ANDY Murray’s five star hotel has been hit by a flurry of less-than-stellar reviews.
Although a clear majority of visitors continue to give Cromlix top marks on the TripAdvisor website, a growing number of disgruntled customers have posted one- to three-star reviews.
Grumbles since it opened on April 1 include undrunk wine poured back into a bottle, coffee too cold to dissolve sugar, broken glass under a table, long waits for the “horrid” food, and unhelpful staff.
In the past week alone, 15 reviews have been published on TripAdvisor – two of which were three star “average”, one was two star “poor” and one was one star “terrible”.
The hotel in Kinbuck, Perthshire, which cost Murray £2m, was given a Scottish Tourist Board five star rating this week.
Cromlix raised eyebrows in March when it managed to rack up six five star reviews before it even opened.
Since then, 83% of guests – who pay up to £450 for a room – have given the business four or five stars.
But complaints from the disgruntled 17% include poor service, bad food and unhelpful staff.
Lins66, from Stirling, left a two star review for the hotel on the website on May 12.
She said: “We were horrified to see the barman pour an unwanted glass of wine back into the bottle in full view of the whole room.
“We were so disappointed with the food we declined dessert and opted to take coffee.
“The coffee was so cool it would not dissolve a sugar lump.”
Another guest said the price of food compared to the standard of food was unacceptable.
Mollie Mog, from Stirlingshire, posted a three star review on 28 April.
She said: “My main, Shin of beef, was horrid.
“The meat formed into a little dome shaped patty, then ended up and tasted like Fray Bentos, ok in the right place but not at £35.
“The place also needs a proper clean, dust on the skirting boards and broken glass under our table.
“Not good enough, not at these prices.”
Emma, from Glasgow, was also disappointed with her first visit to the Cromlix, posting a one star reviews on April 10.
She claimed she was greeted by a young female member of staff who bluntly told her they were full for the afternoon – despite walking past “12 empty” tables.
Emma posted: “We were made to feel like an inconvenience, a nuisance for interrupting her busy afternoon.
“Andy Murray had better invest in some customer service training for his staff, not just in the fancy decor, or it will be game, set and match for the Cromlix.”
A review posted on the website five days ago gave the hotel just three stars – an average rating.
Wildwoman63, from Dunblane, claimed she was left “embarrassed” by the poor service and wouldn’t be returning.
She said: “A big disappointment – we waited well over forty five minutes to be served and no apology from the waiter when it eventually arrived (after being prompted).
“I was quite embarrassed as I was treating my friend for her birthday and it was not the experience I had hoped for.
“I won’t be back anytime soon.”
But it isn’t just average to terrible reviewers who are criticising the luxury hotel.
A five star review made three days, still expressed a disappointment with their visit.
Weelassiescotland, complimented the beautiful grounds and bedrooms during her review on 25 June.
But then said: “The food was good but not as special as the hotel I was a little disappointed in both the menu and the presentation.
“I expected it to be a bit more memorable. The breakfast was good but service was slow.”
Graeme Green, general manager of Cromlix, said: “While 85 per cent of our Trip Advisor reviews are either ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ we are disappointed to receive any negative comment.
“All these historic claims have been responded to, investigated and preventative measures put in place. Nine out of the last ten reviews have received five out of five.”
