I stayed in the Granville for two nights during my recent UK trip. I was in the UK for 5 nights total, one night spent at the Hilton Brighton Metropole right next door and I gotta say, the Granville was way better!
Booking the hotel is great--all the information you need is on their website, including the approximate size and location of each room available. Each room is themed. I went with the Japanese room--seafront views, a little bigger than the standard. The room had everything I needed. Themed, without feeling like Tokyo barfed all over me. The bathroom is recently renovated, with a sunk-in corner jacuzzi tub and really nice fixtures. The room had gorgeous views with windows that opened to let in the air and lovely sounds of the sea. I had a flat screen TV with DVD player and the registration desk has a nice selection of DVDs that you can borrow. You just walk down to the main floor and pick what you want, no signing out or anything like that.
Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel, including your room, which is great. I had a problem with the Wi-Fi going down and the front desk went to work immediately to fix the problem. They called me in my room to let me know it was working, and even checked back to make sure.
I traveled to the UK over the Thanksgiving holiday, where, as luck would have it, snow and a cold snap came to the UK early for the first time in like 40 years. I have the best timing... Still, my room was always comfortably warm. The radiator was turned on when I arrived. The sun coming in through the windows made the room absolutely toasty throughout the day; didn't even need the radiator.
The room also came with an electric kettle, tea, coffee and shortbread cookies. The bottle of water was free--no ridiculous $5 price tag for "convenience".
A note on the service: I made my reservation online the same day I booked my flight, so credit card issues prevailed. The hotel couldn't process my credit card, but they put my room on hold for 3 days (over the weekend) until I could call my bank. They correspond quickly via email; no need for international phone calls. They were very patient and understanding. Even better, when I had to change my reservation to 2 nights instead of 3--no fees or questions; they just applied my deposit to the newer reservation.
Cleaning the room was a slightly different story. During the day I came and went several times and posted that little door hanger for my room to be cleaned. It was never done. Granted I was never gone for more than 2 hours at a time (chilly outside!) but in that sense, they're definitely a little slow. You get the mom-and-pop vibe from this place...
Oh, can't forget the food. The lovely thing about the UK is that breakfast is almost always included, no matter what hotel you're in. I went to their restaurant for breakfast. The decor was lovely. I ordered the full vegetarian breakfast. It was amazing! Eggs, beans, potatoes, roasted tomato, facon (fake bacon) and a homemade vegetarian sausage. Sans the facon, the meal was amazing. It came with coffee or tea, and a table full of cereals, juices and toast with jam, butter, etc. I was full for most of the day.
I am not a big spender, much more a starving, traveling graduate student. The Granville was beyond perfect for my budget. Friendly, if slightly slow staff; fantastic accommodations; amazing breakfast... Done and done! read more