The Leopold Hotel is roughly 10 minutes on foot from
Sheffield railway station and it’s pretty easy to reach without seeking
directions from passers-by. There are street maps all over town stating ‘you
are here’ and Leopold Street is clearly marked.
I made an educated guess that the hotel would be on Leopold
Street; it seemed like common sense – and I was right.
I liked the Leopold. It was clean, well presented and bang
in the centre of town, so no complaints on that score. For me, however, it’s
the little things that let a place down. Little things like nobody on the front
desk when I arrived. I don’t need that kind of anxiety. The receptionist wasn’t
gone for long, but there was no bell to ring to attract attention and I needed
to get in my room and then head out immediately to a nearby dinner appointment.
For me the best thing about the Leopold was the
receptionist. Lisa was wonderful, very helpful and friendly and that’s what you
need in a hotel. The check-in was straightforward and I was given room 150 on
the third floor. The room was fine too, but the view was poor. I drew back the
curtains and was greeted by a brick wall, but it didn’t affect my stay.
My phone had run out of power. I didn’t have a charger – nor
did the hotel – so I was relying upon the room phone to make an outside call.
But it didn’t work. I kept getting an engaged tone. The problem wasn’t
rectifiable so I had to provide Lisa, the receptionist with the number and she
dialled it for me. Not a major problem, but little things count and it annoyed
me.
Let’s talk about the room. There was a ‘minibar’, but it was
really just a mini fridge with a couple of bottles of mineral water inside,
nothing more, so I ticked the ‘doesn’t trust it’s guests’ box in my head and
moved on. The wardrobe contained an ironing board, an iron and a few hangers
and the bathroom was absolutely fine.
In so many ways the Leopold was fine. The room was
comfortable, there was a desk on which to plonk the lap top, the WiFi worked
fine and the bed was comfortable too. The minor wait in reception annoyed me,
but only slightly, and the room phone issue didn’t really bother me.
I was looking forward to breakfast, which was served in the
basement. The room was pleasant and the spread was ‘okay’ – I’d opted for the
continental breakfast, which cost me just over £7. I hate having to pay extra
for breakfast. I think it should always be included in the room price. Paying
extra is a con as the price you’re quoted on-line doesn’t tally with the check-out
price. I paid £85 on line, but ended up paying over £90! Not good.
For breakfast I ordered tea and toast and then helped myself
to Alpen and a yoghurt. What annoyed me here was, again, a minor detail. The
toast arrived, but no butter. I had to ask for it and then the waitress forgot.
Hotel tea always leaves a lot to be desired for some reason.
However long the teabag remains in the pot, the tea is always weak. The
stainless steel teapot was hot to touch so I had to use my napkin to open it and
jiggle round the tea bag.
When all was said and done, however, the Leopold was a good
hotel with a decent room and was ideally located in the centre of town. Top
marks to Lisa for being a decent receptionist.
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