The Belhaven in Glasgow

Used to be better.

We have stayed in the Belhaven before (over 20 years ago the first time) and loved it. I have also recommended it many times to visitors to Glasgow.

So, it saddens me to say that this visit wasn't so great and they really need to do some work if they intend to be around in another 10 or 20 years.

When we arrived, we got upgraded from a standard double to the suite. Sounds great. And getting up there it's an beautiful big room and seems very nice at first look. But further time spent revealed that it needs work and repair. Just a few of the issues:

Huge room but little furniture. No wardrobe at all, just a rail (which feels more like an Ibis than a decent hotel suite).

Massive great double bath - jacuzzi. I thought "great" and proceeded to fill it, which was fine, but then turns the jacuzzi jets on and it started to fill with particles and a few flakes of mould, so clearly the pipework has not been cleaned for quite some time (no point having a jacuzzi without maintenance!).

The sink was chipped and the plug no longer went down. Best throw away and buy a new one. Should be less than £300 at a plumber's merchant and an hour of labour!

Wiring for the lights above the paintings was wrong - you needed to switch both the switch by the door and the one by the bed. This is not how to wire a two-way switch! Half an hour of an electrician's time would sort it.

They have to spend some real money to get this room back up to its potential!

The building seems to have some history; it looks better in photos than in person. The breakfast was okay.

The staff was amazing! Very kind and helpful above and beyond. Place was cleanish, bedding was clean and bathroom clean. The big issue is, we were in a basement room so might be just our location, but the carpets smelled awful. Very moldy smell, which I’m allergic to, so I felt terrible every morning. Place was very cold but damp, our towels never did dry, bedding was damp. Even the clothes in our suitcases came home damp and smelly. The building has character so with some dehumidifiers and harder flooring, it has potential to be a great place. Public transportation right outside, tons of great restaurants close by and botanic garden across the street for a nice walk.