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I first came across this hotel in a travel magazine that advertised the hotel as “The UK’s first design hotel for budget travellers”. The Big Sleep, in Cardiff City centre is a former British Gas office building that has been converted into hotel rooms, with an emphasis on retrospective styling. As you first enter the hotel stairwell, you are greeted by an enormous framed photograph of the actor John Malkovich – I later discovered that The Big Sleep is actually owned by the Hollywood star.
LOCATION
The Big Sleep can be found on Bute Terrace, a fairly busy road in the centre of Cardiff, which is shared with a number of other large hotels including the Marriott and Jury’s. From Cardiff Central train station, the hotel is a short walk, or an even shorter taxi ride. For travellers arriving by car, Cardiff is easily reached from the M4, with the city well sign-posted from all motorway junctions. Cardiff City centre is relatively compact, so most attractions are close to the hotel, including all the main bars, shops and restaurants. The Millennium Stadium is also within easy walking distance, as is Cardiff Castle. At night, the immediate location around the hotel is
relatively quiet and secluded, and I would not recommend that female guests walk around unaccompanied.
ARRIVAL AT THE BIG SLEEP
There are two entrances to the hotel. For guests arriving on foot, there is a pedestrian entrance at street level. The door is relatively innocuous, and you will need to buzz reception and announce your name before you will be allowed to enter the building. When you do enter the hotel in this way, you will be assaulted by the retro décor, with bright orange walls, wild lighting and a distinctly 1960s black marble staircase – groovy baby! Finding the reception desk is relatively easy, although all the orange corridors quickly start to look the same. For guests arriving by car there is a second entrance to the hotel, directly from the car park into the main hotel reception.
The reception area, or lobby, is equally stylish, with a light airy colour scheme, and plenty of comfortable sofas if you need to wait. I checked in without any issues and a couple of minutes later I was settling into my room.
THE ROOMS
There are four different standards of room available for guests in The Big Sleep, as follows:
STANDARD (on the lower floors) NEW ON NINTH (ninth floor only) EXECUTIVE SUITES PENTHOUSE
Prices vary according to the room type, but the most expensive rooms will only cost £99. I stayed in one of the standard rooms, as (at the time of booking) I wasn’t aware there were different rooms available.
My first impressions of the room were satisfactory – the room was bright, clean and looked relatively comfortable – although, if I’m honest, I was expecting something a little more interesting. The room retained many of the former offices’ features and I could still easily imagine a couple of desks, a pot plant and a photocopier in the corner. The room was furnished to a comparatively basic standard, and contained only a bed, clothes rail, and fitted unit, which acted as a desk and a table for the TV. The ceiling was suspended, like an office building, with polystyrene tiles separated by bare metal frames – and the room was quite cold. You are given two room keys, as you need one to activate the electricity, via a unit on the wall.
One of the most impressive features of the room was the expanse of windows. My room was on the seventh floor and as such, benefited from impressive views across Cardiff. I couldn’t help but feel overlooked though, and despite my relative elevation, I still had the curtains drawn. The décor was all relatively subtle, with a simple pastel blue and white colour scheme – I think I was expecting something a bit funkier, as per the lobby and stairs – but it was nice enough.
The bathroom was not the most luxurious I have used, and was generally cold and harsh. The bath was a fair size, but the water pressure was poor, and running a bath took the best part of 20 minutes. There were some of those cheap, nasty smelling free toiletries, but at least there were plenty of towels – a rarity in modern hotels!
All of the rooms have their own television with pay per view movies. These are considerably cheaper than most hotels – you pay £4 per day, for access to all the movies playing, which is not bad when you consider a video or DVD rental costs £3 - £4. Unfortunately, the televisions themselves are only small portables, so you perhaps won’t appreciate the film as much as you might on a decent TV. Apart from the pay channels, there are 14 standard TV channels to choose from, as well as the popular radio stations.
The rooms do not have air conditioning, and can only be heated by one small wall heater. This wasn’t working in my room – hence the cold – but I wasn’t too bothered as I was going out in the evening. I would be more concerned about the temperature of the room in summer – all those windows would create a bit of a greenhouse, and due to Health and Safety you cannot open any of the panes to let some fresh air in. Another thing to be mindful of is the soundproofing. I was able to hear the TV of the room next door relatively clearly – and the hotel is right next to a train line, which is also rather noisy.
The rooms on the ninth floor are slightly more expensive because they are fitted to a slightly better standard. I don’t think there are any more facilities in these rooms, but the décor and fittings are groovier and more comfortable. The bed in the penthouse is mounted on a raised platform, which is then covered in a large sheepskin effect carpet – it looks like a real shag parlour! The most impressive room is the Executive Suite, which has a separate lounge area, ensuite Jacuzzi bathroom and its own small kitchen.
DINING AND OTHER FACILITIES
In order to be able to offer cheaper hotel accommodation, The Big Sleep has a relatively restricted range of services. This isn’t a problem for me, providing I have easy access to plenty of bars and restaurants, and this is certainly the case for this hotel. There is a bar on the ground floor, but this is relatively small, and only opens until 11 p.m. There is no on site restaurant, and the only breakfast available is a continental style menu (which can be served in the breakfast room, or your bedroom). Breakfast is included in the room rates though.
There is obviously no room service in the hotel, but some basic services are available, such as laundry, breakfast delivery and newspapers. It’s worth bearing in mind that this is a “no-frills” hotel – but the prices charged do reflect this.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
The demands of residents in a hotel like this are not as great as a conventional hotel – chances are that once you are in your room you will probably not want any more staff contact. When I arrive at the hotel, the reception staff was polite and courteous, but seemed poorly trained and unable to answer a number of questions. When I had checked into my room, I was unable to dial up my laptop connection – there was no dial tone. When I phoned down to reception, the girl that answered my call said that she couldn’t help – it must be a problem with my laptop. It took a further 20 minutes and about 10 calls before I could persuade her that it was actually her problem – it transpired that she had not properly activated the line in my room. There was no apology for the inconvenience, and I wasn’t terribly impressed.
Similarly, when I checked out in the morning, I had been charged a different rate to that originally quoted. The mistake was quickly rectified but again there was no apology. The “no-frills” theme obviously extends to the staff, as well as the rooms.
PRICES
STANDARD - £50/£58 (according to time of week) FAMILY - £62/£69 NEW ON NINTH - £62/£69 EXECUTIVE SUITE - £99 PENTHOUSE - £99
The standard rooms are fitted to the same sort of quality as one of the new Travel Inn Metro rooms, which are also £50 a night, so prices are on a par with their equivalents. I was quite impressed with the price of the executive suite and penthouse – if I return, I may just treat myself.
The site also has a page at laterooms.com, with some last minute deals that are worth investigating.
MY VERDICT
I would almost certainly return here. When I’m on business, I don’t mind staying in budget hotels as long as they are clean, comfortable and close to bars and restaurants, which The Big Sleep certainly is. The hotel is good value for money, and certainly more interesting than a conventional Travel Inn or Travelodge.
t Traveller. The hotel is superbly located in the heart of Cardiff opposite Cardiff International Arena and only minutes away from other major venues.All 81 en suite bedroo...
ontinental breakfast The hotel is located in the city centre opposite Cardiff International Arena and a short walk from both railway stations the Millennium Stadium a...
by (2%):
16.05.2006 14:20
Brill review. Would diffinately consider visiting one around the country for a cheap and cheerful stay.
18.03.2002 14:38
Excellent review - The Big Sleep sounds worthy of a visit. Mike
17.03.2002 00:38
Sounds amazing to me and you would use if on business! Cool Squidge :o)