The Talbot Hotel Restaurant in Dudley

Don't waste your money! Booking.com clearly don't check the hotels they advertise! Had recently changed owners. Absolute rubbish. Cold, dirty, no WiFi, no tea or coffee facilities, no restaurant facilties. Basically what was advertised, was missing. Nothing like it was advertised at all on booking.com. Wouldn't recommend this place. Unfortunately made me feel unclean. Would need a lot doing to it to improve it. Shouldn't be advertised as a 3 star, 1star at best currently.

END OF NOV 2024 - NEW OWNERS REVEW.. Absolutely horrified and refused to stay here after given a FILTHY ROOM - hadn’t been cleaned from previous stay. Takeaway boxes, dirty sheets piled up, bed side tables pulled into the middle of the room - you’d have thought a staff member had been staying in it. The carpet in the entire building is filthy, rubbish scattered around the entire building. I wouldn’t mind but I actually called ahead 3 times before arriving.. no excuses for what we were given. CS rep was very hesitant and very RUDE when asking for a different room.. to the point we lost any confidence and asked him to to give a refund and then he took his time pretending he didn’t have the knowledge on how to (I’m still waiting for it btw).. can’t believe booking dot com have allowed this establishment on its website. Wouldn’t let my dogs stay in this building.

Worst stay ever. Room was filthy, radiator hanging off the wall (also didn’t work so was absolutely freezing!) toenail clippings in the bathroom and a broken headboard. Had nowhere to park so had to leave my car a 15 minute walk away! Went to the reception for extra pillows and water, we were advised there was none available, there was no service and the WiFi did not work. Alongside this, our room and hallway outside stunk of weed. Not enjoyable - would NOT recommend. (If I could rate no stars - I would)

My father recently stayed at the hotel (booked for 3 nights, only stayed for 1 and did not get the refund back for the 2 remaining nights). He also received a parking fine even though he registered his car plate at the reception. I called on his behalf to ask the hotel to cancel the parking fine. I spoke to Catherine who is the manager there, she reassured me that if I email her the fine letter and the invoice she will email the company to cancel the fine. 2 weeks go by, I haven't hear anything. I then went on to contest the fine myself and sent all the evidence to them (email correspondence with the hotel). I then, for the 4th time, tried to call the hotel and to get through to Catherine. She could not recall talking to me 2 weeks prior so I reminded her of the situation, and told her I also contested the fine. She then started raising her voice at me saying 'now you gonna lose the case! I told you to leave it with me!', btw she never told me not to contest it and if I do I'd lose the case (even though my dad was a guest at the hotel and registered his car). I told her I was worried because it's been 2 weeks and no communication from her, she then said 'you worry too much' I kindly asked her to lower her voice and try to understand my frustration- mid sentence she put the phone down on me, I tried calling back- phone engaged, they most likely blocked my number. I was absolutely shocked- not only they didn't solve the issue, the manager was extremely rude and unprofessional without any desire to help. This interaction is not even worth 1 star. Absolutely terrible service!! Please avoid this place at all costs!

The worst carvery I have had If I could offer Minus 5 stars I would The food was almost cold and very sub- standard No mashed potato and roast potato's were deep fried and dried and not proper roast potatoes Everything was very dry. Waited ages for condiments to be filled up which were empty. You couldn't serves yourself with green / vegetables etc. Asked for 2 different deserts and was told They hadn't any. Asked for custard on a dessert and was told I would have to pay £1 extra each. Absolutely terrible experience and I wouldn't go there again and I wouldn't recommend this place to anybody else

Went to a function last night one person attending the bar no whisky glasses no mixers no beer had to keep going to bar downstairs for drinks had to wait for manager for beer as person said behind bar didn’t know how to do it

Had a lovely night at a wedding food was lovely staff were great hosts the bar man was a fantastic young man that was so friendly

Not been in here for over 20 years. I attended a wedding, the current owners have updated the property in such a lovely way, in keeping with the property. Wedding was lovely and we had good service throughout. There is parking on back, not many cars but were enough for our wedding party.

