The hotel where the stars of The Traitors are housed during filming for the hit BBC show has been bombarded with BRUTAL reviews by guests warning others to ‘avoid’ it where they can.
While the series, which recently returned for its fourth instalment, is filmed in the impressive Ardross Castle, the contestants do not sleep in the gothic fortress.
Instead, they’re driven to a nearby no-frills hotel to get some much-needed shut eye, which angry guests have hit out as ‘third world’.
The Courtyard by Marriott Inverness Airport hotel is a 40-minute drive from the picturesque castle, and a far cry from the candlelit hallways that viewers are led to believe the Faithful and Traitors get to stay within.
In the evenings when the cameras stop rolling, the cast and crew are all taken in cars back to the hotel – aside from show host Claudia Winkleman who is thought to live nearby the castle during filming.
Costing just £53 per person a night, the hotel is situated near Inverness airport, making it a frequent stop-off point for travellers with early morning flights.
The hotel where the stars of The Traitors are housed during filming for the hit BBCOne show has been bombarded with BRUTAL reviews by guests
The Courtyard by Marriott Inverness Airport hotel is a 40-minute drive from the picturesque castle, and a far cry from the candlelit hallways that viewers are led to believe the Faithful and Traitors get to stay within
But despite having an average four-star rating, it hasn’t stopped the hotel from attracting dozens of scathing reviews.
One guest penned of the hotel, according to the Express: ‘Both of our one-night stays suffered from serious, repeated cleanliness issues (hair on floors and bedding, mould in the shower, and unclean surfaces) even after raising concerns with staff.
‘Management ultimately had to find and re-clean a room from scratch. This place is only suitable for a single night if your flight gets delayed or cancelled — and even then, brace yourself.
‘The room is just okay if you ignore the shower.
‘The drain doesn’t work, so water pools around your feet, and you end up showering knee-deep in dirty water. Not exactly a pleasant experience.
‘As for the restaurant, completely disorganised. Think third-world service levels.
‘You have to book dinner in advance because of limited seating, and even if you show up on time, there’s no guarantee you’ll get a table or even your food.
‘Bottom line: if you can avoid this place, do. Don’t expect comfort or quality — this hotel is survival-mode only.’
Costing just £53 per person a night, the hotel is situated near Inverness airport, making it a frequent stop-off point for travellers with early morning flights
The contestants don’t stay in the lavishly decorated Traitors castle
The castle is around a 40 minute drive from the hotel
Another reviewer penned: ‘You spend the night in a stuffy, stinking room. There was no chance of sleeping, never again,’ as a third added: ‘No management, NO responsibility, a bar and housekeeping that are a mess, no respect for any customer.’
It was revealed that the stars of The Traitors were staying in the castle after an insider revealed that the Marriott hotels were being used for both UK and US Traitors.
A source told The Sun: ‘It’s just a normal, lower-star, affordable chain hotel that’s walking distance to the airport everyone flies into.
‘People would be shocked if they knew. Everyone assumes they’re treated like royalty inside the castle, and that couldn’t be further from the truth.
‘All the stars, including glamorous Housewives and the wealthy public figures, are all forced to stay at the same hotel.
‘The cast is required to keep up the illusion that they stay there.’
Earlier this week, the ten strict rules stars of The Traitors follow while starring in the BBC show – whether playing as a Traitor or Faithful – were revealed.
Although some relate to what happens off-camera, others are directly connected to what happens in the game.
The contestants leave the sprawling Castle for the hotel in the evenings
If any of these are broken, the cast members could face huge consequences as a result.
The contracts the stars sign span their time in the castle and the months before the transmission of the series once filming has wrapped, ensuring no spoilers derail the show.
Among the filming rules, contestants are not allowed to know the time, and this extends to there not being any clocks in the castle, or in the players’ individual rooms where they are staying.
Following similar logic to the time rule, players are not permitted to have devices such as mobile phones or laptops.
And after returning to their individual lodgings, contestants must then stay there for the remainder of the evening – and must be escorted so as not to speak to one another.
Speaking previously to the BBC, series one Faithful Maddy Smedley admitted she was unaware of where she was staying – with participants blindfolded in the car.
She revealed: ‘You aren’t allowed to know where you are staying.
‘It’s about a 30-minute drive from the castle but you’re blindfolded as you approach, so you can’t see the car in front or figure out exactly where you are.’
All series of The Traitors are available to stream on BBC iPlayer
