The WORST RATED Hotel In The UK? The Grand Hotel Scarborough 

It's amazing seeing how holidays in the UK has changed overtime. This is an icon of the past. At one time it will have been bursting with activity, shows and events all the time, people dressed up for drinks in the bars. People will have checked in to the hotel, left to use the beach, then come back for all other entertainment.

The fact that these grand historical buildings are just allowed to fall apart is heart breaking to be honest 😞 My husband worked on The Grand Hotel in Birmingham and it was sat for years completely empty and it's just been done up through out, looks amazing now. I hope these buildings get the same eventually

As a longstanding hotelier I’m firmly of the belief that you can’t price yourself out of a downward spiral. Even if you charge low rates you cannot provide a poor product. The hotel would be better off sectioning off a few rooms at a time for refurbishment which will allow them to raise room rates for the next clutch.

I worked as a dining and banqueting manager at the Grand Hotel in the 1970s when it was in Receivership - the previous owners had spent nothing on it since the early 1960s and many serious repairs needed doing, it needed rewiring and total redecoration was needed. The Grand was eventually bought, after I left, by Butlins, for a pittance, who sold of the original silver ware and did little to improve the place. The last time I visited was in 2012 - I just walked in and had a good look round, nobody questioned me wandering around. To say I was disgusted would be an understatement. Many areas still had the same carpet, the decr was dire - in many areas paint had just been slapped on. Most of the valuable antique furniture was not there. A trip down the 'backstairs' to the kitchens persuaded me that eating there would be a no-no - and a quiet walk down to the lower levels made me heave - it stank of dumped rubbish and damp. Nedds someone with a sense of history and millions to spend to really make it Grand again! It is an amazing fascinating historical building which I love and it deserves better.

I have absolutely no idea why this video made me a little choked up. I’ve never even been! However, there’s something so sad about seeing a beautiful historic building fall into disrepair. Of course for £25 a night you can’t complain, blimey, hostels can be more pricey! However.. all I could think of was how utterly phenomenal that hotel must’ve been back in the day; you only need to look at the fireplaces to see that (& yes, they’d have had roaring big fires going from dawn til’ dusk in those beasts!) I wish someone with some money & vision would come along & restore it to its former glory, & bring in more business to make it all financially viable. Thank you for the lovely your. Off to look up the history of the place now 😌 x

This hotel has so much potential! It saddens me to see it being treated like this. Given its size it would take a very long time to get it up to standard, but if they did they would be able to charge hefty rates to stay there!

I keep imagining what these hotels must’ve been like in their prime years when they were filled with guests and well-staffed. It would have been great to see.

I stayed there as a child in the 1980s, and have fond memories. I remember the female staff in the restaurant were dressed in dainty black dresses with white lace, and thought it was one of the most elegant places I’d ever set foot in. How terribly sad to see this disrepair. With cheap air fares, and quick flights people understandably travel different nowadays. That said, the place still has great potential.

Love the history of this building my dad used to tell us it was built around the year 4 turrets = seasons 12 floors = months 52 chimneys = weeks 365 rooms = days Built in a v in honour of queen Victoria I which I could have seen it in its heydays it must have been magnificent

Ha! I was actually thinking about staying here for a video idea but it looks like you saved me the agony. This is a "calendar building", - it was built with 365 rooms, 52 chimneys, 12 storeys and 4 towers (days, weeks, months, seasons!), and was the largest brick building and apparently the largest hotel in Europe when constructed. Criminal to see how decayed it is.

First, the thing you were puzzled by is the victoran/edwardian service bell system, where each floor would have one or more "maids" on call and a bell pull in each room to call them. As world travellers we've paid 5 times as much for much MUCH worse rooms. The "dilapidated victorian monolith seaside hotel" is a phenomenon we have experienced from Aberdeen to Rimini, and Aberystwyth to Odessa. Relics of a bygone elegant golden era when people dressed for dinner and wore their flannels and blazer on the beach!

I remember seeing a video with the Beatles staying there and I Google the info it was actually true, even Churchill did. The Grand Hotel.. When the Grand Hotel was completed in 1867 it was the largest hotel in Europe and one of the largest in the world. Four towers represent the seasons, 12 floors represent the months, 52 chimneys represent the weeks and originally 365 bedrooms represented the days of the year. A blue plaque outside marks where the novelist Anne Brontë died in 1849. Winston Churchill and The Beatles are amongst those who've stayed there.

