The Palace Hotel

Hotels
Radisson Hotel Group
7.2 (199 reviews)
Church Road, Southend-on-Sea, England, SS1 2AL , Southend-on-Sea , GB

Pets allowed

Facilities

Meeting rooms
Fitness facilities
Express check-out
No single-use plastic straws
Comprehensive recycling policy
No single-use plastic stirrers
Guest education on local ecosystems and culture
Annual carbon offsets
Free WiFi
24-hour front desk
See all facilities

Review Highlights

Pros:
Great location
Friendly staff
Spacious rooms
Cons:
Poor cleanliness
Slow restaurant service
Limited amenities

Categories

Cleanliness
5.6
Several mentions of dirty carpets and run-down facilities.
Service
9.06
Friendly staff mentioned in some reviews, although service issues in the restaurant noted.
Location
9.1
Positive remarks on the central location and views.
Room Quality
7.06
Spacious and comfortable rooms, but some were noted as tired and in need of renovation.
Amenities
7.09
Limited amenities mentioned, such as a lack of fridge and minimal furniture.
Value for Money
6.05
Comments about the cost being high for what was offered, especially regarding parking.
Food and Beverage
4.6
Noted long wait times for food and discontent with restaurant service.
Overall Experience
9.06
Despite some issues, some guests had a good stay, especially with sea view rooms.
* This sentiment is summarized by AI based on user reviews.
Updated at: 2026-01-17 12:46

Property Description

Recreational Amenities
Indulge in the fitness center or take in the scenic view from the terrace.

Dining Experience
Savor delicious meals at RBG Bar and Grill, known for its bar/lounge or enjoy the convenience of 24-hour room service.

Business and Events
Host your events seamlessly with 3767 sq ft of space, including conference facilities and meeting rooms. Impress with amenities such as a business center, express check-in, and express check-out.

To experience the best of Southend-on-Sea, book your stay at Park Inn by Radisson Palace Southend-on-Sea, where Adventure Island and Southend Pier are just steps away.

Important information:

  • The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation.
  • Contactless check-out is available.
  • This property welcomes guests of all sexual orientations and gender identities (LGBTQ+ friendly).

Check-in and check-out hours:
Check-out: 12:00 PM
Airport code: STN

Property Policies

  • General

    Individually-wrapped food options are available for dinner

  • Sustainability Certifications

    Property confirms they are implementing guest safety measures

  • Pets

    Service animals are exempt from fees/restrictions

  • General

    Individually-wrapped food options are available for breakfast

  • General

    Individually-wrapped food options are available for lunch

See all policies

Location

Guest Reviews

7.2
Based on 199 reviews
Cleanliness: 5.6
Service: 9.06
Location: 9.1
Room Quality: 7.06
Amenities: 7.09
Value for Money: 6.05
Food and Beverage: 4.6
Overall Experience: 9.06
N
naniepi Solo travel
8
Good especially if you want a central location
Pros:

Good location - just steps from side entrance to The Royals shopping centre. Some rooms (like mine) have a nice view of the estuary. Friendly welcome from Reception staff. Room was spacious, clean and comfortable. Downside was that the carpets (both inside and outside room) were stained.

2025-10-30 via Tripadvisor
A
andrewsV6309KD Business
2
Poor service and expensive for old run down hotel
Pros:

Arrived on site to be told that parking would be £25 for the night, room ok bit tired. Restaurant paid for food and waited for more than 50 minutes with other customers being served before me even when ordering after. Gave up asked for refund and walked out

Second time I’ve stayed in Southend for work but Never again. First time hotel was worse (different)
Southend seems to be trading on life 100 years ago. Time to wake up before your closed down

2025-10-01 via Tripadvisor
D
danbF4117CB Business
4
Shocking
Pros:

The place is a bit run down. The room was big and spacious, the bed was comfortable, the bathroom was way past a full renovation with dirty grout, broken tiles and stained counter top - really quite disgusting. The carpet was absolutely covered in stains and marks. It looked like somebody had murdered there, really shocking it felt dirty and I was uncomfortable in the room. I was with a large group of people in all we had about 20 rooms between us and they all said the same thing..