The landlady (sorry forgot her name) very pleasant, helpful and was passionate about her business. The redecoration was great , clean & tidy . I took my granddaughter to the soft play which she loved I had coffee , resisted the cakes 🎂. The parking was free with the soft play on a Wednesday 9am till 3pm . Lots of choice of food there . Pool 🎱 & darts , I would recommend this place from what I've experienced.

We popped into the historic Talbot Hotel in Stourbridge and had a cup of latte coffee plus a pot of tea and two excellent cakes for a total of £7 ( yes that’s for everything). The staff were polite and pleasant, service was fast and both drinks and cakes were excellent.

This place is VILE! The STAFF are rude they have no nice way to speak to customers..the place looks RUN DOWN! It’s FILTHY and OUTDATED! Need A GOOD CLEAN!! DO NOT SPENR your MONEY HERE!!!!

I think the owners of this newly 'refurbished' hotel/bar/venue need to 1) Create a new brand, many of these reviews are prior to the refurbishment and the venue needs to establish itself from the recent opening to avoid the issues from the poor state it was allowed to get into over the years prior to its closing. 2) The new owners need to decide what sort of venue this is and what customers it is catering for. The Talbot as a building is one of the jewels in Stourbridge and a link to its history dating back to 1627. With so many of the original architectural features and original building still such a prominent feature of the building, and with the potential for events, guests and to attract people to the town, it seems a shame they have opted for cheap tacky fairy lights draped over the timbered ceilings and around the light fittings, a continuous Spotify 80's pop playlist (Not even premium , so adverts constantly interrupting) do nothing to create any ambience and , instead, make the place feel like a 1980's working mens club rather than seeking soft background ambience to speak of the 'class' this venue should ooze. These things make a huge difference and are so easy to do if there was any thought . 3) The staff are very polite, attentive and served quickly. 4) Westbourne Leisure cited as 'extensive refurbishment' is generous. There are so many features of the building that they could have focused on. The furniture is scuffed and dirty. The fittings poor with little attention to detail that the Talbot deserves and the Bar ambience detracts from anyone seeking a venue that offers anything different to any other pub in the area. Little things make a difference and had the owners got a little bit further with cosmetic finishes, cleaning and ambience, this would be a venue that would attract a demographic with both disposable income and seeking a place to frequent during the day. The whole venue was empty for the couple of hours I stayed.

After having an amazing breakfast on Saturday we decided to go for tea tonight. Just as brilliant. Partner had scampi and chips, he really enjoyed it and a decent portion. I had Chinese chicken curry- absolutely a taste delight. Service was good as well.

Lovely hotel with lovely staff brilliant nothing was to much trouble definitely stay again A kettle in the room to make hot drinks would be my only ask

Stayed here and was looked after by all staff incredibly well. Very nice and helpful with quick service. The rooms were also very nice, modern and clean

Great hotel. Had really good offers on food and drinks. The hotel was clean and service was great.

Only been open for 12 months after a extensive refurbishment and already looking a bit rough, ie wallpaper coming down and seating shabby and worn

Been here several times now since it’s reopening this year and have always been happy with my experience, yes there has been some minor teething problems since the refurb but have been taken care of and the management are learning their way around how best to manage the hotel as well as night life and have excelled in my opinion. The hotel is run by a lovely local couple who really value their customers and strive to help where possible around the often busy hotel. I wish the company that owned the hotel would give the management more help by way of more staff would be my only real gripe with the place, watching the absolute minimum staffing struggle to do so much with so few on my every visit really stands out and I can’t help but feel sorry for them and also admire them for doing it. As a hotel it’s a very old building with lots of character which comes naturally without some of the modern creature comforts some may be used to from newer hotels, personally I don’t find this an issue and come to expect single pain glass etc in the building and was bewildered to read some of the reviews moaning about the building they chose to stay in for just those reasons. Absolutely no complaints from myself about the rooms or my stays over the last few months. As for the night life it’s a nice bar and a lovely function room too both of which I have had the pleasure of frequenting, they provide a variety of entertainment to cater for all in the bar and the function room is free to hire for any occasion. Over all glad it’s back up and running and really like the management they are pure gold and the owners should realise what they do for them.