The phrase "seen grander days" was made for that hotel. I've been past it a few times and it was pretty clear from the clientele hanging around the doors, that it wasn't exactly inviting or maintaining any class whatsoever. An entrance like that would have had doormen and valets. Shame it's gone downhill so much.

How does Britannia continuosly get away with acquiring such beautiful buildings and then running them down into such a state of disrepair? Terribly negative press aside, I've never once heard any one say a good thing about any of their hotels, except for it being cheap - but sadly that's enough for most people it seems. I would never stay in any hotel run by Britannia group.

Honestly Britannia should just charge people like £5 to come in and have a look around these hotels. I reckon loads of people would be interested to just wander around.

I stayed here about 4 years ago for a few nights as a mini break with my boyfriend at the time. We got there and the room we had (basement room) was wrecked and hadn't been cleaned. Beer cans, pizza boxes and rubbish everywhere! They apologized and moved us into one of the domes... It was incredible, like being taken into history, so creepy 🤣 it was clean from what I remember and was beautiful big room! Like staying in an attic. I will say it needs TLC but it's such an incredible building

I've stayed in the Grand a couple of times and I love the old dump. Yes it's living in the faded glory of its better years but there's just something so wonderfully eccentric about it that appeals to me. It feels like the sort of hotel you would have found in Alice in Wonderland; full of quirky, inexplicable nooks and crannies. The Empress Lounge is the ideal place to relax in an evening over a glass or two and there's no better place in the town to enjoy a beer on a summer's day than the roof top terrace with its panoramic view over the whole of South Bay. I know the old girl has had some bad press of late but the prices were very reasonable and I'd go back there tomorrow.

We used to stay once or twice a year in the mid-1970s and believe me that hotel was absolutely magnificent immaculately clean beautifully maintained and the building was spectacular I’m sorry that it’s been left to go into such a rack and ruin

The cost of restoration for the building would be enormous. I think it's amazing that whoever owns it keeps it going at all.

I got married here in 2016 in the Palm Court ballroom and it was absolutely fantastic. Simply couldn't have asked for a better day. rooms were decorated and switched round beautifully. Staff were very friendly and at our disposal all day. Loved it and find this so hard to believe after our very different experience.

To be fair £25 to stay in a beautiful building like that is extremely good value. It looks like it has so much history, I'd love to stay there and look around. Maybe people just see the grand building and assume its going to be 5*

As a retired coach driver I only stayed at the Grand once. I was given a room smaller than the room on the video, with NOwindow and a cold air vent constantly belching out cold air. I complained to reception and was told to accept it. I did tours to Scarborough 3 or 4 times after that but, like a lot of other drivers, booked into the Travel Lodge across the road. The hotel was horrible, most of the staff were lovely though

The lobby to this hotel almost reminds me of The Grand Budapest Hotel, and it almost feels like it has followed the same trajectory that the hotel from the movie did. It’s sort of sad to see a historic building like this one fall from its former glory and more into a state of disrepair. I love how the building has so many small and seemingly unused rooms like the quiet and long rooms. They feel kind of creepy but also cozy at the same time. Makes you wonder if there was ever a time in the hotel’s history where these rooms were bustling with activity.

This is so sad! This hotel was built with stunning architecture and was once a pillar of beauty and excellence. It has so much potential if only it was given a chance.

We stopped here about 12 years ago, and although we hadn't booked it, they gave us a turret room, with fantastic views of the seafront and harbour ! The rooms were spotless, couldn't fault anything, but to this day, my wife still says " where was the fire escape then ? " I must admit that I couldn't figure it out either, but luckily we didn't need it ! All in all, we had a great time !

When you looked out of your bedroom window, the dome on the top of the building contains a room I stayed in five years ago. The dome had been inexpertly divided in to two rooms. The slope of the roof meant the doors had to have the top corners sawn off. The walls wer also sloped which meant that, looking into the mirrors that were attached to the walls gave a great view of the bottom half of your body, but nothing from the waist up. The curve of the room meant that a corner bath would have fit perfectly into the bathroom. Instead the had installed a half length rectangular bath and the curve that a corner bath would have fitted in was an unfinished elliptical plywood shelf that was beginning to rot from the moisture in the poorly ventilated space. The towels were damp and dirty. The bed linen was stained. The wallpaper was peeilng and one of the electrical sockets was coming away from the wall. It felt like a hotel room designed for a down at heel hobbit. It is an amazing building that deserves to be looked after much better than it is.