2025-09-30 via Tripadvisor
Z
Z9447ITstaceyb Friends getaway
10
I'm really glad we booked a sea view room and had a great stay here.
Pros:

We stayed at this hotel for 2 nights and we stayed in a sea view room with a balcony. We were happy with this room and loved the view. The rooms were spacious and had everything you needed, such as iron and ironing board, kettle, and hairdryer.
The staff we encountered were very friendly and helpful and dealt with any issues or queries. The location of this hotel is brilliant. Right on the front and within walking distance to the pier, high street, and Adventure Island. It's within walking distance to the Southend Central Station and Victoria Train Station. We did go to the Cliff Pavilion, and from this hotel, it's around 15-20 mins walk, depending on mobility.
We didn't have any breakfast or food in this hotel and therefore can not comment. We were informed that the restaurant and bar were on the first floor.

Overall, we had a great stay and would definitely book a sea view room with a balcony again.

2025-09-22 via Tripadvisor
S
Stephen family
6
Pros:

The staff and location are good. The beds and pillows were quite uncomfortable.

2025-09-21 via Nuitee
G
Gill
6
Park Inn
Pros:

Spacious room with sea view, excellent toiletries. Comfortbale bed. Friendly and helfpul staff. The double room had only one arm chair plus one upright chair. Minimal hanging space and no wardrobe or drawers. No small fridge. Poor heating controls. No hotel information or information on "What to do in Southend and area". Zero car parking facility.

2025-09-17 via Nuitee
W
W4557XCjoshh Family
10
Very pleasant stay and wonderful hotel staff.
Pros:

We stayed around the 23rd August weekend at this hotel. At first we were not sure what to expect after reading several negative reviews however our stay was wonderful.
Up on check in we were allocated a room on the second floor and I asked the front desk if we can be moved to the upper floor. Dani at the front desk was very professional and this request was not a problem for him so we were moved the 5th floor. Very quick check in and great first impression. We had a family room which faces the ocean and my family were so excited. The condition of the room itself were fine, as all the facilities in the room were in good working condition. The room was clean and we did not ask for our room to be serviced so we were fine with our impression of the cleaning standard of the hotel. The next morning we went to have breakfast and it was one of the best experience. The breakfast room, the buffy and the selection of the food were excellent but what made our experience so special is how we were made to feel. We were welcomed by Morgan who was very exceptionally welcoming, helpful and professional, not only explained to us where the buffy food and drink section is also took us around and showed us all the breakfast choices on the buffy. Also happily informed us to ask her if we need any thing from kitchen and she will ask the chef to prepare it so I asked for mushroom omelette and it was delicious.
Thank you Morgan, Georgia with all the breakfast team that made our experience pleasant.
Prior to our arrival after making our reservation I made few out of hours calls to the hotel to check on my booking and I want thank Yana who answered my calls in a polite and helpful manner and assisted me with all the questions that I had. My advise to anyone plan to stay at this hotel is that if you have a request speak to the hotel staff and they will do their very best to make your stay pleasant. Give the hotel a chance to do something while staying there to make your stay pleasant which may help to avoid unpleasant stay.
One main facility for me was the use of the gym, unfortunately the gym closed for refurb but it was nice to go out for a run on the sea side. I hope the hotel owners have a refurbishment plan in the near future. Great location and wonderful staff. I know I can give a 4 star review as the gym was closed not use all the hotel facilities however I give 5 star review mainly on the professionalise and helpful of the hotel staff we encounter collectively. We will definitely stay again and recommend to anyone as well.

2025-09-15 via Tripadvisor
S
Scott partner
6
Pros:

Carpets and flooring filthy and sticky! Bar still dirty in the morning
I expect to be contacted over this

2025-09-14 via Nuitee
C
caroline
8
Pros:

Basic budget hotel, clean with large rooms and friendly staff.

No parking and nearby parking over expensive. Used NCP car park next to station but bit of a walk if you have mobility issues or lots of luggage.