Myself & partner stayed 1 night here. We had a horrific sleep. The bed was hard and the quilt was thin. No heating in the whole hotel in December! We were so cold didnt even take my jumper off. They have no hot water the the taps. In bin in the bedroom or bathroom. No staff are available even in the morning there was no one around not a single person. No amenities in the rooms. I will never stay here again. Beware when booking your stay wont be good. Even the other guests I spoke to 2 other people were so cold and had traveled far like ourselves to get there. Such a disappointment.

Great food. We were here with 12 friends, the staff were lovely and the food was really good. It’s always difficult to find a place for a big group this worked out well

We stayed here for 1 night to visit family. Lovely place, lovely spot, great potential. Newly opened, but they have a bit to learn. They need to decide exactly what they are. Nightclub or Hotel. Also actually having your reservation on record and water glasses in the room would have been nice. No tea or coffee facilities in the room either. But spotlessly clean.

The photos on this site are prior to the major refurbishment that it has now undergone. Therefore the photos bear no resemblance to how it now looks, which is amazing! The staff were friendly + attentive. The manager even provided us with a tour of this beautiful building. We were informed that the current food menu will expand + the range of dishes proposed sounds delicious! It has good facilities + the decor + furniture has been thoughtfully added. I’ve never seen a porters chair before! The place is certainly well worth a visit.

I dont know where to start. The man on the main desk doesnt know a thing! False advertising stating free brekfast but when you ask what time the breakfast is they say they have stopped them. The rooms were vile,dirty, damaged, damp and a death trap! Chips left on the floor, plug sockets smashed into peices (and young children were put in this room). Glass pannels dropping out the window frames, curtains do not fit so no privacy, huge window right next to the loo and no blinds, bed bugs, holes in the walls, grotty shower curtain, ripped up bathroom floor tiles, springs showing on ripped divan beds, 2 mouldy kettles, swearing and un professional staff, the landings havent seen a hoover in weeks! Even at the bar they put spirits in half pint glasses! Its such a shame because it really needs a good decorate, new beds, new bathroom floors, better cleaners and more professional staff and it would be a nice hotel! I honnestly do not know how this place as passed any inspection. The cleaner barges past you with a face on him, the staff get cocky if you complain, the manager wasnt cocky but she barged in and shouted "wtf is going on as iv had a bo****ing over this" so thats not professional at all. Honnestly it was shocking! Im not fussy and i never leave bad reveiws but it was dreadfull. Its not even suitible for a place to just lay your head as its a health and safety hazzard!! Iv never seen a hotel like it honnestly. And when you complain they slam doors and just tell you to be nice! They even say to you "well its cheap so its what you pay for"... its not even cheap!!!! You cant even see up the corridoors to your rooms as theres missing lights and because the floors were all wonky i tripped over!! Its a major Issue!! Please dont book for a wedding or any big event..... just go and have a look 1st and ask to see the rooms and then decide for yourself.

I have given it 1 star….and that’s being generous. This has to be the worst hotel we have ever stayed in! The room was dirty, actually, it was disgusting! There were bed bugs in the bed, blood on the sheets, the electrics were dodgy and it was incredibly smelly. In fact, it was so bad we left at 3am after no sleep and slept in the car. Avoid at all costs - I actually have no idea how they are allowed to let people stay in rooms like this. It is a health hazard.

Do not stay here. The hotel is dirty and the rooms have none of the facilities advertised. One towel, no toiletries, not even a bar of soap No drinks facilities. No phone to contact reception. Above a noisy pub smelling strongly of weed. We didn’t stop for breakfast as we were worried that the hygiene in the rooms could be reflected in the kitchen. Thankfully only booked for one night to attend a wedding locally. Another couple leaving at the same time were trying to get a refund as they were refusing to stay another night.