I always notice the smell of a place when I open the door and walk inside. From hotels to restaurants to nursing homes, you can tell a lot about the place by the smell that greets you.

Love this building! The architecture and layout is amazing, with loads of weird, unnecessary rooms to explore! You've got to expect a bit of disrepair in a place as big and old as this, and to be fair, most of those carpets looked new, which defo wouldn't've been cheap. There's a bit of a haunting atmosphere about it too, or maybe that was just the piano music in the background and the fact that hardly anyone was there! I'd be ok with that room too.. especially for £25!

A friend stayed here on a coach tour a few years ago, the room they had was enormous, two double beds, bathroom, possibly originally another room and a walk in wardrobe with a folding bed. The place was so big they kept losing people and the courier had to round up people most days for meals and excursions, lol.

It was probably once a very plush hotel - unfortunately when these places fall into disrepair Britannia buy them..and don’t spend the money needed. Loved your review..nice to see these places being reviewed.

The pannel you found in the hall was for servants. There would be a button in each room which would activate the little indicators on the pannel. Since it was in the hall it was most likely for a hallboy!

As someone who worked at the Grand Hotel between 2019-2020, I can unfortunately confirm this hotel is as bad as it seems. There is normally only 1 person taking orders in the kitchen and the rest of the staff are downstairs in the freezer section smoking. There are numerous people who live in the hotel permanently, and I had the unpleasant task of cleaning those rooms when they left for the day. The bar is rarely stocked, and the glasses are cleaned by a cupwash fed by the sink we had to pour the unfinished drinks down. The food is subpar at best, and on cold days the heating does little to help, as its ancient. Sadly I can confirm The Grand Hotel is as bad as it seems

Loved the review, well balanced and informative. I stayed in the Grand between lockdowns and the hotel looked very tied, its great to see that Britannia have spent some money updating the hotel. Before covid I used to travel a lot and the Grand is defiantly not the worst that I have stayed in. The room rate does reflect the general quality of the rooms, however I must complement the staff for the friendly helpful service. I can only imagine what the running costs are for the hotel but its got so much going for it both in terms of its history and position. Given the number of hotels that Scarborough has plus the limited availability of staff it must be very hard to maintain the rooms to a high standard. If anybody is uncertain about staying at the Grand my honest opinion is that they should try it as its a wonderful building.

Hi from Scarborough x I had my wedding reception here 12 yrs ago and it was amazing 🤩 but I have worked here too as a chamber maid 20 yrs ago and it needs totally revamping , it’s such a shame x

The epitome of faded seaside glamour It needs someone to give it a bit of love. For £25 it’s brilliant though, even just to sit and write or wander around

I remember my parents taking me there in the 70s. It was an amazing place. It doesn't seem to have changed a bit, apart from it being very tired looking now. It's such a shame. I remember it being really busy but so relaxing at the same time. I still remember the way it smelled of food, cigars and cigarettes. Happy memories.

My mother in law worked in the restaurant way back in 1950’s. The photos of that time that she has are just stunning.

Went to a wedding function here a few years back. Incredible building and magnificent huge communal areas. Loved the Victorian vibe of the place, and really do feel like you’re on the Titanic when ascending the main staircase!

I went to the hotel today, it was awful, this was definitely not a standard room, the room I got was about 4 times smaller and absolutely horrible, I ended up complaining and getting a new room but just couldn’t stand it, ended up going home :/

I see two main issues. One, the hotel was built for a different time when Scarborough was a big seaside destination for North Yorkshire. Thousands of people would visit during the summer holidays so the hotel would have been full all season. Times have changed and nobody's willing to spend the money it would take to update a building of this size, because there just aren't enough people coming to Scarborough at the moment to justify it. I know you were staying in the off season but the place looked REALLY empty. Two, the name creates expectations that the staff and building simply cannot meet because of the aforementioned lack of money. People expect a place called 'the Grand Hotel' to be, well, grand! It looks impressive from the outside but not enough attention has been given to the inside or the actual rooms where people stay. Until someone is willing to invest in a proper refurbishment and increase the number of staff in the building, the hotel will continue to get poor reviews.

