I was in a party of 2 adults and 2 children (ages 8 and 4) and stayed at the Alton Towers Hotel for 3 nights.
We arrived late on Saturday afternoon to be told that we did not have a reservation, despite the fact that I had booked it on the hotel web site. Luckily, I had my laptop with me and was able to open up the confirmation email (they had free Wi-Fi in the bar area) and get the reservation number. When I took this to the desk they confirmed that there was a booking, but somehow they had it in the name and address of my next door neighbour! This is extremely dodgy data protection practice. I assume that my neighbour had visited the hotel before and they used the post code and brought up their details. Bad, bad, bad.
The person on the desk was as helpful as they could have been and apologised for the problem but, whatever system that allowed this needs to be fixed immediately. I had visions of having to drive 5 hours home with two disconsolate children.
The hotel pubic areas were well done and the entertainment that we say was good for the children.
The room was far too hot, with no discernable reason. There was no heating on and the weather was not particularly hot. We had the fan on all of the time we were in the room. At the prices that are being charged, it is not acceptable that there was no air conditioning.
The room was fairly basic but OK. The shower had problems, though. Most of the time, the water pressure was very low, although, occasionally, it would operate at acceptable pressures. The promised 'bunk beads' for the children were not actually bunk beds; one of the beds was really just a mattress on the floor and the space was tight when this was being used. The TV picture was bad and the interactive service did not work until the day we were due to check out. I could have done with some more power sockets and Wi-Fi in the bedroom.
The restaurants were extremely expensive and/or limited for what was offered. They were not particularly child friendly for what should be a child focused hotel. Breakfast was good, though.
Alton Towers have a bit of a captive market here. The theme park is excellent and makes the trip worthwhile. In the past we have stayed at bed and breakfasts which are a little bit of a journey from the park. Overall though, the hotel's proximity does not make up for the extra expense and generally poor quality.