Duke of Cornwall Hotel

Recent Reviews: 1562

• User:scstephenc

  Trip type: Solo travel

  No wifi, can this be called a hotel in 2026?

  06 Feb 2026

  There is absolutely no wifi, completely unacceptable in 2026!! The hotel is old but perfectly comfortable, with spacious rooms, a comfortable bed and lots of hot water. The staff on Reception are very nice indeed, but without wifi this is not a hotel to stay in. The hotel needs to state this upfront and make sure guests know beforehand - I suspect they do not do this as most people would choose to go elsewhere.

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• User:klou2015

  Trip type: Family

  Not Accessible for people with mobility issues. Unsafe, and Seriously Misrepresented. In a poor state of repair.

  31 Jan 2026

  My stay was wholly unsatisfactory and deeply concerning, particularly regarding accessibility, health and safety, and service standards. Despite advertising itself as accessible, this hotel is not suitable for guests with mobility impairments.Accessibility & SafetyBefore arrival, I was assured by phone that the car park and access routes were safe and suitable for wheelchair users and those with limited mobility. This was completely inaccurate. The car park was uneven, full of potholes, loose gravel, rubble, and blocked vehicles. Access to the hotel required crossing narrow steel walkways with slopes on either side, extremely slippery in wet conditions, bordered by scaffolding and an unprotected drop — with no warning signage. A wheelchair could not safely use these walkways at all (mine physically would not fit).The entrance involved wet, slippery steps. I required physical assistance from my partner and son to enter and exit safely. This was distressing, dangerous, and observed by management without alternative access being offered.Internally, the passenger lift is too small for wheelchair use, and the wheelchair lift was out of service throughout my stay.Room & FacilitiesI was promised an accessible ground-floor room with a disability-friendly bathroom. Instead, I was allocated a room on the fourth floor, with no suitable facilities. The bathroom was not accessible; the shower had a raised lip, making it unsafe for anyone with mobility issues.I specifically raised concerns about emergency evacuation before and during my stay. I was told lifts could be used in a fire and reassured that I would be “alright” because the hotel had “never had one.” This response demonstrates a serious lack of understanding of fire safety and disabled evacuation planning. No Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) could be provided.Condition of the HotelThe property is in a clear state of disrepair: dirty carpets, stains from leaking showers, cracked window panes, doors that do not fit properly (a serious fire safety concern), unbearably hot rooms with no thermostat, broken fans, and extensive scaffolding. The condition bears little resemblance to online images, which materially misrepresent the current state of the hotel.Service & Food HygieneWi-Fi did not work at all, and attempts to contact reception by phone were diverted to a full voicemail. Service was inconsistent and ineffective.A complimentary breakfast was offered following my complaint, but the cooked food from the bain-marie was cold. Sausages were removed from service only after being checked — after some had already been eaten. This resulted in upset stomachs later that day and raises serious food hygiene and temperature-control concerns.Financial & Emotional ImpactBecause parking was unsafe and unreliable, we were forced to use Uber transport to attend a Plymouth Argyle match, incurring unexpected additional costs. Combined with the physical risk, distress, and lack of reasonable adjustments, this significantly compounded the experience.Final ThoughtsDespite being advertised online (and often appearing in searches) as a Best Western, the hotel is no longer owned by the brand, and the standards fall far below what would reasonably be expected. Management was unable or unwilling to provide clear ownership or contact details, and attempts to contact those responsible have gone unanswered.In summary:This hotel is not accessible, not safe for disabled guests, and is seriously misrepresented online. The cumulative failures — unsafe access, lack of reasonable adjustments, inadequate fire safety planning, poor maintenance, food hygiene concerns, and service failures — make this a place I strongly advise mobility-impaired travellers to avoid.Ironically the head office appears to be in Torquay - home of Fawlty Towers …