Only stay here if you want to catch a disease , they can have the one star though because they gave us a full refund

Visited with friends for a meal.Cold plates ( told us they didn't warm the plates any more!!), all the meals should have been hot but we were served cold food, no vegetables were brought out. We asked for meals to be replaced, the duty manager said they would be replaced but when they took them back to the kitchen they actually tried to microwave pork, chicken & beef meals most with sauces. The same meals came back out but not necessarily to the same people. Some vegetables were still cold so we refused to accept the meals, one person cut a piece of pork & pushed the pieces back together but the meat was returned to him with the piece cut off, it proved they were the same meals being brought back out. We all walked out. Poor management, we couldn't get to speak with the main manager, he was apparently off managing a hotel somewhere else!!! Management on site said it wasn't their fault?? If I could I would give it no stars. DONT GO THERE, it's a disgrace to Stourbridge town centre.’

Absolutely disgusting food . Plates were cold so food was cold by time the whole party had their meals . Sent all 15 meals back asked to have them replaced and all they did was reheat the food on the plates and bring them back to the table. So we refused to eat the food . No manager as such to speak to and asked for chef but he wouldn't come to speak to us .

just stay clear if you want to stay healthy. faulty towers has nothing on this place. Absolutely terrible and ive staying in some rough places.

We booked the breakfast room for the afternoon for a baby shower. Buffet style menu chosen. well it was nauseating to look at and even worse to taste. Presentation was unbelievable. Service not great vegetarian and vegan ordered but had no idea what was required which is worrying.Not enough staff to look after us. Would not recommend this place, afternoon was spoiled.one star given had to fill something in does not deserve a one.

No problem with the food. Nicely cooked and presented. Whole place looked a little shabby, slow service and short staffed. Did notice that the following morning our table had still not been fully cleared.

A friend and I popped in after work one evening around 5.30pm. We ordered Scampi and Chips from the 2 for 1 menu and we were happy with the meals. Lovely fish and a big portion of chips and fresh salad.A good selection of drinks at the bar. Reasonable prices for what is a hotel.Will certainly be going again.

The room was terrible , Broken furniture, damp, no heating, wallpaper hanging off, bird crap outside our window., mattress had the springs sticking out.We then thought it could not get any worse but that was short lived. The breakfast was disgusting but the hardest part was to find a staff member to serve you this crap. AVOID AVOID AVOID

Pay more and go somewhere else! Sorry but the room was very damp and unclean. Didn’t enjoy it. Food was very average didn’t try the breakfast as we needed to be away. Loud noises at night.

Visited on Wednesday for a wake. The sandwiches were awful- no spread on them, you couldn’t discern the filling in them, the bread was hard as though they had been left out for hours.The wine glasses hadn’t been washed properly as there was still lipstick on them.The quiches and cakes were lovely however.

Go in for coffee, had to wait for over 10 minutes to get a member of staff, who then couldn't understand what I was trying to order. When finally got drinks, they were cold so complained to Deputy Manager who just slagged the rest of the staff off and did nothing.

I used to stay here when i was up in Stourbridge, and every single time there were problems: flames coming out of the hairdryer once, no hot water the next, shower head broken another time, the place is a total dump which is a real shame as it's a lovely building with loads of character. The food is disgusting. The worst issue is the management: after they failed to register my van with the car park attendant, i got a ticket which despite my 6 phone calls and 3 emails they failed to sort out, the whole thing escalated to bailiffs etc and a year and a half later i will probably get bad credit scores. I have just rang them again and as usual they are saying the manager is not there etc. Avoid this place at all cost i say.

No one seems to care right from the off,..... I asked about a local zoo, they didn’t even know it existed...... they got our name wrong, we found our room, and just couldn’t believe what we saw.... we had to walk uphill to the beds..!!!! I’ve seen quirky rooms before but this was just horrendous, nothing was level, everything was sloping even the beds, dressing table ect, the windows were so wonky, the bathroom one I could get my hand through. No where in the hotel was clean, there was carpet falling off of the stairs, dust everywhere, water/damp patches all over the place, we ‘ate’ fish and chips in the evening, it was so greasy, garlic bread burnt and onion rings under cooked..... there seemed to be people walking past our room (loudly) all night, the noise was constant creaking and heavy footfall, when we were in bed we heard a noise which turned out to be a really bad water leak in the ceiling... dripping onto the carpet....there were no phones in the room and I really didn’t want to go down to an open area reception in my night-ware, we got little sleep.... !!! Breakfast, well.... I asked for 2 pouched eggs, what I got was one broken egg and hard boiled on a greasy plate, I had to do my own toast...which was ok, there was little else to have... there was what looked like old tomato sauce all over the window ledge and window.... it was awful... cleanliness is NOT priority!! When we left there was no one at reception, and therefore we left a note about the leak...!!! I would not recommend at all as it is now!!!

