Hotel Best Western Waukesha Grand (Pewaukee, USA)

The lobby is very attractive and gives an excellent first impression of this welcoming hotel.

You can't leave pets in the room unattended (*Who would want to, anyway!) but they are very welcome here and, of course, dedicated pet owners wouldn't dream of holidaying without them. If they are ‘car trained', they only have to sit in the car for short periods of time as you visit the shops, grocery stores, restaurants and pharmacies in this immediate area.

Sometimes, the pool area lets the hotel down and is drab and uncared for. Not here! The pool is spotless. So is the lobby. Rooms are equally impressive with extremely comfortable beds. Breakfast is well presented and there is plenty of choice. Members of staff, in all departments, couldn't be more caring, helpful and cheerful.

Members of staff can't keep up with the pressure. Breakfast items aren't replaced, tension kicks in and staff members go into melt-down mode. If you weren't so hungry, the entire exercise would have great entertainment value As it is, you'll need to accept that breakfast is sometimes a non-event ... and go foraging for food in the local cafes.

Rails around the pool wobble dangerously and there is evidence of someone else's hair in the bathroom plughole. Evidence of lax cleaning and maintenance procedures.

There's nothing to merit the ‘Grand' element of the hotel title. Windows are dirty, there are stains on the ceiling and there's staff confusion as to breakfast serving times.