McLays Guest House

This guest house gives extremely good value for money. The rooms are nice enough, and are fairly large. We stayed in the five-​person large family suite.
HOWEVER, the room-​maximum rule is STRICTLY enforced. We were trying to fit 7 people into the 5-​person suite and through the whole process with getting the key from reception each time we were found out (even though it was a different person at reception, so they must keep note of who the guests are when they check in). We were told the extra people could not stay so we had to find extra accommodations on a weekend in Glasgow where literally every hostel was booked.
This is forgivable, because I’m sure they have lots of people trying to fit as many people into the cheap rooms in order to save money. In all other aspects, they were extremely hospitable: they allowed us to check in early and keep our luggage in the building after we checked out. It would have just been nice to know how strict they are on the room occupancy beforehand.

As we entered to check-​in to this old guest house on Renfrew street in Glasgow, we were welcomed by an old lady at the reception who appeared to be pretty unhappy. She didn’t smile. She asked questions in a very interrogative tone as if we were culprits of some horrible crime.
I sort of felt like those racial profiling things that happen in Airports. But after that instance, I never saw her that way. From the next day she always greeted us with a smile which felt more pleasant and welcoming. I think she was having a bad day on our day of arrival because she was very sweet to us every other time.
There are certain rules here which might be a bit unfamiliar to many. You have to leave your keys at the reception when leaving out. I am not sure exactly why, but I suppose it is because the keys come attached to a key ring that has a long metallic plate which has the room number engraved into it. It could be expensive to replace if you lost it. So I didn’t really mind doing that. But the hard part about this approach is that you have to wait at the reception when you get back to the hotel after a long day of city sight seeing, if there are new people checking in to the guest house at that time.
Apart from the first impression, things are okay. This is a budget guest house. NO LIFTS. So if you have huge bags, be prepared to get a work out if your room is up the stairs. I had a 19Kg bag and I had to carry it all over to the first floor. Not that I cared, but just saying.
The rooms aren’t state of the art. They serve their purpose. They are neat. My room had a TV and I suppose every other room has it too. The complementary coffee sachets and tea bags and kettle and cups are a standard here. Though I did notice that my tea bags weren’t refilled the next day during room cleaning. I honestly thought such things were refilled every day during room-​service.
The hot water in the shower might take a little while to get hot. Do not hurry things up and panic, just wait and leave open the tap and let it flow for a while till you get really hot water.
Breakfast is great. There are limited number of tables. So don’t be lazy and late to the dining room. It is served 7 – 9. Be there before 8 and you will be guaranteed to find a place. Cereals, milk, juices, and coffee are served as buffet. Then for the main course, a pretty lady comes in to take your choice of breakfast (vegetarian/​non-​vegetarian). She brings bread toast and tea too if you ask for it.
Overall I enjoyed my stay here. I think it is totally worth it.

Excellent staff, very friendly… cheap accommodation. Close to city centre. Really enjoyed our stay. Highly recommend. Can’t wait to go back!!!

The Good:
— Super cheap hotel right in the centre of Glasgow.
— Decent breakfasts served from 7−9am.
The Less-​than-​Good:
— A shower that had a) barely found lukewarm (let alone hot), and b) was about as powerful as a sloth taking a piss.
— Wi-​fi only available in the breakfast room.
— Wi-​fi seemingly not available at all on laptops.
— No TV remote.
— A fire alarm that goes off at 5am 3 out of 6 nights (50% of the time, it works everytime!)
— Need to leave your key at reception whenever you leave, meaning a lenghty wait for it back if the receptionist has taken a walk or there are other folk checking in.
— 30% of plug sockets out of order.
A decent price for anyone spending a night in the city, but for stays any longer than a couple of nights, invest a little more. Not really worth paying for everything that was wrong with it.

I have just created a Unilocal account just so I can review this guest house, that’s how impressed I was. First off, this is coming from a college backpacker who is on a very low budget and who chooses cheap accommodation and tries not to complain. My roommate and I spent three nights in Glasgow, two in Blue Sky Hostels and our last night at McLay’s.
The hostel was pretty bleh so I didn’t have high expectations for the guest house since it was only a few bucks more expensive then the hostel per night. After walking there all the way in pouring rain we arrived and went straight to our room.
First off: great building. Really old and windy. Really fun. Second: our room was amazing. We had our own bathroom with hot water and clean sheets and our own heater to dry and soaking wet clothes. The staff was really friendly, the breakfast was delicious, the room was quiet and clean, and there was free wifi if you brought your own device i. e computer, Ipod… etc.
Overall: very impressed. The quality that you get for your money is exceptional. $ 40 a night split between two people and that included breakfast and a warm shower. If I could go back, we would have spent all three nights here.