2025-09-12 via Nuitee
S
Sayed
10
Pros:

Fabulous

2025-09-07 via Nuitee
F
Folasade family_with_children
8
Pros:

Had a great short stay, the hotel is in a great location, the staff were friendly and accomodating. Breakfast was good and the hotel is nice, but the carpets are tired and could do with replacing in some areas. Apart from that, i liked my stay.

2025-09-06 via Nuitee
V
Verified traveler
10
Southend Penguin Waddle and Street Art
Pros:

Brilliant. Comfy bed. Clean, spacious room. Water and coffee facilities available. Southend was brimming with street artists painting on buildings, Penguin statues scattered about the town and a treasure hunt! Best weekend ever. The Park Inn right on the sea front easiky accessible to all of it. Great fun.

2025-09-01 via Nuitee
T
tashamarke Family
2
Get Away From Hell - Hotel Russian Roulette/ Hotel Faulty Towers!
Pros:

On Wednesday the 27th of August we arrived for our 2 night stay. We were placed on the 5th floor which was a floor in very poor condition. Room 503 that our Son's were to stay in was inhabitable & should not be used to accommodate any family in its current stay. The room window was full of dirt, the carpet was not just stained it was blackened. The bathroom toilet had filth stains on the toilet seat, hair in the sink & the window was broken with a piece of wood holding it in a open position!

With just a 2 night stay we wanted to drop our luggage & head straight out; instead we had to wait for the handyman to come to which he advised that the family placed in there the day before had also complained & he wasn't able to fix it as he would need to take the whole window out! We obviously could not let our sons stay in that room & the room we had been given (Room 501) was also terrible with a old rusting bathroom shower plug & base; a less so (in comparison to 503) but nevertheless stained carpet & bird poo on the INSIDE of the window.

Again instead of going out to enjoy ourselves we had to move all the belongings to 501 & go to reception for a second time to deal with the depressing issue. The first time the assistant Tommy looked me straight in my eyes & lied & said that there was no more rooms with a Seaview that we could be moved to. It was not until the handy man came & said he could not fix the issue that Dorcus (I assume the team leader) came to give us another room - I asked both Dorcus & Tommy for a room with a sea view & they both said they didn't have one. Dorcus showed me a room but it was a double & not a twin which was needed for my one adult son & one child. after letting them know that we did not want to stay there & asking what the process was if we were to leave - we were showed another room on the 3rd floor. Low and behold it was a room with a Seaview! My partner & I had to sleep on different floors to our children with the understanding that we would be moved to another room in the morning, the bird poo inside our room was to be cleaned & we were given 4 vouchers for a drink to be used in their restaurant (no one came to clean the poos & we didn't dare to touch the window at all).

Reluctantly we stayed in the room that night. We heard noises in the night but assumed birds were making noises outside & tried to sleep anyway. In the morning we went to check on our sons when my partner when back to the room he noticed bird poo on the carpet!! He looked under the bed & a bird was under the bed!! We had slept with a bird!!!! Under the bed the whole night!!!!!! He raced out of there - brought all of our belongings from the 5th floor to the 3rd & We had to send our sons out of their room in order to shower as we had no room.

After expressing our shear dismay at sleeping in the room with a Pigeon!! & the dismal stay so far we were told we would be given another room. & the room for the night would be refunded. We moved all our belongings again to the new room & tried to put all the problems aside as we needed to try & get some enjoyment from the well needed short getaway. When we got to the so called superior room the fan had food marks on the plug. The iron didn't work (we had to borrow the one from the boys room) & low & behold the wind blew & the window pooped open & wouldn't shut!!!! My partner spent all of 25 minutes trying to get the window to stay closed. The window handles we unstable, rickety & just came off in his hand. He somehow managed to get it to hold in a place & we just had to keep hope that it stayed closed.

The toilet seat in our son's room broke!! We went to the restaurant to use the vouchers to appease some of the dishearten. The cocktails on the menu they not longer made them & had a poor offering as a replacement. The voucher could be used for house wine, a bottled drink or soft drink or beer. They didn't have bottle drinks in the restaurant. The food was poor.

