The Dixie Dean Hotel

Awful Experience – Would Not Recommend

From the moment we arrived, our experience was extremely disappointing. When we approached reception, there was nobody there to greet us. Instead, one of the bartenders came over and told us that we would "just have to wait" because they were busy serving at the bar. It wasn't a welcoming start.

When we finally got to our room, it looked nothing like the photos advertised online. The room was filthy, with peeling wallpaper, flies in the room, stained carpets, and a general lack of cleanliness throughout. It was completely unacceptable.

We asked to see another room, hoping the first was an exception, but it was somehow even worse. There was a large stain on one of the cushions that looked like bodily fluid, GROSS!!! The bathroom clearly hadn't been cleaned properly, and the floor was so dirty that I wouldn't have walked on it barefoot.

At that point, we returned to reception and explained that we couldn't stay. We had no choice but to leave and book another hotel at the last minute, which was both stressful and an unexpected extra expense.

The only positive thing I can say is that one member of staff was genuinely helpful throughout the whole situation. She was understanding, professional, and did her best to assist us. Unfortunately, her efforts couldn't make up for the overall condition of the hotel and the poor experience we had.

This was one of the worst hotel experiences we've had. The property did not match the standard advertised, the cleanliness was unacceptable, and the customer service on arrival was poor. We would not recommend staying here. We’re genuinely surprised the hotel is still being allowed to take bookings, and we don’t feel the rating on Booking.com accurately reflects the standard of the property we encountered.

Avoid this hotel at all costs.

My partner and I booked this hotel after viewing the photographs on Booking.com. Unfortunately, I can honestly say that the images are completely misleading and do not accurately represent the condition of the rooms we were shown.

From the moment we entered the reception area, there was a noticeable smell of damp and mustiness. We were allocated a room on the third floor and, as soon as we stepped out of the lift, the odour became overwhelming.

When we entered our room, we were genuinely shocked. In all the years we have stayed in hotels, we have never encountered such an unpleasant, foul-smelling room. The windows were so covered in mould and grime that it was almost impossible to see through them. Quite frankly, this appeared to be a serious health hazard. The bathroom was also in an appalling condition. Looking back, I wish we had taken photographs, but my partner was so disgusted that he refused to stay another minute. We immediately returned to reception.

The receptionist offered us two alternative rooms, also on the third floor. Sadly, they were little better. They were dark, dingy, had the same overpowering damp, mouldy smell, and were completely unacceptable.

Initially, we felt sorry for the receptionist, as it was clear every room being shown would be as bad as the last and we almost felt embarrassed for him. However, when we requested a refund, we were given what felt like a rehearsed response: “The manager, Melanie, is the only person authorised to issue refunds, but she is currently on annual leave. You’ll need to contact her when she returns.” At that point, we had very little confidence that our concerns would be resolved or that a refund would ever be considered.

As we had arranged last minute to meet family who had also travelled to Liverpool, we were left in an impossible position. We had to decide whether to book another hotel at additional expense or remain somewhere we felt was well below an acceptable standard.

As a last resort, we asked to see one final room.

Although the smell was less severe and the room initially appeared brighter and more presentable, we felt somewhat relieved, accepted it, left our luggage, and went out to meet our family.

On our return, we had the opportunity to inspect the room more closely. We found:

Stained carpets.
Filthy sideboards.
Windows that, while not as bad as those in the previous rooms, were still dirty and poorly maintained.
A bathroom floor in a terrible state. We avoided walking barefoot on both the bathroom floor and the carpet because neither appeared clean.
A shower head that looked unsafe and poorly maintained, so we opted to use the spa bath instead. Unfortunately, when we turned it on, it spluttered out dirt and grime. Thankfully, we had purchased cleaning products from a nearby shop beforehand, anticipating cleanliness issues. Even so, we decided not to use the spa function at all and simply used the bath.

This experience was extremely disappointing. We love visiting Liverpool but the condition of this hotel significantly impacted what should have been an enjoyable time.

The only positive aspect of our stay was the breakfast seating area, which was pleasant. The breakfast itself was acceptable, although the hot food was only lukewarm.

The condition of several rooms, particularly the mould, dampness and poor levels of cleanliness, raises serious concerns. This is not simply a matter of décor or rooms looking tired—it is a matter of hygiene, maintenance and, potentially, guest health and safety.

A great place to stop minutes from the station , uniquely different rooms.
Breakfast was a good buffet selection.
Staff very professional and friendly.
Only thing would be to put a fridge in the room.

