My family booked the use of two rooms for 2 nights, a good ten months in advance of our stay. I was getting married in Hull, and wanted to stay somewhere stylish and quiet the night before and the night of my wedding, so my parents treated me to a stay at Lazaats as a wedding gift. We also recommended the hotel to our friends, many of whom were travelling from overseas.
What a mistake.
A few weeks before our stay, my father rang to check the booking and there was no record of it!!! Lazaat rang him back soon after and said they had found the booking. This caused undue stress. A few days before the wedding, my father rang to advise that a hairdresser would be coming up to my room, along with a photographer, just to get a shot of me getting ready, This was a huge problem, said the owner. He was incredibly rude to my 61 year old father, apparently 'put out' that we were not using his facility for our wedding ceremony and reception. (With 200+ guests, they would have been too small)
The owner tried to tell my father that he would now need to hire extra staff and cleaners, as members of my party may throw confetti, be messy or rowdy. My father explained that no confetti would be thrown - I would simply be staying there, getting ready, and leaving with my father in a classic car. There was no night -before hen do, drunken night before or pranks -it was a serious, calm affair. My father tried to reassure the owner, asking if things could be settled, and the owner said he remained unhappy at having a wedding leave from his hotel, as he " had important, distinguished guests staying who could not be disturbed or neglected". My father was quietly upset, and now very concerned. He's a calm, professional man, who does not like conflict. Despite desperately trying to reach an agreement with the owner, he simply just kept repeating that my stay was simply 'an inconvenience'.
Two friends (wedding guests) who had booked independently, arrived to check in as the owner had just finished speaking on the phone to my father. The owner then proceeded to speak ill of my father to the guests - unbeknown to him they were friends of ours. On telling this man they were actually friends of my father, he begged them to be discrete and not say anything.
How professional...
When i checked in, the front of house staff (who are lovely) seemed embarrassed.
We waited an hour for our breakfast the morning of the wedding. A member of the waiting staff seemed, from conversation, to know about 'the dispute'. This made for a very uncomfortable atmosphere. We threw no confetti but a car had been broken into, and there was broken glass all over the car park. Someone (probably on e of the afore mentioned distinguished guests!!) had put bubble bath in the water fountain. Classy.
The water to our room mysteriously was cut off for the entire morning of my wedding (luckily, I had shower very early) No one else's water appeared to have been cut off.
When the photographer arrived, the owner was very rude to her, sighing and shouting.
My father arrived, and the owner ignored him. My father had offered to buy him a drink and meet to shake hands the day before, and he had declined, saying he would never be happy with the arrangement.
My father, mother, and bridesmaids and I waited quietly for our car in the foyer, There was a terribly unpleasant atmosphere. We were seated in the reception for around 10 minutes, all the time the owner muttering under his breath to the staff, pacing up and down and sighing. My father approached him and said good morning, and he ignored him and walked past.There seemed to be no other guests - there was no one else at breakfast. After an uncomfortable 5 minutes, I approached the owner and politely and calmly asked him if there was a problem with us, as hotel guests, waiting for our vehicle in the hall way (with it being raining). He shrugged, sighed and waved me away dismissively. I asked "are you sure?", and he replied, " it's just that we are expecting important, special guests". It upset me so much, I cried whilst I waited for my car. I felt bad for my dad who had paid so much for us to stay there as a treat for us, and this was not what any of us had planned.
My brother returned at teatime and could not get his key for his room, and they would not call him a taxi. He is a calm young man who doesn't really drink, and was sober and polite.When he did get his key, they just asked his number and handed it to him - no identification. Security?...
Myself and my husband arrived back for the night of our wedding at around half past midnight. My family had booked us their luxurious, expensive 'honeymoon suite' (We had advised them we would be returning at this time) There was no one there. We sat on the carpet, waiting for about half an hour. We walked around the premises. A few guests at the bar suggested we get the key from the office as that is what they had done. We didn't. Finally, nearly an hour later, someone emerged, and seemed unconcerned that we had not been able to get into the room.
If it had not been for the fact that my friends and family are so lovely, it would have ruined my wedding. I spent a fair amount of time in the run up to the wedding worrying about my father, and the undue stress that had been placed upon him.
Lazaat - lovely, hardworking cleaning and waiting staff, gorgeous premises. In my opinion, rude, unhelpful, unprofessional senior management, with an owner who bad mouths customers to other guests and appears only interested in personal profit over customer care.
I am no bridezilla, but I do expect manners and decency. I am a professional, rational person from a hard working family, and I believe in respect and customer care. I can not recommend this establishment. I didn't want special treatment, I just wanted to receive the service we had paid for. Bed and Breakfast is not a hard service to offer, yet we were made to feel like we were unwelcome and everything was too much trouble .