I made comment to a member of staff how poor the hotel was & that it was a getaway from hell. The staff member said they knew the hotel was in deep trouble & they had been working a 17 hour shift!! (I will not describe the person to protect their identity)

I had read the reviews before coming & I had anticipated that were not going to be the best that we stayed in & thought I had fully prepared my family by ensuring we brought slippers for the possibility that the carpets would have bleach stains but be hoovered & clean. I NEVER ANTICPATED THE INCREDULOUS DISREPAIR, FILTHYNESS, RUSTY, BIRD PROBLEMS & more importantly the UNSAFE position this hotel places its customers in.

I believe the 5th floor is a place that it places people they deem to be of less class & that the room 503 should be decommissioned with immediate affect.

Someone there is knowingly responsible for putting indecent, scrupulous & ill gotten gained revenue - masking this hostel level offering with a side of unsafety, pigeon infestation & a clear lack for cleaning - under the guise of a 3 star hotel, Infront of decency & care for others!!

No matter the class of a person - no one should need a break & get the problem filled, deceiving & disgusting experience given to us by Park Inn Radisson Palace at Southend. This was the worst stay we have ever experienced. We would not stay there again even if it were for free!

This is not a service but a nightmare. Please if you decide to go & they treated you like this. Take photos! I could have shown far worse but we got caught up in the shock of it all.

If there is any good to say. Some of the staff was polite & the hallways smelt nice but it was ruined by what was done to us

2025-08-31 via Tripadvisor
T
Teneica family_with_children
10
Pros:

Had a lovely time here

2025-08-31 via Nuitee
V
Verified traveler
8
Short seaside family break
Pros:

Me and my family had a lovely time on our short break. Our room was a great size for a family room with a lovely sea view and It had enough beds for all of us which were very comfortably. The bathroom was tiny for a family rooom. The bathroom floor was bumpy and uneven to walk on. The toilet seat cover fell off. The flush buttons was too hard to push so the toilet never really cleared after each use. Also when we turned on one of the fans in the bedroom, so much thick dust came flying out of it that we had to turn it off immediately. But the breakfast the next day was great and all of the staff were lovely.

2025-08-31 via Nuitee
S
Suresh partner
6
Pros:

You need to drop the palace name. Defo not palace but ok for a 3 star

2025-08-31 via Nuitee
J
johnfP6075RI Family gb
4
Enjoyed the stay but….
Pros:

Room hotel and restaurant were fine. However they charge us twice for additional charges. Dog room and breakfast. Rang them and they refunded one charge. Next day they took it again. Good job I check my account frequently. Shame I would use the hotel again but this has put me off

2025-08-27 via Tripadvisor
D
dawnfS1189QH Family
2
Nice stay shame about the extra charges being double charged
Pros:

I was at the hotel on Saturday night. Since returning we have found charges made by mistake. We contacted hotel and they refunded them. Then they took them again. Other than that our stay was fine. Hope the mistake can be rectified soon

2025-08-27 via Tripadvisor
P
Patricia
2
Give this one a steer…
Pros:

First of all, the bed was so lumpy that you could barely sleep on it. You could actually see the lumps in the mattress as the devalue was sitting on it. Second of all, because I was in the room where they allow dogs, there were dog pee stains all over the carpet. There is no excuse for that from either the owners of the dogs or the hotel. There are products out there that will successfully remove pee stains as well as the smell from the dog pee. Additionally, because I had booked two nights in a row, but booked them separately, I asked when I checked in if I would have the same room. The clerk told me that yes I would have the same room. I received a call the next day where they had gone into my room and my stuff was still there. So I had to remind them that I had actually booked tonight. It was then that I was informed that I should have checked out and then checked back in. I don’t have a problem doing that, but I need to be told in advance that that’s what the expectation is. So I thought that was very unprofessional of them. Overall, it was not a good experience staying in this hotel.

2025-08-27 via Nuitee
W
Wayne
6
2 and half star
Pros:

Hotel was ok generally. Not much atmosphere in restaurant area.

Room and bed were ok. Carpet was very dirty. Balcony had many bird droppings.

2025-08-27 via Nuitee