Excellent value

I thought the value this hotel offered was fantastic especially if there are 2 or 3 people staying.

. Having read the other reviews I must say that I found the rooms clean. Yes they are on the small side but I think this is reflected in the price

The staff were very friendly and helpful.

If you are looking for luxury then the Dolby is not right for you but if you are looking for a one or two night break then this could be the one.

Someone is having a laugh....

I recently stayed in this hotel and can vouch for the criticisms already expressed in other reviews. The room seemed clean enough until I opened one of drawers to be confronted with dirt, hairs and a previous occupants dirty clothes. There is hardly any space for your clothes in the MFI-style "wardrobe" and "drawers" that I wonder if the hotel expects that nobody could tolerate more than a couple of nights in the hotel so you might as well keep your clothes in your suitcase. My room also reeked of stale smoke as well. I am a non-smoker but smelt like a smoker by the time I had woken up the next morning such was the concentration of nicotine in the bed covers, furnishings and atmosphere.

How many hotels have you stayed in recently that has both no lift or telephone in the room? None I bet. I must admit after some time I felt sorry for the staff that worked in the Dolby as they are polite and courteous but surely must feel mortified at the "detention centre" quality of facilities and accommodation offered to their guests. How they manage to keep a straight face when someone enquires "I cannot find the telephone in my room" or "where's the lift - I've got lots of luggage?"

The room itself is far too narrow and you find yourself consciously navigating around the room to avoid crashing into something - thank goodness I was in the room on my own. It was only once I'd left the hotel that I realised why the lighting was so deliberately dim. The television (all 14 inches of it) is perched high in the corner of your room as a deterrent to actually using it - you can only actually view it while lying in bed. It is possible, however, that you could deploy it as an additional light source in an already dim room or a means of drowning out the traffic noise or noise from your neighbours.

Apart from what I've mentioned above I reserve my two biggest criticisms for the bathroom and the amount of noise that's heard in the room.

The bathroom is a triangle in the corner of the room and within this triangle is another triangle designated the shower. The bathroom has been designed for someone 3 feet tall and probably with one leg. If you can pluck-up the courage to use the toilet you have to sit "side-saddle" which in itself is a bit unnerving. Otherwise if you want to sit "normal" you'd have to push both legs through the wall - which I believe is made of cardboard anyway.. but more about that later. You are forced to use the shower whether you like it or not - a bath would have to be installed vertically to fit into the available space - and using the shower is just as weird as using the toilet. For some reason a shower curtain has been provided that once you stand in the shower it reveals itself to be a "man-eater" wrapping itself around you and almost strangling you in the process. The shower head is built into the ceiling which means to "shower" you have dispense with the shower curtain and go through the motions of a limbo dancer to get a decent wash.

I used to believe that Dolby was a trademark for noise reduction on audio systems. Not any longer! To get a good nights sleep in the Dolby you'd better stock-up on top quality sleeping pills as the walls between the rooms are probably made of cardboard. If you unlucky to be on the 1st floor you'll get the noise come continually at you from both walls and above you and beneath you. When I sneezed I could have swore someone in another room said "bless you"! Apart from that little inconvenience there was constant noise in the corridor during the night - shouting, screaming and people running up and down. And by the way, the traffic noise is loud as well.

Whoever designed the room layouts in this hotel was having a laugh but I think there was a method in his/her madness. You are made to feel guilty after a couple of sleepless nights that you have only spent 40 odd pounds for a room as you are punished at every step for being a " tight git so it serves you right".

I've learnt my lesson well, so thank you Dolby, I promise to never complain about the Premier Travel Inn again!

Don't expect comfort or luxury here

I can honestly say I have never stayed anywhere quite like The Dolby Hotel. The location and view were fantastic, however, the room we stayed in was no bigger than our garage back home and the bathroom resembled that of a caravan. In fairness, the room was clean (to a degree) but there was very little room to move around in the room and bathroom (and I'm a very petite person!). Would definitely not stay here again, give me a Travel Lodge anyday, at least they don't resemble detention centres!!!

Not for 3....

If you planning a trip away for just 3 people, have a look around. There triple rooms consist of a double bed, with a bunk bed going across the top... and the bathroom, you be lucky to swing a cat in it.

Staff nice and friendly and food is very enjoyable and in nice walking distance into the city centre.

Noisey

Be careful when you stay at the Dolby, If there is a football match on, the hotel is full of football supporters who spend the weekend on the booze and partying all night. For 2 nights we got very little sleep due to banging doors, yelling, shouting etc. The corridors were littered with beer cans and bottles next morning.

The hotel itself is ok but be prepared for lack of sleep.

Dolby is OK by us!

The Dolby is clean, cheap & cheerful. Nothing wrong with the rooms or the en suite facilities. The bar area is pleasant, but the evening meal menu leaves a bit to be desired. Breakfast looks & smells very good (although we don't take it.) Very good value for money; we have been several times AND taken friends!

A great time

We had a great time at he Dolby Hotel. The price was inexpensive and there was three of us in the room. The staff were really helpful aswell. We will definitely stay again.

Brilliant for price

The Dolby costs 42 pounds per room!! This shared between 3 of us added up to a very cheap fun ladies weekend, in a clean friendly hotel!!

Quality is very dependant on price vs what you get. As a budget hotel this place is good value for money.

Bad

A very small room with a bed above your head. Just like the youth hostels.No cupboard,no phone, small window.It takes about 20 minutes walk to the city center.Bad cleaning and sometimes noisy.Pay a few pounds more to get a room in the center of liverpool.

Dolby dump

The hotel was very much like a youth hostel overlooking the docks. You could hear those in the surounding rooms. The room was clean but basic with room for 3, with another bed above the double bed. We got woken up at 8am on Saturday morning by the chambermaids repeatedly banging on the door to see if we needed anything for the room. This was their only visit to our room and the room was not made up at all that day. There was a long wait for breakfast in the morning and in the end we gave up.

The hotel was 15 minutes walk from the Albert Dock. That was the highlight.