I visited The George for lunch having visited previously and had a good experience. What a transformation in just a month or two! The service had gone from friendly and efficient to slow and indifferent. The food likewise had gone downhill. The wraps we ordered noticeably smaller and less lavishly filled than before. However what took the biscuit - pardon the pun - was the plate of, to quote the menu "Traditional Homemade Sweet Biscuits" On the previous visit we had been presented with four delicious homemade biscuits. This time we got six biscuits from a cheap packet. I asked to speak to the manager and complained that the item was not as described on the menu. She bustled off and bought back a menu and pointed to the word "Biscuits" I pointed to the words "Traditional Homemade" and she said "...but they weren't packet biscuits" I pointed out a bourbon and a fruit shortie were precisely that and with no apology I was given a refund. The service and the food is terrible. A horrible experience. A place to be avoided.

I stayed here for a work related stay for four nights in January 08. The room was o.k. but a little tired and the bathroom was a bit rough around the edges but generally clean. The reception staff seemed a little preoccupied and not too welcoming but I found housekeeping and staff at breakfast were a bit more helpful. Breakfast was good and cooked to order. Be warned that there is no lift in the hotel and the stairs are steep which proves difficult when carrying a heavy case. I did ask for help with my bags when I was leaving and although a porter wasn't available a lady from housekeeping gave me a hand. The hotel is right in the town centre and there is parking at the rear.

I really liked this hotel. It was very old-fashioned (in a good way) with wooden beams, creaking floors and a lounge with fire places and cubby holes. Easy to imagine it a hundred years ago. The food was really good, very enjoyable and the room was fine, nothing too special but fine. Our room looked out over the main road and therefore the room needed double glazing and airconditioning. My mum's room was really nice however. The staff were great. Breakfast was not included and a bit pricey. Very central and with its own parking. I really enjoyed pre-dinner drinks in the ancient lounge and then coffee in a huge sofa.

As an Essex boy (of many years ago) I remember The George as THE place to go in Colchester. Needing to stay somewhere for a night, and despite some of the recent reviews on Trip Advisor, I thought this had to be the place to stay. What a disappointment. There were traces of past grandeur (and history) throughout. However, there was more evidence of neglect. This place is in serious need of an upgrade. The carpets were threadbare in many places, in my room the paint work was chipped, peeling and faded. The bathroom had certainly seen better days – very dated indeed. Rooms have few facilities; mine was very small, looking out over a not very interesting courtyard. Not that it’s a too major point, but the information in the room was also very poor. For a hotel of supposed quality, I was very disappointed. The reception staff seemed as if they had better things to do, not really very interested in the guests. On the plus side the breakfast staff were very helpful and the food was actually very good, with an excellent choice. Although I didn’t eat here the restaurant looked very good – certainly full for lunch. The location, right in the centre of town, could not be better, with car parking facilities, difficult to find but very welcome. I paid ?75 for the night (admittedly not very expensive). Lunch at the Red Lion just opposite was excellent and although rooms there were more expensive (?95) I know where I will stay next time. However, ?39 per night for the next three nights at a B&B in Easthorpe 15/20 mins drive away (see my review on the House with no Name) will make you think how much value you place on staying in a town rather than a rural idyll.

I stayed here for a friends wedding, it was disgusting! The rooms were shabby and smelt musty, the food was awful, the kipper my partner ate for breakfast had mould on it. I complained to the Food Standards Agency about the (lack of) quality and they never did anything about (I even followed up with a call to both the hotel and the FSA and they told me that nobody ever complained about The George!!) - stay away at all costs, yuk!