I've stopped in worse places, especially in London.....you do find that these massive seaside hotels have become a money pit for the owners, I dread to think how much it would cost to fix everything let alone maintain the standards....the start of the demise was when foreign package holidays became the norm, not as if we're known for our hot sunny weather. If you don't get the guests through the door, there is no income to spend on the hotel and I can't see it lasting much longer to be honest....you find the same in Blackpool further away from the main strip, there are some massive hotels that look like they are falling to pieces....

I stayed here about 5 years back. I had to move from one of the basement rooms as the previous guests had vandalised it. However, the staff were more than accommodating and without any fuss or bluster from either party, upgraded me to a beautiful room with a view of the bay. I could not fault the friendly and helpful staff. I know that it's seen better days but the quirkiness made other nearby, more modern hotels look completely soulless. I would stay there again and tolerate any imperfections because of that history and fading grandeur. And if you are of a more solitary disposition and want to avoid the crowds and noise, there's also a wonderful long walk along the beach if you turn left from the main entrance and head away from the town.

I love these videos so much that me and my fiance are having a night there in 10 days, having stayed at the Paragon Hotel in Birmingham some years back (I would SERIOUSLY recommend it as part of your series of horrible hotels in lovely buildings - it used to be a workhouse, a building of some magnificent architecture but it was awful back then and reviews suggest it's no different, maybe worse!) I have a curiousity about these old hotels that offer cheap stays in magnifiscent places, your content has inspired me to give it another go. It was a bit of a random last minute plan but after seeing it back last October when staying in Filey and seeing how much interesting stuff there is to see we're taking the plunge and hoping it will be more good than bad, either way will be spending a lot of time walking around the building while there. Beats the other option we had of staying in a Travelodge on the A1 (slight detour but hey, only live once!).

It saddens me that such a lovely building like this hasn't been properly maintained. It's obviously seen better days. That said, the reviews on this hotel seem quite harsh given £25 a room. It's not to my standard, but I don't think anyone can grumble at that price.

I stayed here with my family last year. I love the central location & the faded glory. Glad I was able to get my room key early because the queue was massive at the time I was supposed to check in, that was causing a lot of frustration with guests. Our room was quite clean, not perfect but fresh sheets & towels. As other people have said you get what you pay for & I payed less here for a family room than an equivalent caravan in Scarborough would cost. Finally, just worth adding that the free cabaret show on Saturday night was great.

Such an amazing building with a rich history. Last time I was in Scarborough I had a walk around the outside and in parts it looks like it has some serious structural damage. It will be a real shame if it ends up closing down.

Thanks Tim for this video Love this review & I love the Hotel, the Grand Lobby says it all & the Piano music in the background is so wistful. The old circuit box was a mystery & I wonder what all those Rooms looked like when it was built! And you make everything about this Hotel fascinating, even the Noisy Radiatior!😊It's Intriguing!