Over cooked and kept warm for ages, Service Awefull, Had to ask for Basic things like Cutlery, Cups, Glasses. and the Tables were not cleaned in between people using them. Discusting

Lovely building, great staff and nice food. They were very accommodating and put the football on. It’s a bargain of a place to stay!

Awful meal. Was supposed to be a roast beef dinner, I am guessing the beef was left over from Sunday it now Thursday it was stone cold as was the Yorkshire pudding, there was some strange gunk on the plate that had squares of bread in it. The new potatoes looked like they were leftovers from some ones meal two days previous. All food served for the rest of our group was at best luke warm. Avoid this restaurant it is awful, I can see why it was empty.

For £50 it was a bed for the night. The place is very tired but it’s an old sprawling building that obviously hasn’t had any money spent on it in years. The room had an enormous bathroom but the tiles were loose on the floor... therefore socks remained on as it could have caused some damage. Bed and linen was ok but I’m sorry I don’t think I’d come back. The premier inn down the road I know what use be getting. Shame really as it could be made into a nice place but I suppose the economics of refurbishment wouldn’t weigh up with its location.

We were led to this restarant because it was convenient and we'd visited many times over the past 30 years. We also spotted that it is currently on the list of restaurants participating in the Meerkat Meals promotion. My wife wanted to celebrate her birthday with her daughter and grandchildren so called the restaurant to book a table later in the week for 4:30pm. She also confirmed that they would accept the Meerkat Meals voucher.

Lovely looking when you first walk in then got to my room floor was wonky so I kept rolling on the bed. The bed was that low that i struggled to get off it. The room was dated and there was a piece of wood holding up my dressing table. My phone was bigger than the tele in the room. The breakfast looked like carol had cooked it from rate my plate on Facebook. Then to top it off I went back up to my room and found a lodger in my bed. A huge bloody bed bug!! I went and complained and got my money back but the manager didn’t look surprised. Worst place I have ever stopped in.

I was booked into this hotel on buisness stay. Upon arrival i was waiting for what seemed an extremely long time to check in, to which i thought was very bad customer service. Once checked in i opened the door to a fair double sized bedroom. After a short while i was absolutely shocked to what i discovered. Damp and mould was forming in every direction i looked, cracks in the walls, aswell as wall paper clinging onto dear life! To what seemed someone had clearly punched a hole through the wall. Laundry was not done upon arrival and a portable radiator was left stretched accross the room to nearly trip over the wire which could of resulted in an injury. Television cable was broke off and left dangling out the wall, lightbox had no cover, and fuseboard was open. I have a huge concern over health and safety for future guests! I packed my bags and left imediately as i felt completely uncomfortable. Booked into the premier up the road and without fail they knew i had just come from there.

My wife said 'This is the best of Stourbridge for us!' when we got out from the entrance after we finished. As we had been thinking it is hard to find a really nice traditional british restaurant, charming, original full of character. We had not thought this was at first sight. We felt a good sense of taste especially when we had the beefsteak with special sauce. We also liked the pasta, because of its slightly 'al dente' touch. The staff made us feel enjoyable very much.

Needed a cheap hotel at short notice, much charm and character, historical Inn. It was clean but very tired, the breakfast service is good, my dining experience was underwhelming.

