I was deeply dissatisfied with our recent stay at The Corner House Hotel Gatwick. To say the experience was disappointing would be an understatement.
Upon our arrival around midnight, we were met with an appallingly rude and racist attitude from the individual at reception. When we brought up concerns about the cold room and a non-functioning lamp, he responded dismissively and made a completely inappropriate and racist comment: “This is England, not India.” This assumption was based purely on the colour of our skin — an incredibly offensive and ignorant remark, especially considering we are from Toronto, Canada and have never been to India. This level of hostility and racism was shocking. We have travelled extensively, including in England, and have never encountered such treatment.
Additionally, our room was not located in the main building with the reception, but across a busy road — a completely inconvenient and unsafe situation at midnight, especially with luggage. The staff member made no effort to assist us with our bags. He walked with us but left us halfway to figure out an outdated lock on the room, which took us at least a few minutes to figure out.
The room itself was far from the standard one would expect from a hotel with good reviews. It was outdated, noticeably dusty along the edges and had a non-functioning lamp.
This experience was deeply upsetting, and we feel compelled to share how unacceptable it was.