I love your vids Tim you certainly treat every place with an open mind about a Holiday Resort - despite what you read on Trip Adviser , you give a place a fair chance every time and I love how you always try to point out the more positive, beautiful and historical features of a hotel/resort/holiday camp, which I appreciate the fact you do point out the more fantastic features - especially in the big old hotels of the day. I have a theory about why the big historical hotels don't get the people through the doors any more like they used to and it's not just down to maintainance and up-keep, but that is part of the problem and one begets the other as I will explain. I would at this moment like to say that I have lived in Bridlington for over 30 years and have seen many changes to our resort and the varying holidaying trends. Buckle up for a longwinded but good and satisfactory explaination. I believe that in the mid to late 1800s when the Industrial Age was booming and steam locomotives had now just been invented people for the first time in history able to travel to the country side but also to our beautiful and stunning coast and since we in the UK know we are an island nation there where suddenly an huge list of places to visit. Firstly mainly available travel for First and Second class but then third class was introduced and made affordable to all. Plus the working class were doing just that and working hard and earning the right to have one or two days holiday and with a bit of saved -up wages could go to the newly termed , "seaside". Anyway I digress, as people were flocking to the seaside so big grand hotels where being built to accommodate the first class/second class while third class stayed in either chalets or guest houses. So they needed these hotels to be like Titanic (only safer) in size and grandure for aforementioned first class as they clearly needed all that space and entertainment rooms and grand staircases. Obviously there would've been a dip due to the first and second world war but the times over and above those times I think it still would've been a boom time at seaside places al the way up to the late 1960's into the 1970s when affordable package holidays to Europe became the trend. Although the working class mainly stayed here in the UK and capitalised on the heatwaves we used to have before Climate Change, so resorts still did well then but I think it was the start of the decline in big grand hotels and Holiday Camps as these were sadly falling out of favour with the British holiday culture. Now with Climate Change and very short, unpredictable summers numbers decline every year, so if people aren't flocking in their droves and filling up these lovely, historical buildings then the owners must be haemorrhaging money all the time just on bills and Council Tax. I also suspect that therefore you can't afford a big amount of staff and may have to do some of the maintainance yourself and /or the cleaning, but you can't be everywhere and do everything or maybe afford to have a specific part of the building fixed that you can't do, so eventually the hotel or camp suffers. Here at Bridlington with the exception of the Expanse Hotel and the Northside and the Monarch on the Southside most of ours have been converted into Holiday Flats or Apartments instead , which works more with today's economic climate.

I live in Scarborough and used to work on the front of house. I used to dread intake days.. but it’s such a tragic shame because it is a fascinating building with an even more interesting history! In the lower floors that aren’t used, it’s flooded and has old army posters.. the maintenance men used to swear they could hear screams when they had to go down there! Spooky!!

Had some great break at the Grand Hotel. The best was when it was a Butlins Hotel, with Red Coats helping and chatting to guest around the hotel and big star names from TV coming to perform. How times have change, like most seaside hotel they have their faults. Great video.

The lobby area was stunning! Someone needs to come in and do some remodels, update the furniture, deep clean the place and yOu could have a beautiful place!!

We've stayed here twice . People thought we were mad to be honest cos of the reviews lol . But , first time we stayed there was 2016 and we struck lucky. A massive family room , lovely sea views, the room had recently been decorated you could tell . Breakfast was included too , which was kind of canteen style but fine. Like you , we spent ages wondering the hotel finding all those secret rooms and mezzanines etc with our kids who absolutely loved it . They were astonised by the staircase . So the first time was actually great and much better than we were expecting. Second time , the following year I booked the same room as I knew the room number but when we checked in we hadn't been given it . Went back down to ask and they said that room had been given away the night before to someone staying 2 nights so they were given preference. Second room wasn't anything like as nice, much smaller , and more run down . Didn't get Breakfast the second time so went out for it . Also the second time, that bit you found that looked a bit like a ship , that had rain water pouring through the roof there with buckets underneath collecting all the water . So yeah, second time wasn't as good really and we haven't been back since then . But, like you , we loved certain historical aspects of the building which was just beautiful .

Loved this video. Remember staying there around 1987/1988 when I was around 10 years old. Was fascinated by the place as was a complete step up from where we would normally be dragged to on a family holiday : ) My memory of it then was like staying in the Carrington Mansion from Dynasty

Well that's just brilliant! The absolute definitive video on the Grand Hotel. I've stayed there a few times (mixed experiences!) but never seen even a tenth of the stuff you found as you wandered round! Well done mate - absolutely superbly done!

Went to Scarborough a few years back and couldn’t help but fall in love with the look of the Grand hotel and always promised myself I would go one day! A few years on and still remembering the Grand all I have seen is awful reviews on the place😥 and thought I’d better give it a miss but I’m so glad I’ve watched your video! The place looks amazing and to explore it just like you did is being put firmly back on my list. Yes it’s in need of modernisation in a lot of it’s rooms but the open public areas are just absolutely stunning. For the prices per room though, and as long as it’s clean I’ll be booking a long weekend in autumn this year. Thanks for this video. Britannia own a lot of beautiful buildings they just don’t seem to be able to upkeep properly! So while it is In Britannias hands I’ll take my chance at their prices before the prices go through the roof when a proper company takes over!

