I stayed at ABode this weekend with my husband. The hotel seems to market itself a boutique and charges accordingly. but has some way to go to reach boutique standards. We paid a discounted website rate but even that felt over the top.

The room was small and felt tired and in need of a thorough refit. The bathroom had grotty grout in the corners!

We weren't there to watch TV but the wide screen in our room had virtually no reception

Elsewhere in the hotel the keycards and room locks were unreliable. Several lightbulbs in the main landing needed replacing. The restaurant downstairs is suposed to be draw but was shut when we were there (a Sunday). The basement cafe bar was ordinary and a bit soul-less. It all just felt a bit unloved.

On the up side, he bed was comfortable, the staff were fiendly and breakfast was very good.

I stayed at this hotel for 3 nights through a conference booking. The rooms are very new with comfortable beds (comforters instead of sheets), modern bath and HDTV. Nothing to complain, but nothing that impressed either. But the service is really minimal. The restaurant is far from the level one would imagine as a Michelin 2 star chef's line. There are definitely better restaurants in town.

I have just spent one night here with my 13 year old daughter.
We had to share a double bed - but I knew that when I booked ( I think all the rooms are doubles).

A nice hotel with character, not ridiculously "boutique", in a great location within easy walking distance of the train station and shopping area of the city.

The room was smallish but with a very comfortable bed and nicely furnished. It was on the ground floor at the back of the hotel and very quiet. Sadly the washbasin was cracked, which detracted from the overall look of the room.

All the staff were very pleasant , helpful and friendly and I would certainly stay there again.

I stayed at the Abode hotel in early Sept. The hotel was quite busy due to a conference and marathon in town, and I was given a room on the first floor facing the main road (Bath St). I have to agree with many others who have pointed out that the glazing on the windows is quite poor and barely filters out the substantial noise coming from the street. Further, the facade of the hotel is illuminted by large floodlights, two of which were directly outside my window. As the curtains do not completely cover the window area, my room constantly had a white glow to it. You should also know that there are no sheer curtains in the rooms that would give privacy while allowing in light. You therefore only have the option of having the blinds open with no privacy, or closed, but with no light. The elevator is an old-fashioned model that requires people to open and close a gate manually. If the gate is not closed, the elevator will not operate. Needless to say, the elevator was frequently non-responsive as guests left the gate open - usually on the top floor. As for the cafe, I went in for lunch on the first day and although it was almost deserted, being mid-afternoon, I waited unsuccessfully for over ten minutes for a waiter/tress to take my order. I walked out without even any of the staff taking notice. I found the reception staff to be responsive. Also note that there is free wireless internet access in the lobby area if you don't want to be dinged 13 Pounds for a connection in your room (the wireless service is not advertised for some reason). Overall, the hotel has a long way to go for its reality to catch up to its hype and marketing.