Dalston House Hotel - Dumfries, United Kingdom 

We stayed for Hogmanay, 2005, & wouldn't go there again, mainly due to the attitudes held by certain members of staff. This certainly was not a family-friendly hotel. We were with our son, who was 2 at the time, plus some of our extended family. Firstly, we were provided with a travel cot, not a proper one, which had been requested, but we let that one go & we coped. Hogmanay went well, or so I had believed. We knew not to expect breakfast on New Year's day, so we sorted ourselves out while the staff cooed over the new baby in their family. However, when we arrived back after lunch, we were informed that the bar would be closed all evening, which was not the end of the world, however, the lounge area was also to be closed. With a young child, there would be nowhere to relax together as a family, & nowhere to unwind once he'd gone to bed. After much debate, we booked another hotel for the night, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Before we left, my mother revealed to me that during the Hogmanay party, she was approached by the manageress and told that she ought not to let my son "wander" around, as the other guests would be disturbed. (The guests who had been dancing with him on the dancefloor?!) He had behaved impeccably and had never left our sight. The manageress also added that she had expected a "wee baby", not a toddler. Is this not discrimination? Would she have refused our custom if whoever took our booking had told her that a toddler would be present? Mum was deeply offended, but had kept this conversation to herself so as not to upset me. Needless to say, the manageress received some calm, but firm words from me on our departure!

How this hotel gets a 3* rating is beyond me. Dilapidated decor, unusable bathroom, deep fried breakfast and undrinkable beer. Suitable for contractors only. Wanted to leave as soon as we got there. Abandon hope all yee who enter here!