I have stayed here recently, checking in was a very long, slow process, our room was upgraded, from no windows to quite a few windows. I personally didn't find it that bad. Some areas I found absolutely stunning, does need some improvements however, I would have loved to stay here when it first opened.

I've done some research. According to Scarborough Council records, The Grand Hotel is Grade2* listed so its future should be secure.

I stayed there before COVID. It is unbelievable. It typifies Britain - it was great once and it has just remained unchanged while the rest of the world moved on. No investment, overpriced and an embarrassment.

As people have said, it's an electro-mechanical bell call system 'memory' unit. It shows which bell call was activated - until cleared by the arriving service staff member. I grew up in a cottage which had originally been the servants' quarters of a grand residence. We had just the same sort of unit in the kitchen but showing which member of the domestic staff - 2nd chambermaid, chauffeur, etc was required. It still worked 50+ years on - as one of the fierce dowager duchesses living in the Big House demonstrated to me as a small boy. We take modern electronics for granted these days.

As im a bit under the weather atm (mind you im in North Wales and everyone is under the weather-it rains a lot!) so im having a day binge watching your channel all day--I live in a hotel -been here 4 years (Llandudno) I find it quite sad that a lot of coastal hotels in big seaside towns have gone down hill-a lot esp here were built in the victorian period for the masses. Course the 1970s came and cheap flights to Spain etc and i think(in my humble opinion) that is when the slide started,these old buildings are historic and coast massive money to maintain -esp by the sea-the salt -the wind outside and the vastness of there space and grander inside. I guess there always the Premier Inn or Travel lodge(does what it says on the tin) But i still love old hotels-just think of the storys they could tell. Great channel-very interesting and honest.

You did a brilliant job on this Tim. Unbiased, factual, fair. I've stayed there, a couple of years ago, and I agree with you that for the 30 pounds per night I paid, i got the best view in the world. I sat in a chair most of the night looking out at the south bay and kept pinching myself in case I'd died and gone to heaven. I'd stay there again, just for that view, in a heartbeat. I enjoyed your "tour" of all those wonderful rooms. It's a bit like me - was once gloriously gorgeous, but now old and in need of lots of repair. Thank you Tim. Excellent work!

Hi Tim, interesting and informative review. It's fairly local to me, and it's had a bad reputation (as indeed has the whole Britannia chain) for years. But the room you had didn't seem too bad. The gizmo on the landing with disks, levers and other gubbins is, I think, a relic from days of room service where occupants could signal (via what though?) to a butler that they needed something. On the other hand, maybe it's not that at all! Overall I notice that the place despite being very large seems totally deserted, where is everybody? - Tim

We stayed here before covid , I can honestly say it was absolutely horrendous from the parking to the check in , check in took us a couple of hours at one point the police was called ,we could stay here for free and we would still refuse. Total dump.

That indicator board is presumably a redundant call bell or fire alarm panel. When activated, the red disk dropped in view of the circular window to identify the zone the call was coming from

I once booked to spend two nights there but wasn't able to go. After this presentation I feel that I need a holiday there! I have stayed in many hotels all over the country and I genuinely like the look of The Grand: There are a lot of hotels in which a spot of handywork by the guest upon arrival just makes everything better! I'm quite sad that I missed my previous booking after seeing your show. Thanks for showing me how good the place looks!

We stayed at the grand in June, bearing in mind it is a cheap hotel it was fine, the staff were very friendly and helpful, if you want 5 star luxury pay 5 star prices

The lift reminds me of the ones we'd have in student halls that would drop 3 floors if you stood slightly off centre lol Love your videos btw the production is fantastic!

Great video Tim! I'm planning on visiting here next month as I want to visit Anne Brontës grave in Scarborough. I would love you to do a video stay in the Palace Hotel in Buxton as that's another impressive building! ❤️

These hotels which are great architecturally, have been altered by modern regulations for fire doors, preventing fire spreading if it happens, which clearly makes navigating around more difficult. They didn't do wheelchair friendly when these hotels were built, and the fire doors are also an obstacle to that in any hotel, but it certainly is a Grand Hotel. Keeping on top of and renovating these Historic buildings is expensive , but it is worth doing and they do seem to be trying. That room price was very cheap when you compare with the likes of Premier Inn. It just needs an investment and strict management of the renovations to bring it up to being really good.

