The Cutlers Hotel - Sheffield, United Kingdom 

Like other reviewers I was staying in Sheffield to attend a concert at the Carling Academy. The hotel is a stone's throw away from the venue (just across the road). Fantastic location. I used to live in Sheffield so found the Cutlers with no problem. I guess if you weren't familiar with the city you may find its location a bit odd - a dead end road at the front and a fleet of loading bays at the back. My room was at the back but I was not bothered by noise at all (in fact it was quiet compared to where I live in London!). On arrival I was greeted by two very friendly and polite reception staff. I had arrived in Sheffield earlier than expected and called in on the off-chance that I could check-in early. The staff were excellent and even upgraded me to a double room. The corridors are a bit dowdy, caused mostly by solid fire doors. The room itself was quite small but there were full height windows which helped to brighten the space. Wall-mounted flat screen TV, tea and coffee making facilities, comfortable bed, ipod dock, ADSL port, WiFi etc. On the 1st floor landing there is an open-access PC for internet use. I think the refurb has concentrated on the areas that matter most. The bathroom was brand new and immaculate. The shower had good pressure and there was plenty of hot water. The only complaint I have is that I couldn't reach the mirror above the basin. I'm only 5' and couldn't see into it but there was a full length mirror on the wall just outside the bathroom door so no real problem. This hotel is excellent as somewhere to 'crash' if you have to stay in Sheffield. People wanting somewhere romantic or a room where you can lounge around all day in luxury should try the Mercure St Pauls overlooking the Peace Gardens. I was pleased to see that Sheffield-friendliness has survived the growth of the city. The staff at the Cutlers cannot be faulted. Everyone made the effort to make me feel welcome. I checked out before the required time but I have no doubt that I would have been allowed to keep my room longer if wanted. The next time I have to stay over in Sheffield I will definitely go back to this hotel.

I stayed at the Best Western Cutlers hotel in Sheffield, England for 2 nights June 30 and July 1 2008. While withing walking distance of the train station, it's a little out of the way and I had to ask a few times for the location on George Street, a small alley like street in the center of Sheffield. The desk clerks were very nice, although having arrived at 10am after the 1 hour train ride from Manchester Airport, I was told that I couldn't check in until 2pm. So I left my bags and took a walk around the city and had lunch. I arrived back at 1pm and was able to check in. Very small room, a large bed and flat screen tv on the wall. They claim satellite reception but it seemed that most of the channels were "no reception" and although they claim their basic channels include CNN, these were just snow. The only channels that came in were BBC1,2,3 and 4 and ITV. Even then you would often get those digital blocks and the picture would jump. The room was clean and the bathroom was also clean, it included one of those showers with a glass door that only covers one-half of the shower so you have to be careful about getting too much water on the floor (common among bathrooms in Europe). My company booked me here, and again while the clerks were nice and helpful, I would personally not stay there if it were up to me. The rate was ?70 per night, less than higher rated hotels, breakfast was extra (I chose a nearby pub for an English style breakfast, fried egg, baked beans, mushroom, grilled tomato, and 2 hash browns). One more thing, the room has very little ventilation, fortunately in early July temperatures were in the high 60s to around 70 F, and unless you're 7 feet tall, you can't open the windows, the latch is at the very top of the window. They did have a portable fan in the closet, I guess for when it gets too hot.