Upon arrival I rang reception about the car park in which Melanie informed me of a discount code i could use which was really helpful! From start to finish she was just fantastic to even us arriving late for breakfast the next day and her helping sorce us a breakfast still! Brilliant stay thank you Melanie!

Lovely experience, staff were amazing, so helpful with everything. Beds were comfy so had a great nights sleep. Breakfast was a buffet, plenty of options and good quality. Hotel was within walking distance of station and city centre. We will be returning!

Lovely short stay , very friendly and helpful staff especially Mel , comfy bed good breakfast and value for money
Felicity and Graham

Stayed as part of a group in numerous styles of rooms for a long awaited friends get together. Whilst I live relatively local most of my friends hadn’t visited Liverpool before. Rooms were good, some needed a bit of refurbishment but that didn’t spoil our stay.
Great location close to everything we needed.
Breakfast was good but only scrambled egg on the buffet. Asked a helpful staff member and found out you can request poached or fried eggs if you want them which some of us did.
All staff were helpful and chatty and made a big difference to our stay.
Will rebook to again when family and friends want to visit as was very impressed with service.

Me and my family called into the hotel on the way to the Empire to see a show as we were meeting our friends who were staying there.
We didn’t realise non residents could come in just for just a drink, we were pleasantly surprised.
Lovely surroundings and such a relief to be in the air conditioned cool bar after being so hot outside today
I definitely recommend as an easy stop off on your way to The Empire or a nice drink while kn the area

Beautiful hotel lovely room and cosy reception.staff we're polite especially a girl called Aleisha and staff on f&b. Tasty breakfast and lots of choice.rooms we're good value

Had a lovely stay with my partner for our anniversary, the location is brilliant it’s close to everything. Staff were so helpful on directions giving us some amazing ideas on activities to do during our stay.

Breakfast was superb wonderful choice on the buffet and accommodated for veggie sausages and fried eggs. Breakfast staff were very helpful and chatty!

Went in for a drink after visiting a nearby restaurant. Great cocktails and service.
Lady on reception showed us a few rooms as we expressed an interest in staying.
Some lovely pictures of the great man and Everton legend Dixie

Staff was amazing breakfast was lovely room was very big and very clean i will be back again
in the future location was amazing very close to city centre bernie was very helpful with directions hopefully see youse all soon

Such a perfect location, right in the centre, everything is no more than a 10 minute walk.

The hotel is quirky and very relaxed, the rooms are spacious, clean and comfortable with air conditioning. Some bits need a bit of a spruce up but with a hotel steeped in such an amazing history and its location, those things really don't matter!
Great value for money too. Would definitely recommend and will be visiting again.

Special thank you for my son's birthday card, a lovely little touch 💙

A great hotel. It is very central to everything, we were able to walk everywhere. Room was lovely, staff friendly and the buffet breakfast was excellent.

This room was huge. I could sprint from one side to the next!

The beds were super comfy.

Bathroom had a spa bath which was super relaxing.

All the staff we encountered were lovely.

The buffet breakfast was tasty.

I'd read some reviews beforehand about the cosmetic issues, mouldy windows etc. But this is to be expected with such an old building. I found the glass paneling over the original windows made the room super quiet. You would not think you were in a busy city!

I liked the Dixie dean theming.

Thank you. I'll deffo be staying again :)

As soon as we walked in we was greeted by Jimmy who gave us a very warm welcome, he kindly let us leave our bags until check in was available. We really enjoyed our stay everything was perfect. Melanie is such a lovely woman, a true gem to Dixy Dean, Melanie went over and beyond for us especially as on my birthday night she arranged for our champagne to be in an ice bucket once we returned in after dinner. Just by the service provided especially by Melanie we will definitely be back. Thank you for a wonderful stay x

Perfect location & good friendly attentive staff
Room was clean and good Atmosphere in general good value for money

Melanie was a loverly lady always very helpful a special thanks to you hospitality needs more like you 🫡

Great location, close to city centre, walking distance to attractions. Great welcoming team, above & beyond on our stay, room was perfect for what we needed, extra treat was the spa bath was amazing!
Melanie was extremely helpful in advising us on our Journey home, checking transport & making our journey back was guaranteed.
Thank you all.

Stayed at this hotel had pre theatre drinks hotel is fabulous staff are lovely very welcoming. Cocktails on form and reasonably priced will definitely be booking again.

Very central to all attractions minutes walk to the theatre would definitely recommend

Met up with some friends for drinks before the foo fighters concert and the atmosphere was great. They had some foo fighters music on and the staff were very welcoming!