Previously I have worked in the hotel and hospitality sector this was between 2007 and 2013. I thought I would comment to give the expectations people may have. The big hotels do seem to have more issues with maintenance and their cost containment... so standard is a standard level of hygiene really. If you want anything more than that then these smaller hotels and privately own use a better standard to be competitive. The pressure to clean that room, in the space of time... depending the state that room has been left in from the previous guest, sometimes that is a problem. Infact the hotels I worked in close for two weeks just for those extra parts that need repairing, or upgrading. Most places need to make a profit to upgrade and many things is layout cost before the hotel has been payed. I believe its the customers expectations of Grand Hotel, the expectations may be to high, after watching 👀 the video thought on the scale quite fair as everything was down to high maintenance and the time incurred on the standard of hygiene. Many places that can't compete with the rooms, do become competitive with the restaurant, food and entertainment. The actual interior in the Grand Hotel looks very impressive. However, coupled with running cost and the economic climate still create that feel of the day of grandeur 🤣🤣

I always think no matter how cheap a hotel is, it should always be perfectly clean even if the furniture and facilities are a little tired.

Seeing this honestly makes me want to visit the hotel more. It may be a bit old and dusty and well past its prime but like you pointed out with the paintwork and new carpets etc. they’re at least trying to look after the place. Definitely shows it in a better light than some of the recent reviews. Besides, getting to stay in such a beautiful historic building right by the sea for a fairly modest price seems like a fair deal all things considered.

I stayed there about 8 years ago in a upgraded room. It had a broken window pane and a wildly sloping floor. I didn't dare use the lifts they were so dodgy looking. It looks as though they've actually improved the place a bit! I remember thinking how beautiful it must have been in the past though. I wish I'd explored more and found the theatre!

We loved our stay in jan this year.. I couldn't believe how mysterious it all was.. Where does that door lead to etc.. And all the different types of rooms. Give me this all day than places like brittania and the premier inns. I personally loved it.

I stayed in a family room there about 20 years ago and got the most enormous room , ridiculously big over looking the sea. I remember then thinking it just needed TLC . I think it is such a beautiful building but is certainly work in places. I've also stayed at the Grand in Llandudno which is in a similar state and the Palace at Buxton. All owned by Britannia. I really enjoyed my stay and was happy to overlook the odd scuff, scratch etc as it was warm, clean and comfy. All those strange rooms, odd break out areas . The heating and lighting costs must be huge. It certainly has ( in my humble opinion) some charm. This certainly would have been the place to be back in the day though I'm sure 😃

Such a shame, can tell that years ago, it would be very nice with lots of facilities an staff, but it's just slowly been left to go into decline.. Many of these old top hotels at seaside resorts are the same. From being the jewel in the Crown of that town to just 'that old knackered hotel' sad really :/

Love the building. Always an uphill battle to keep historic buildings going especially when they're that big. Costs are probably astronomical just to keep it running week on week. Little budget to improve/get more staff. Its a shame but unless local government can help then it will always be hard. My opinion :)

The Grand is a huuuuge Hotel that was built with a few things in mind. 365 rooms, (days of the year) 12 floors (months), 4 Domes (seasons) and built to the shape of a V in honour of Queen Victoria. It was at the time one of the largest Hotels in the world, and very oppulent and luxurious. No cheap hols abroad back then so Scarborough like other top destinations packed the tourists in. Nowadays with small (cheap to run) budget chains, the competition is tough for giants like the grand. It's operator Britannia (who look after many large hotels) get ridiculed for their quality but their overheads must be astronomical. I think people should cut the Grand some slack. Its an ASTONISHING piece of architechture, inside and out, struggling in a world of cheap air b&b's.

Great camera work n viewing thank you for sharing your video two OAPS watching tv after 9pm Take care all the best n cheers.

Great to watch this tour, I'm from Scarborough but live in New Zealand now so dont get to just pop in and see these places, enjoying your other videos too!

Thanks for showing us around Tim, such a shame it’s owned by Britannia, they just run them down. Love your Scarborough vlogs always end up so funny 😂

Well going by your review it wouldn't put me off staying there. The communal areas were very nice indeed. Did you try the breakfast?

