paid extra for passes to what in the hotel sales pitch is described as a spa in the complex next door - dont bother as the 'spa' is a large jacuzzi by the side of a swimming pool and seperate steam room and sauna in each of the mens and ladies changing rooms. None of which are mixed sex so forget it if you were thinking of enjoying a sauna together.
The only good thing that I can say about this hotel is that the breakfast was good but, that is a very expensive breakfast considering the price to stay in this hotel when the rest of the experience is distinctly average. My advice would be to save your money and stay in a hotel that is much better value and spend your hard earned cash in the many fantastic bars and restaurants in the city. This is one hotel I would certainly never recommend to anyone. Words that spring to mind are souless, very very average and boring. Certainly not an experience that I would expect from a hotel that calls itself a boutique hotel. My advice - give this one a very wide berth.


(2 votes)








