The hilarious reviews of the Shard left by unimpressed Americans

We Brits are not an easy bunch to please, and have quite the reputation for being quick to complain whenever our budget holidays abroad fall short of a five-star experience.

But we rarely stop to think about the impression we are giving to tourists who visit the UK, or the possibility that people visiting the UK may leave the country feeling they’ve been ripped-off.

Well, if some of the latest reviews left by American tourists visiting The Shard in London is anything to go by, it seems us Brits really need to up our hospitality game.

READ MORE: Londoners left ‘extremely confused’ after The Shard’s bizarre light sequence at 3am

Leaving a review on Yelp, one visitor from Sacramento, California wrote that their visit to London’s tallest skyscraper was the ‘worst experience’ they ever had on holiday.

The Shard is a staple of the London skyline

They wrote: “This is not a great place to come if you are a tourist. I come to London once a year for the past few years and finally decided to come to The Shard. After spending over $100 (£80) we waited in three different lines totalling three hours!

“There was no organization and most of the staff was incredibly rude and young except for one young lady with auburn short hair. I would not recommend the Shard unless you spend £200 per person for VIP.

“GO TO THE LONDON EYE, or ANY PLACE OTHER THAN HERE. WORST EXPERIENCE I’VE EVER HAD ON HOLIDAY… and I’m an American so that says a lot.”

Another tourist from the US state of Hawaii, who left a one-star rating for the landmark on the website, mentioned that staff at The Shard had refused entry to his group because they were wearing trainers.

“Cool, we went to Sky Garden instead. Same views, better service, lower cost,” he said.

0 GettyImages 639998364

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Also commenting on the no trainers policy was a visitor from San Francisco, California, who was angered when their friend was turned away by staff at the entrance.

They said: “Their dress policy is no athletic shoes. What their doorman should have noticed was that my friend, who was dressed smartly otherwise, was limping from a knee injury and didn’t exactly have another choice of footwear.”

A view of Canary Wharf from The View from The Shard, in south London, as the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs warned of spikes in air pollution across central, eastern and northern England

Even if you could get through the crowd to look out across the ‘dirty’ windows, weather conditions and pollution levels can obscure the view

A visitor from Nevada, meanwhile, was unimpressed with the lack of seating at the observation deck of the building.

They said: “There are about a total of eight tables and maybe 20 chairs for the 60 people or so that were in the indoor area at the time we were there.

“If people are paying 20 pounds per person, I’d assume they want to spend more than five minutes up there. I’d think they would want to buy a drink and enjoy their drinks in a comfortable chair while consuming the breathtaking views of London, when it’s not raining and cloudy or foggy. But I guess that would be too much to ask.”

Among other complaints were the observation deck being overcrowded and the windows being too dirty to appreciate the view.

As one tourist from East Bay, California put it: “Unfortunately, I could barely see it (the view) because everyone and their mama was blocking the view. It gets waaay too crowded in there.

“The observation deck is all glass… It’s hard to take pictures and sometimes to even really see out of the windows. Many of the windows were dirty with fingerprints and hand smudges.”

1 Shangri La Hotel At The Shard London TING Restaurant Table With View

Many complained about the ‘lack of seating’ and ‘overpriced’ champagne at the observation deck bar

Another tourist from Manhattan, New York, concurred, saying: “If you are going to charge me 30+ pounds, at least clean the windows so I can get a nice view!”

One common complaint that many shared was the price being charged for champagne.

The tourist from East Bay continued to explain how a lady preparing drinks at the bar told her she could get unlimited drinks for £11, but she later learned that what she actually meant was that she could come back and get each additional drink for that price.

“Maybe I just misheard her,” the tourist said. “But I thought that was kind of shady. She had already made the drinks, so I just coughed up the £22.”

To sum it all up, another New Yorker described The Shard as “the biggest rip off in London”.

He said: “I went up with my son expecting an amazing view. It was not among the best in London, in fact it was a bit of a disappointment. And for the two of us at 68 pounds the view should be amazing.

“Take The London Eye, go up St Paul’s, or visit the Tower Bridge instead.”

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