The Elm Tree Inn

Nothing…

Food in restaurant was just ok. Thought it might be better.

Sadly, we booked the disabled room - which was a very nice room. However, after I checked in, my husband realised that the bed was too low for him. We understand many disabled people would happily have a lower bed, but my husband's condition means he needs a regular or even slightly higher bed to get in and out of without much help. The low height meant I would have to help him and, as we get older, this is not really something I can manage. Such a shame - the staff were very helpful and upset that we had to check out after just 15 mins or so.

No toiletrie shelf in the bathroom & shower head leaking from spray adjuster.

Room had chocolate wrappers under bed so hadn’t been cleaned properly. Curtain non existent so sun streams in morning - broken toilet was filling all night, mattress like a slab of concrete, tv size of postage stamp.

Nothing.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to make a formal complaint regarding the two rooms we booked through Booking.com at the Elm Tree Inn, Wisbech.

I am requesting a full refund because the accommodation was materially unsuitable for its intended purpose and was very different from what we reasonably expected from the Booking.com listing and the way the property is presented.

On arrival, we found that there were no available parking spaces, intoxicated and disruptive people were occupying the outside areas, and extremely loud music was being played from the pub/function area. The bass was so powerful that the rooms themselves shook and vibrated. This was not ordinary or reasonable background noise. It made it impossible to relax or sleep.

My son also struggled to gain access to his room because intoxicated people were loitering around the entrance to the accommodation. The bedrooms were accessed via an external staircase above/adjacent to the pub, with the bar effectively functioning as reception. The overall environment was entirely unsuitable for what we believed we had booked as a four-star hotel stay.

The situation was so unacceptable that we did not stay. We handed both room keys back to a member of the bar staff and explained that we could not remain at the property. We therefore received no meaningful benefit from the accommodation.

I have since discovered that our experience was not an isolated incident. Recent independent guest reviews describe remarkably similar problems with excessive noise and bass from the pub/function room. One December 2025 review states that the guest returned to their room to find it "shaking" from the noise and bass from the function room below and specifically said they should have been advised of this at the time of booking. Another recent review describes the thumping bass from the pub below as being so intrusive that it actually made the toilet floor shake and continued until closing

Nothing

Both rooms were so small and could barely fit in the bed. The size of the room wasn’t expected for the money and the overall cleanliness wasn’t great. Also didn’t feel overly safe, anyone can walk into the corridor and one of the rooms had massive difficulty opening the door.