We stayed at the Hallmark Hotel Carlisle for two nights as we walked Hadrians Wall in August 2011. I was actually quite excited to stay here, as the web site would have you believe it's a sophisticated boutique hotel right in the heart of the city. In all actuality, many of the rooms are 30 years out of date, and the amenities featured online are in fact not available at the hotel.
Upon check-in, we entered our 1970s hotel room to find a dinghy duvet cover on a sagging mattress, peeling wallpaper, cigarette and iron burns on the carpet, exposed nails along the woodwork, dirt and dust on the furniture, and a plastic bag filled with garbage from the previous guest lying in the middle of the floor. I didn't even want to sit down for fear the room hadn't been cleaned in weeks. I immediately went online to look at the hotel's web site, where I again saw pictures of modern rooms with fresh linens and comfortable beds. Hmm...a bit of a discrepancy here...
So we asked at the reception desk, and were told that we could be moved to a renovated room, though it would be smaller. We decided to look at the room first, and while it was quite tight, it at least felt cleaner than the previous room (which, I have since discovered, can be seen in an almost microscopic photo on the accommodations page of Hallmark Hotel Carlisle's web site). Word to the wise: as of August 2011, the entire first floor of the hotel has not been renovated, so ask for a room on a higher floor.
While updated, room 316 was certainly not a luxurious experience. The shower was smaller than you'd find on a cruise ship, minus the wire shelves one usually places one's toiletries on. The closet area was too narrow for a suitcase, and there was only room for one bedside table. Although it had been painted recently, the yellow walls already had stains and scuffs. Strangely, both rooms 114 and 316 were missing clocks, so it was difficult to keep track of the time in the room.
Unless you enjoy hearing sounds from the downstairs nightclub well into the morning hours, ask for a room on the other side of the hotel. Our window faced the train station and it was perfectly quiet.
The web site also features pictures of a gorgeous looking swimming pool, which would have been a welcome retreat after our long walks each day. However, we were informed that the swimming pool is actually a 15-minute walk from the hotel and charges hotel guests £5 for its use. Again, misleading information on the web site.
The staff was pleasant and did accommodate us when we wanted to change rooms, but overall, I can't recommend the Hallmark Hotel as a place to stay in Carlisle. I think the bag of trash on the floor of the first room tipped me over the edge and there was no returning from that point. read more