Grey Street Hotel, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

...charges £5 per day.

Prices:
I found prices between £79 and £139 per night. Laterooms.com has rates from £59 so it's worth checking around before booking.

The bottom line:
I enjoyed my stay at Grey Street and would stay here again.  ... more

I travel a lot with work and it's a trifle sad but I have become blasé regarding the same luxury hotel chains-Renaissance, Holiday Inn, Hilton etc

It was nice to stay at a boutique hotel for once-and one right slap bang in the middle of Newcastle city centre. Prestige Events Magazine voted it the 4th coolest boutique hotel in the UK last year. The Lowry in Manchester (I love it) was number 10. It's a cute little hotel with a mere 49 bedrooms. I'm not sure why we stay here rather than one of the hotel chains but I am not complaining! Apparently it used to be a bank. It's also Newcastle's first pet friendly hotel. I travelled with my dear deceased little dog in the past and we both enjoyed dog friendly hotels.

First impressions:
You could almost miss the hotel, as it's very discreet. And small! As soon as you walk through the door you are in the open plan reception area with the desk straight in front of you. There are some sofas dotted around with daily newspapers on the tables. There is a lift and stairs by the side. You go around the corner to the lift and please be warned that the lift is tiny and you may get claustrophobic. Two of us with bags were able to squeeze in at one time.

The bedroom:
The first thing I noticed was the beige carpet, never a wise choice to have a pale carpet in a hotel! It was a bit grubby. Apart from that I liked the room; it almost felt like a guest room at a friend's house. Apparently no two rooms are the same and there is certainly plenty of character despite the minimalist features. I had a lovely soft double bed with a red velvet throw with 200-thread bed linen. Very cosy.

There was a plasma television with all the channels you would expect, DVD player (DVD's available from reception) a kettle with tea and coffee-varied selections and I -loved the cafetierre coffee-a very nice touch along with a huge bottle of mineral water. Contemporary black and white artwork adorned the walls. I mustn't forget the white waffle dressing gown, always a bonus.

The bathroom was quite small but very clean and had thick white fluffy towels and nicherange toiletries-shampoo, bath foam, body wash and moisturiser. There was also a hairdryer.

They are very allergy aware and stock things like synthetic duvets and in room allergy products. There are also non-pet bedroom allocated. For dust allergies they will deep clean the bedroom. Just let the hotel know when you book.

Eating:
I didn't actually eat in the hotel. The Living Room is attached to the hotel and this is where breakfast is served too. I tried to ring down for room service breakfast at 9am and was told it was too late to have room service breakfast even though the restaurant didn't stop serving until 10am. There is also room service, which is 24 hours. Apparently The Living Room is very popular and instead of queuing hotel guests can go straight in. You can charge items to your room and pay when you check out.

As you are in the centre of the city there are plenty of bars, pubs and eateries around. I went out to Costa Coffee, just turn right as you exit the hotel, walk to the top of the street and cross over the road.

Service:
I found the staff members to be friendly and efficient, they were all locals with a good knowledge of the area. I can't stand pretentious staff!

Car park:
This did not affect me but for your information there is an NCP secure car park 100 yards away which charges £5 per day.

Prices:
I found prices between £79 and £139 per night. Laterooms.com has rates from £59 so it's worth checking around before booking.

The bottom line:
I enjoyed my stay at Grey Street and would stay here again. 

...less