Copthorne Hotel Newcastle

Efficient and friendly reception on arrival and departure. A good on-site multi storey car park with plenty of space. An immaculate bedroom and bathroom. The buffet reakfast was quite a good price at £12.50, but the area was very cramped for so many people to be all trying to serve themselves at the same time with hot drinks, juice and cereal.

Large standard room, comfortable bed and shower with ample hot water and exceptional water pressure. Good choice at breakfast, overall well worth the money.

It's a nice hotel in a great location but staff very cold and business like. Shame.

A disappointing stay at the Copthorne Newcastle The Copthorne Newcastle was once the place to stay in Newcastle, particularly for celebrities and high-profile performers visiting the nearby arena. However, over the years the hotel seemed to lose its way, especially with newer and more modern hotels opening nearby. Having recently been refurbished, I decided to give it another chance. I had travelled all the way from Australia and, after a long journey, was desperate for a good night's sleep. Unfortunately, the stay turned out to be a very disappointing experience. Parking I used the hotel's attached car park, which I actually found to be one of the better aspects of the stay. The access ramp is very wide and easily accommodates larger vehicles. The car park is open to the general public, although it appeared to be relatively quiet during my stay. There is plenty of CCTV and motion-activated lighting throughout, and there is direct lift access to reception. There is a machine in the foyer where you enter your vehicle registration to receive the hotel's discounted parking rate of £15 per 24 hours. One important point is that you also need to provide your registration number to reception so they can send it through to the parking system and ensure the discount is applied. The room I was fortunate enough to be upgraded to a riverside room, which was very spacious and had some lovely views. Unfortunately, the room itself felt more dated than I expected from a recently refurbished four-star hotel. It had a slightly "grandparent's house" feel to it rather than the polished, modern experience I was expecting. There were also some significant shortcomings in the facilities. There was no complimentary bottled water in the room, meaning you have to go down to reception and purchase it. That's particularly inconvenient when you arrive late at night and simply want a drink without leaving your room. I also couldn't find a QR code or any obvious information regarding room service, and I'm still unclear whether this is actually available. The hotel's restaurant website stated that the restaurant closes at 21:30, meaning there appeared to be no food option after that time. The heating and cooling facilities were another problem. There was no air conditioning, only heating or a fan. During a heatwave, the room became uncomfortably warm, making it extremely difficult to sleep. The floor-to-ceiling windows also aren't privacy tinted from the outside, meaning people can see into the room. There is a car park on the opposite side of the river which remains active into the evening, and headlights regularly illuminated the room during the night unless the curtains were completely closed. The pillows — my biggest concern The most serious issue of my stay was the condition of the pillows. There appeared to be no pillow protectors, and as the room became increasingly warm during the night, an extremely unpleasant smell developed. All four pillows had a strong smell of sweat and appeared to be in desperate need of replacement. I asked reception in the morning for the pillows to be changed. When I returned around lunchtime, they still hadn't been changed. I asked again in the evening, and once again returned at bedtime to find that nothing had been done. By the second night, the smell was unbearable. I eventually removed the pillowcases myself and was shocked to find that the pillows were yellow and visibly putrid. I asked three separate times for the pillows to be replaced during my stay, and the request was never actioned. For a hotel where the primary purpose is to provide guests with somewhere comfortable and hygienic to sleep, I find this completely unacceptable. Service The service at reception unfortunately didn't improve the experience. On several occasions, reception staff appeared to be sitting on their phones and didn't give the impression of being particularly engaged or interested in assisting guests. There was one gentle