I am extremely surprised this hasn't been bought and done up by a big mid-upper chain like Hilton, Radisson Blue etc.

Wow that view from the lounge is absolutely amazing, makes it all worth it, chilling with a few drinks watching the sunset! Wonderful!

Hi, I'm from York but attended Scarborough High School for boys from 1960 to 1964. The Grand was then a top class hotel so when, around 2000 I decided to take my 2nd wife to Scarborough for the weekend, we set off without booking and arrived at the Grand to check in. When they told me the price for a double room for 2 nights I was shocked. I can't remember how much it was but it was cheap. When we got to the room, there was wallpaper hanging off the walls, carpets were faded and dirty. I found out it had been sold to Butlins and it was they who let it run to seed. However, it was a ballroom dancing weekend with a proper band and singer. We had the most fantastic weekend of our lives. Regards, Robin.

We stayed for one night (booked 5 nights) last summer. Spent over 2 hours in a queue to book in - was just the start of a 20 hour nightmare. Left the following morning and received a refund for the days we cancelled - we got the impression this was a common occurrence! An absolute contrast to the last time we stayed there nearly 10 years ago..................

I know someone who used to work for this chain. It's basically understaffed by over worked demoralised people. The furniture and any decor they've add themselves is all bought in bulk and comes from a huge warehouse that the hotel company owns itself. They do indeed own some beautiful buildings The Adelphi in Liverpool and The Royal Bath in Bournemouth to name two. All these amazing buildings are waisted on this business, it's like they don't appreciate what they've got. They're like so many of this type of hotel chain, they care more about profit than the service that they provide.

Great video, very interesting. You've earned yourself a new subscriber, sir. Jolly well done!

I suspect the doors are there because the building is so old it was probably designed to not have those but later fire regulations forced them to be installed.

What do you expect from Britannia Hotels? Their venues here in Blackpool are all dreadful. I frequently hear mutterings of discontent on the trams from those who regret booking with them.

03:50 that's a bell system for the rooms. Each room will have a button in it, which when pressed causes a red dot to show on the panel. They were used in the early 20th century in Manor houses for calling the butler. In this case I believe its use was an emergency alarm system because it also has the toilets on it. Clearly not in use anymore.

I had the worst experience here, it took us about 3 hours to check in. we got put in the basement rooms (since the rest were fully booked) it stank down there. Just walking through corridors u got a whiff of something disgusting, and you could definitely tell it was no well looked after. I went to have a shower, when I was about to put my towel on, there was sick all over the towel. The room overall was disgusting, there was leaks coming from the ceiling and rot all over the sink. All night you could hear people above you screaming, and beeping noises all night. One day we had come back from the beach and there were police blocking everywhere, people running from the police and screaming. Nobody felt safe that night, most people were at the reception area most of night, since they were scared to go back to their rooms. Overall terrible experience, would not recommend for the amount you pay, we did get our money back but still, never going again.

It was a shocking dump when I stayed there twelve years ago and it has only got worse. The building is impressive but it requires more attention than the company can afford.

Have stayed in various brittania hotels and never had a problem, but then we have never paid much. Their problem is the huge variation in prices for the same room, different expectations depending on how much you pay.

You need to do more of these loving the vids, think you should also bring blacklight along and show the sheets under blacklight be great for these of videos you do. Also curious, do you actually sleep on those covers or bring your own covers to place on top

Such old places with long histories and now in rather sorry conditions, just barlely surviving, always have simultaneously fascinating and melancolic effect on me.

What an absolutely stunning building. It must have been even more amazing in its hey day. It needs a lot of money spending on it but is a wonderful heritage building. Maybe lottery money to restore?

The building itself is phenomenal.. especially the views and the architecture.. you can see they are trying to keep things going.. but how busy does it get? It would have to be packed to keep this place in tip-top condition in the summer season. It's sad to see places like this side... but still hopeful it can be rescued by someone as wealthy as you Tim.. to fix it back up.

Great video, thank you! As someone interested in hotels, especially historic ones, this is on my to-visit list!

I miss Scarborough so much. Was at uni there for 2 years at the big building opposite Tesco by the bridge before it closed down. I'd say theres a few victorian buildings in the town that could do with some general TLC before they get worse and it seems common to find original single glazed windows in a lot of properties. Hope to move bak some time