Further to this guest's comments on their stay at the Clifton I would like to say that while I am pleased that they were satisfied with a number of key areas, I am equally very sorry that they did not enjoy a completely satisfactory experience. The quality of service that we provide is something that we do pride ourselves on and so I am very glad that this was evident during the reviewer's stay. With regards to the less positive points which they have highlighted I can assure both the reviewer and potential guests that we are working very hard to resolve these issues. We are currently in the planning stage for a full refurbishment of the hotel and are confident this will be taking place in the coming months. However we do already have a number of rooms which have been updated and if guests call us directly to book then we can ensure that they are allocated with these rooms. I have also passed on these comments to the bar manager who was very sorry to hear of the problems with the food but was keen to stress that such issues are very unusual. As far as how Racks is set up, it does describe itself as a Bar-Kitchen rather than specifically a restaurant and the intention both in the accommodation and Food & Beverage sides of the business is to provide a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. We are, however, sorry if this has led to any confusion. I note that the reviewer feels unable to recommend the hotel and would not return but I would really like to encourage them to reconsider this as I am certain that if they were to return they would have a much more satisfactory experience.

While it is clear that the reviewer found many aspects of their stay at the Clifton very satisfactory, I was both very sorry and extremely disappointed to read that their welcome at the hotel had been so poor. We work extremely hard to train our receptionists to the highest standards, and normally pride ourselves on providing 4* service, despite being only a 2* hotel. I will be speaking to the receptionists and showing them this review so that they understand the importance of providing the same level of sevice to every guest all the time. I can assure the reviewer and potential guests that the quality of service is normally very high, and so feel certain that this experience will not be repeated going forward. I am therefore also sure that if the reviewer should decide to return to the hotel, they would have an even more satisfactory overall experience.