The Titanic Hotel, Liverpool -a great hotel but with a few small leaks.

My daughter and I had decided to treat ourselves to a show in Liverpool last Friday [9th November] and, with one thing leading to another, we ended up booking ourselves B&B at the Titanic Hotel and planned a shopping spree the day after. Normally, we go for Premier Inn or similar accommodation, but we had decided to really push the boat out [‘scuse the pun] and go for a top-class hotel.

The actual building is a beautifully converted old warehouse right by the dockside, and many of the original features have been kept. There is also a wonderful selection of White Star Line artefacts which all add to the atmosphere. The staff were very friendly and helpful; we were given our keycards and the basics concerning the bar, restaurant and breakfast were explained.

From the first picture above, you will see that the corridors are spacious, with low-level lighting. Although this adds to the  feeling of being in an old building, it made finding the swipe pad on the door very difficult. I am quite sure that anybody with visual impairment would find it nigh-on impossible to use without assistance. Some sort of good light is very much needed for the actual doorways, I feel. Another strange thing we noticed on the corridor was that most of the rooms had empty bottles lined up outside waiting to be collected. Not only did this give an untidy impression overall, they were still there a good few hours later – not something I would expect in the corridor of a luxury hotel.

The room itself was lovely and spacious, a good range of hot drinks-making facilities was provided with some cookies and both still and sparkling water. The toiletries, soft furnishings and decor were beautiful and the furniture and beds very comfortable indeed. The TV had many functions – from viewing hotel info, seeing transport details and a good range of music playlists. We listened to Bon Jovi and Abba while we relaxed, there aren’t many artistes my daughter and I agree on!

We did, however, notice a strange smell occasionally – something like bad drains perhaps. As we were in the middle of an industrial area of the docklands we thought it might be due to that – it was strange but not overwhelming so we didn’t complain. I decided to relax in the shower – it was one of those rainfall types and I do love them. It was powerful and very roomy but I found that no matter how I turned the temperature control it seemed to make no difference whatsoever. Also, the original handle must have been broken off, as it had been replaced by a large screw! The shampoo etc, as I mentioned before, were really nice, though, and the towels lovely and fluffy 🙂

We hadn’t paid the extra for a dockside view, so couldn’t complain that we overlooked the carpark and some buildings next door, but the filthy state of the windows was not good.

I appreciate they cannot help it when birds do what birds do, but the smears and fingerprints were definitely within their power to clean up; just another instance of lack of attention to detail.

Downstairs in the bar area we had a snack and drink. My onion soup was absolutely wonderful and I really enjoyed my speciality tea. Prices are high but we did expect that in a place of this calibre. Service was attentive and unobtrusive and the ambience was peaceful and relaxing. They specialise in rums, I have never seen such a selection. Some were up to £30 a shot; I tried a much lower-priced one as a nightcap which was delicious.

We slept really well and were ready for breakfast the next day [yes, a few drinks had been consumed the night before 😉 ] The range of food on offer was good – plenty of fruits, cereals, juices, yoghurts and then all the usual hot selection plus freshly made omelettes and a pancake machine. I do not eat pork, though, so was hoping to find something by way of a vegetarian alternative. There was a hot-dish marked ‘vegan’ but, alas, it was empty. Perhaps I was expected to ask for these options but I made do with the eggs, hash browns, tomatoes and toast – followed by a couple of lovely pastries.

Check-out is not til 11, which we really appreciated, and I had booked to use the spa pool in the morning. It is £20 for up to 2 hours [there are treatments available too, for an extra charge]. The pool is very warm with a Jacuzzi end and a couple of ‘experience’ showers plus generous space to sit on the ledges around the edge. It is in the hotel basement and all towels, robes and flip-flops are provided so you only need to take your cossie. [I had hoped to buy a new one, but hadn’t had chance, so my old faithful holiday one had to do] There is also a steam room, sauna and sanarium [I wasn’t sure what that was and didn’t investigate] alongside plenty of loungers beside the hydrotherapy pool.

I really enjoyed the facilities, but was surprised that there didn’t seem to be any hairdryers provided in the changing room afterwards. I had also struggled to use the lockers – they are secured by entering your choice of 4-digit number but the first 2 lockers I tried were out of order so I ended up asking a receptionist to help me. She struggled a little, too, and said that the keypads weren’t really very good at all. I also found that the locks on both my shower cubicle and changing room did not fit properly, thus leading to a certain amount of unease as I showered and dressed. I hadn’t taken my camera down to the spa, so you’ll have to look at the pictures from their website:

http://www.titanichotelliverpool.com/mayabluewellness/hydrotherapy-pool

All-in-all, we did enjoy our stay, but I’m not sure I would go back in a hurry. It’s sad that these small details spoilt the overall experience of what is a very nice hotel indeed.

http://www.titanichotelliverpool.com/