This is most definitely the worst meal I have had in many years. Meat warm all vegetables either uncooked and cold or over cooked and still cold. This meal was booked for 11 people so absolutely no excuse for not being ready with hot food! Only one other couple eating in restaurant - expect that’s because everyone else has read previous terrible reviews - wish we had! when we alerted the manager he contradicted us for about 10- 15 minutes then chef took all containers back to the kitchen and returned about 30 minutes later with vegetables which had been in the microwave and large jug of hot water to put in the servery stand! He even offered to put my meal in the microwave - see photo attached! No offer of money back, no offer of any compensation until another member of our party approached him again - then all apologies, suddenly ‘yes there is a problem vegetables were cold but now they are hot’ would you like a drink on the house etc. I got my money back but the attitude was terrible. Anyway would avoid the Talbot at all costs there’s a great Wetherspoons down the road

I ate at The Talbot Hotel this evening, with a large group of friends.

TERRIBLE. I have given reasonable reviews before for a dated establishment, but we went for Sunday lunch today and had the very worst service I have ever experienced in dirty surroundings. They lost the booking, did not lay the table, no salt, no cutlery and very very rude staff who slammed things down when we complained. Honestly - do not go here. We will never go again - appalling.

There's character, and then there's under investment and the Talbot unfortunately falls into the later. Beautiful premise but completely run down and in need of a total overhall

Shawn and staff looked after us for a perfect day with a fantastic wedding breakfast and reception. We couldn't have been happier with the service, dedication to detail and food we received.

I arranged for my daughter to stay here recently. Room rates are good (about 50 pounds at the time) and she was upgraded free of charge. Breakfast room and breakfast excellent. Carvery on Sundays excellent. Free parking at the rear - just enter your registration number in the bar. Only problem is it needs refurbishment and tidying up. Torn seats and lots of weeds around the outside seating area and a general bit of painting and modernizing needed but overall good. Also contains the local Masonic Temple.

Food was average but breakfast was very good, inconsistent food obviously dependent on the chef, edible and two meals for the price of one except weds and sun

Not exactly rude. Just couldn't care less. Not surprisingly there was only one other occupied table, Friday lunchtime 18 May.

Stayed here in march for a party in the area.

Having paid £17 for a two course meal this evening at the Talbot after our meeting I was full of hope that it would be an improvement on previous meals, especially has I had been told a new chef was in post.

Booked a triple room for an overnight stay. Its an old hotel so decor not that good but expected. Room 12.. The beds were clean but were creaking and springs gone on all beds. So a bit of a sleepless night. Toilet made awful noise after flushing. I had a cold shower and couldn't turn tap of. Husband finally got it turned of but dripping so no shower for him. Breakfast was warm but mushrooms tasted like they just came out of fridge. The lack of staff didnt help. On check out it was the waiter who took payment and wasnt bothered about the bad experiences we had. So in a nutshell "Faulty Towers" and dont stay in room 12.

staff are talked down too a frosty atmosphere. The food was limp and cold, not a friendly place at all.....i was totally disappointed every item we asked for was unavailable and when we did finally find something we could eat.......it was inedible... never again .

Staff could not care less. No welcome on arrival so seated ourselves. I am vegan and the vegetable curry was not a curry! It looked like cat sick and had no spicy kick to it, just a bit of turmeric! It was absolutely swimming in grease. I could not eat much of it. Service was so poor, starters took half an hour, main took a long time too, we had to chase both courses. No apologies. My starter was a side salad with its own side salad (?!) plus some of the cheapest white bread available. I would never have gone to this place but an inlaw picked it as it is a venue local to them. On the phone ahead of time I was asking about vegan food "Do you eat fish" was one of the questions plus offering up pasta with egg and cheese. Honestly. We are in 2018, wake up. Chilly venue, freezing in the toilets, plastic flowers. URGH. My companions had the carvery and apparently a customer asked the server was something on display was. She did not know and had to go check! It was stuffing but it was so swimming in oil it was unrecognisable. Plus the veg was dried out and mulshy. These people do not know how to a run a business. AVOID!

We have been here many times for Sunday lunch because the carvery is excellent - and very generous portions. In fact it's our favourite carvery in the area. The hotel itself is a little dated. There's a small free car park at the rear - we've always found a space (don't forget to register your car in the bar). We've not tried an evening meal yet but based on Sunday lunch we recommend trying it. Right in the middle Stourbridge High Street.