DoubleTree by Hilton York

The hotel's location is excellent, very close to Shambles and York Minster, right by the ancient city walls. The room was quite spacious and clean, offering great value for money in the UK.

Avoid this place! The location is great, right next to the attractions. However, the stay was terrible. It's a converted residential building, and our room faced the street, so it was very noisy even with the windows closed. The floors are wooden, so the soundproofing is awful; it sounded like someone was walking in our room every time other guests moved from the first floor to their rooms. Plus, a spider crawled out of the bathtub drain while I was showering...

The hotel is right by the city walls, and some rooms even offer views of them. The room was a bit small but very clean and tidy, and it even had a bathtub – perfect for a relaxing soak after exploring the old town. It's only a ten-minute walk to York Minster and The Shambles, and it's wonderfully peaceful to visit them in the mornings and evenings before the crowds arrive. The English breakfast was decent, and you can enjoy views of the old town from the dining area on the first floor.

The hotel is quite old and small. There's no elevator, so with luggage, you have to climb very narrow stairs. The room has no air conditioning, making it very hot in the summer. The toilet is also difficult to use; you have to press down with a lot of force. We booked a family room, and the extra bed was terrible – my child would sink into it while sleeping. For over 2,000, it's definitely not worth the price. The staff, however, were quite nice.

I booked a week in advance, but when I arrived, the hotel claimed they hadn't received my reservation. Trip.com helped me communicate with them for a while, and eventually, after speaking to the manager, they found my booking and finally assigned me a room. However, the hygiene was very poor. I could hear snoring from the next room and footsteps from upstairs quite clearly. The hot water was also inconsistent, some of the towels had an odor, and the tiles in the bathtub were loose. There were no other rooms available to switch to. All in all, it definitely didn't live up to its price or star rating.