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• User:Barbara B

  Trip type: Family

  Understaffed hotel with dirty and smelly rooms

  06 Jan 2026

  Understaffed and dirty hotel.We stayed here a whole week over Christmas with my mum and partner.Our double room nr.209 was disgusting. There was an old sweatty smell hanging in the room that stayed the whole week. Everything, including chairs smelled of it. There was a dirty smell coming from the bathroom you could smell even with the door closed. We slept with the windows open and the heating on full the whole week. The mattrass was so hard that it hurt, I ordered another duvet so I could lay on top of that. Curtain had a big rip in it.My mum's room was a single and only better because it didn't smell. Her carpet was stained all over, the bedframe and chair had a layer of dust on them, didn't get cleaned. Cleaners asked every morning if the room needed cleaning. Wonder what they actually do then. We asked for cleaning and it looked like they had been because the toilet seat was down. My mum spilled water on bathroom floor and wiped this up with the white bathmat, the mat was dark brown afterwards. My mum had booked the hotel online from the Netherlands to spend Christmas with us. We live in Plymouth. Looking at the pictures she loved it. Together me and my mum looked at a lot of hotels, but she wanted to stay in this one because of the history and the beautiful pictures on their website. What a disappointment. I wanted to complain, but was afraid another room would be no better. Also my mum didn't want us to complain. I know that we should have. The breakfast was disappointing too. Watery coffee, the baked beans, mushrooms were cold. We weren't told we could order fried eggs, but the second morning we noticed another guest doing this. The toast was soft( self-service) if you wanted to toast it again it would set on fire. No help here, just staff saying it does that all the time. Fresh fruit was pre-peeled grapefruit or a berry mixture that looked the frozen ones. The jam was in a dispenser you could put on saucers, only this was set up at the buffet on the other side of the room than the continental. So we didn't know this was even available. In the evening at the bar you could wait forever for someone to turn up, we had to get someone every time. They would all stand together talking at reception, knowing there were people in the lounge. I can go on and on. Don't bother with this hotel, go anywhere else. Duke Manager, General Manager at The Duke of Cornwall Hotel, responded to this review Dear Barbara,Thank you for taking the time to share such detailed feedback following your stay with us over the Christmas period. I am truly sorry to read about the many aspects of your experience that fell well below both your expectations and our own standards.Please accept my sincere apologies for the condition of the rooms you and your mother were allocated. The issues you describe regarding unpleasant odours, cleanliness, furnishings, and overall maintenance are unacceptable and certainly not reflective of the experience we aim to provide. Your comments have been shared with our housekeeping and maintenance teams, and a thorough review and deep clean of the rooms mentioned has been arranged, along with further inspection of our soft furnishings and mattresses.I am also very disappointed to learn about your breakfast experience and the lack of clear communication from our team. Cold items, poor beverage quality, and unclear buffet layout are not the standard we strive for, and we are reviewing our breakfast service procedures, staffing levels, and team training as a direct result of your feedback.Regarding the bar service and visibility of staff, I fully understand your frustration. Guests should never feel they have to seek out assistance, and your comments have been addressed with our front office and food & beverage teams to reinforce service awareness and presence, particularly during busy periods.It is especially regrettable to hear that the hotel did not live up to the expectations created by our website or the historical charm that initially drew your mother to choose us for such a meaningful visit. I am very sorry that this resulted in disappointment during what should have been a special time spent together.While I appreciate that you chose not to raise these concerns during your stay, I do hope you might consider contacting us directly should you ever reconsider visiting in the future. This would allow us the opportunity to address issues immediately and ensure a more comfortable experience.Thank you again for your feedback. Although difficult to read, it is invaluable in helping us improve, and I genuinely regret that we did not deliver the stay you deserved.Kind Regards,PhilippaFront Office Manager

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• User:sean l

  Trip type: Family

  Horrible stay in room 207

  02 Jan 2026

  We were looking forward to our new year's eve party here and totally disappointed, the room was abysmal, the windows were screwed shut but were open so couldn't shut them anymore, infested with ladybirds that crawled over us at night, cobwebs everywhere, lights not working or missing the light bulb but was wired directly into the live wiring so on permanent live so don't put your fingers by it, and this was in a family room so keep an eye on your kids incase they put there fingers in it, rotten windows just hanging in for dear life, bad nights sleep on both nights due to rock hard bed and woken up at 7 in the morning by emptying of the bottle bins by the collector then banging on the door at 8 wanting to know if we needed anything, dirty cups that had been used before we even got chance to use them, asked for them to be replaced but never was, had to get some ourselves from the breakfast room, now the breakfast was buffet style the first morning and was a disaster, took 20 minutes just to get scrambled eggs, lots of people just walked out, even the waiter said this was bad, breakfast made me feel ill something was not right and only one chef on tryingtocook everything, party night was great though and the food was good that night, don't stay in room 207 that's all I can say as we asked more than 4 times for the ladybirds to be cleaned up and towels were wet as well,would I stay here again, this is a definitely no Duke Manager, General Manager at The Duke of Cornwall Hotel, responded to this review Dear Sean,Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback. I am truly sorry to read about the disappointing experience you had during your New Year’s Eve stay, especially as this was a special occasion you were looking forward to.Please accept our sincere apologies for the condition of the room you were allocated. The issues you describe regarding cleanliness, maintenance, safety concerns, and comfort are completely unacceptable and do not reflect the standards we aim to provide, particularly in a family room. I am especially concerned to read about the electrical safety issue you mentioned, and this has been escalated immediately to our maintenance and senior management teams for urgent investigation and rectification.We are aware that our housekeeping team did attempt to come and clean your room during your stay, however they were turned away at the door. Regarding breakfast, I apologise for the delays, lack of organisation, and the way this impacted your experience. Your comments about staffing levels and food quality have been shared with our Food & Beverage management so that corrective action can be taken.I do appreciate your kind words about the New Year’s Eve party and the food that evening, and I’m glad that at least this part of your stay was enjoyable.Your feedback is extremely important to us, and please be assured that the points raised have been taken seriously and are being addressed to prevent a recurrence. We would like a chance to restore your confidence in us and would like for you to come and stay again in the future. Kind regards,PhilippaFront Office Manager

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• User:rebeccacJ2429WV

  Trip type: Couples

  Classic and superb service

  31 Dec 2025

  From the moment you arrive you realise you are stepping into a historic landmark. The Duke’s historic guest list has welcomed stars of screen and stage, daring world adventurers and some of the few survivors from the Titanic.The staff are warm, helpful and genuinely friendly and the rooms are individual, spacious, immaculate and the best value for money in Plymouth. Can’t wait to return! Duke Manager, General Manager at The Duke of Cornwall Hotel, responded to this review Dear rebeccaJ2429WV,Thank you so much for your wonderful review and kind words. We are delighted that from the moment you arrived; you felt the sense of history and character that makes The Duke such a special place. Our heritage and remarkable past are something we are very proud of, and it’s lovely to know that this added to your experience.Your compliments about our team mean a great deal to us. Providing warm, genuine hospitality is at the heart of what we do, and I will be sure to share your feedback with the entire staff. Thank you again for taking the time to share your experience. We very much look forward to welcoming you back on your next visit to Plymouth.Kind Regards,PhilippaFront Office Manager

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