Das McLays Guesthouse ist ein einfaches Guesthouse mit relativ vielen Zimmern. Die Zimmer sind nicht sehr neu, aber ok. Der Fernseher war winzig, lief aber bei uns eh nicht. Großer Vorteil ist die super zentrale Lage: keine 5 Minuten von der Glasgow School of Art und 15 Minuten von Innenstadt/​Fußgängerzone entfernt. Das Parken in der Straße ist nur mit Tickets möglich, die man an der Rezeption des Guesthouses kaufen kann. Man zahlt für das Parken an einem ganzen Tag 6 Pfund.
Das Frühstück war klassisch mit Baked Beans, Eirn, Schicken und gebratenen Tomaten. Dazu Toast und wahlweise Kaffee oder Tee. Auch die obligatorische Orangen-​Marmelade, Joghurts und Cornflakes werden angeboten.
Leider war das Haus und vor allem die Flure von einem muffig-​staubigem Geruch geprägt. Insgesamt hätte alles gerne etwas sauberer sein können. Aber noch erträglich. Ärgerlich und nicht ok ist schwarzer Schimmel an der Badewanne/​Dusche.
Darum auch nur 2 Sterne, statt 3 Sterne. Schimmel ist für mich ein no-​go, auch in einem preisgünstigen (30 Pfund pro Person/​Tag) Guesthouse.

Having lived in Scotland for a long time, I go back frequently and more often than not I stay at McLay’s while I’m in Glasgow. I’ve been staying there for 18 years now and they never fail to impress me with friendly service, nice rooms, a very good full Scottish breakfast in the morning, and an honestly LOW price for it all. And to top it all off, it’s a very short walk from the Sauchiehall St pedestrian precinct.
The place isn’t new by a long shot and could stand a bit of renovation, but then the price would go up. It’s clean, friendly, convenient, and cheap. As I learned to say in Scotland, «cheap and cheerful!»
I honestly recommend McLay’s very highly. I’ve paid double and even triple their rate for posher hotels in Glasgow that weren’t as nice and home-​like as McLay’s is. I’m a definite member of the McLay’s fan club!

Ce n’est pas très cher (pour de l’hébergement en Ecosse), c’est proche du centre ville, l’accueil est très sympa et courtois.
Mais il y a un mais !
Certaines parties de l’hôtel sont plus que vieillissantes, les chambres sont correctes, mais il né faut pas s’attendre à ce qu’elles soient parfaites !
C’est bien pour une soirée quand on veut visiter la ville (du fait de sa localisation), mais pas plus !
Concernant le parking, en demandant à l’accueil vous aurez des fiches de parking à 2£ la ½ journée.
PS: né vous fiez pas à la façade, l’hôtel est réparti dans plusieurs bâtiments côte à côte !

I stayed here once after a night out because it worked out about the same price as getting a taxi home, before I lived in Glasgow. The room was really nice and warm, which was incredible as it was pouring outside. It was very late, and we were very very tired but everything was nice about the place, very basic, but nice.
We did not have breakfast here in the morning, although the Delicious smells floating round the guest house were to die for. I did try to persuade my friends to maybe get their heads round breakfast, but it didn’t happen.
I will never be staying here again, because I live pretty close to it so that would just be silly. But I would recommend that anyone passing through get a room here. If you were staying for a bit longer than a night I might suggest that you stay somewhere with a bit more amenities than McIays.

Got myself a room with a shower and a tele
golden!
after a long backpacking holiday — somehow i snagged my self a room with a double bed and a shower!!!
the breakfast was golden although the lady of the house did not approve of me wearing my pj’s to brekkie… so i changed…
this place really helped me get some energy back in the middle of a huge holiday
thanks!

i stayed here for 3 nights back in 2006 and i was very pleased with this place. nice warm rooms for the cold days, and an amazing giant breakfast every morning. if i return to scotland, i will stay here again.

Two friends and I stayed in a triple ensuite room in May 2008.
The staff were really friendly, the room/​ensuite were immaculate and the beds were really comfy. Unfortunately we didnt make it up in time for breakfast the next morning.
The guesthouse is ideally situated for Sauchiehall Street and the Kings Theatre. Would stay again.

Cheap as chips guesthouse, ideal for drunken weekends — not one for a romantic weekend away. As a touring band we’ve stayed here twice now, a room squeezes four guys plus instruments in just fine.
The bathrooms are shared with others on the floor and the whole hotel could benefit from a refurb, but you get what you pay for and this place is low-​end of the market.
If you want a nice budget place to stay I’d recommend the best western, but the parking is even more difficult over there.

Stayed here recently but I have to say it’s one of the worse i have stayed in, yes it’s a cheap 3 star guest house but it is in serious need of refurbishment, I understand the building is old but the décor is scruffy, it could be nice if they tried harder!