I also stayed here recently to attend the same conference as the previous two reviewers. I would agree with their comments that the staff have uniformly good attitudes (although I had to make three separate visits to the reception desk to confirm my partner's arrival/stay on final night...first reception staff person supposedly made a note of his name, but later ones could only find a general reference to a later guest. I'm not sure whether this indicates a lack of standard practice in making notes in the system or reception staff not familiar with the reservation system).

I was in a small, top-floor room and I would recommend not staying on the top floor. Beautiful views, but unfortunately only two windows in the room, neither of which really took advantage of the view (one blocked by furniture, the other in the bathroom). I can verify the problem others have reported about wildly vacillating shower temperatures (again, I think a problem with staying on the top floor as other colleagues didn't appear to have this problem...if the people on lower floors turn on their hot water at the same time, there is apparently none left for the top floor). Same with the toilet...typically took several attempts before it would really flush. Furnishings were OK but tired.

The large fruit bowl on arrival was a nice touch and housekeeping replenished tea/coffee/cookie service both in the afternoon housekeeping and for evening turndown service. I would say the breakfast buffet is above average. In house bakery produces nice breads and the selection is a little wider than what I've experienced in other hotels. As others have mentioned, the public areas are really lovely with the bar/lounge having beautiful views of the waterfront. The lobby wifi was good, decent bandwidth.

As others have mentioned, the location is perfect if arriving by train and/or attending an event at the Riviera Center (5-10 minute walk through an adjacent park). In addition, free parking is available for those arriving by car. Also, as others have stated, a pleasant, but longish walk along the waterfront to downtown. I would be happy to stay here again if attending another conference in the future.

I'd describe this as 'faded luxury.' Room was perfectly clean & comfortable and fairly spacious, but looked dated, corridors were shabby though they appear to be refurbishing. Location was great - directly opposite the station, and a pleasant 10 min walk to the conference venue I was attended, plus a nice view of the sea. Nothing to complain of, and I'd stay here again on business in Torquay - but if I had been paying for this myself on holiday I'd be disappointed, I've stayed in nicer 3* hotels. Breakfast was average - fresh fruit available on 1 out of the 3 days I stayed. Staff friendly & polite but rather slow in bringing out toast & tea.

I stayed at the Grand during a conference at the nearby Riviera Center in April 2008. My reservations had been made by the conference organizers, and when I arrived I was greeted by a startlingly (even alarmingly) perky desk staff who checked me in quickly and efficiently. My room was very pleasant: reasonably spacious for a British hotel, with four big windows and a good-sized bathroom. Other reviewers have criticized the Grand for being old and outdated, but I think it wears its age fairly gracefully. The public areas are attractive and old-fashioned, and my room was clean and warm. I was very happy to have an ironing board (rare in a British hotel), and the bed was very comfortable. The bathroom was more obviously worn than the rest of the room -- the ugly vinyl flooring was bubbling up in places, and the underside of the formica counter was starting to delaminate, but these were the worst things I noticed and were not a problem. The hotel's location is worth noting: literally only steps away from the train station, which was very convenient, and not as noisy as I would have expected. It was something of a long walk (about a mile) to the city center, but a pleasant one, and less than half a mile from the conference center. WiFi in the rooms would have been nice, but having it in the lobby area was an acceptable compromise. Overall, I'd recommend the Grand highly.

I was in Torquay for a conference, and was booked into the Grand by the conference organizers. I didn't expect much, but was actually pleasantly surprised. Everything others have said about problems is true - there is renovation going on, the property is somewhat tired with much deferred maintenance..... That having been said, everyone was very pleasant to deal with and the place is spotlessly clean. I lucked out and got a big room with a sea view. While the furniture was a bit tired and mismatched, the bed was comfy and the bathroom was more than adequate with lots of big fluffy towels and good ammenities. Breakfast was an adequate buffet, although there was no difference from the offerings from day to day.

The new management is clearly spending money on the place and the results seem to be showing. Main public spaces are great - with some obvious problems still showing (the beautiul chandelier on the stairway has many bits broken off, etc.), and the rooms seem to be having work done. But, the stairways and hallways above the first floor appear untouched and are abhorent. The exterior is still very tired looking, but the priority appears to be the public spaces on the main floor and the rooms themselves.

I would stay there again.