The Spa Hotel

Impressive building and grounds. Staff were very good. Parking was generally free and available. Pleasant location in good area.

We recently stayed at the hotel for a wedding, which was also being held at the venue, and I genuinely couldn’t fault the wedding itself. The staff throughout our stay were friendly, welcoming, and professional, and we were really happy with the service we received. Customer service was excellent, and the manager we spoke to the following day was also very kind and understanding.

Unfortunately, our stay was let down by the room we were given. It was over 30°C during the day, and we were allocated a room with no air conditioning, while everyone else in our wedding party had rooms with working AC. We weren’t informed at check-in that our room didn’t have air conditioning or that there were any issues with it. We also weren’t told how to contact reception or what number to call if we needed assistance.

There were two fans in the room, which suggested staff were already aware that the air conditioning wasn’t working. However, one of the fans didn’t even work, and the other simply circulated the hot air. The windows only opened a small amount, so it was impossible to cool the room down naturally. As a result, we had a very uncomfortable and sleepless night.

Because we only had one key card, we couldn’t easily go down to reception during the night without disturbing the other person trying to sleep. The following morning, someone else from our party had to tell us the number to call for reception, as we had never been given it. When we phoned, they initially seemed unaware of any issue with the room, which was surprising considering the fans already in place. They offered to come and take a look, but no one ever arrived.

We then spoke to the manager in person, who was lovely and acknowledged how unbearably hot it had been the previous day. However, this made it even more disappointing that we had been placed in a room without air conditioning in the first place. We were offered either a late checkout or a £20 refund, but for a room costing £220, neither option felt like adequate compensation given the circumstances and the lack of sleep we experienced.

Overall, the staff and the wedding were fantastic, and I genuinely couldn’t fault either of those. It’s just a shame that our overnight stay was overshadowed by something that could have been avoided or, at the very least, communicated honestly at check-in.

Lovely grounds and calm atmosphere.

Friendly and helpful staff, clean room

Excellent stay at the Spa Hotel..I was upgraded and my room was amazing. Fantastic food and Customer Service, thankyou for a great stay!

The hotel has a very nice large area, the staff is friendly and attentive. The room was clean, well-kept. The room has everything you need: iron, ironing board, hairdryer, bathrobes, tea, coffee, kettle, cookies. A big advantage is the air conditioning. The bed and pillows are comfortable.

The gardens are so beautiful and the hotel is historic and full of atmosphere. Location near the forest and common great and an easy walk to town too!

Friendly helpful staff . Lovely pool . Good breakfast !

The room was spacious, the air con was very effective

There was a very warm welcome from reception, the facilities were very good and the room was comfortable and clean. The breakfast was of a very high standard.

Good solid hotel

My brother kindly gave my wife a Voucher for 2 to their "Chapel Down Afternoon Tea" to celebrate her recent 80th birthday. They offered to join us to make a nice family outing. The good news is that the food offering was largely first class. Hot arancini balls to start, followed by warm scones and generous servings of clotted cream and strawberry jam, then superbly fresh finger sandwiches with interesting fillings and finally a selection of four cakes each. Tea could be chosen from a detailed menu but Earl Grey was fine for me.
The disappointing aspect was the room. Orange and brown upholstered chairs, fake wood tables, no sign of crisp white table cloths or napkins, tables covered in previous guests cutlery and plates. More school canteen than 4-star hotel (previous owners The Goring Family would be horrified). My own grouse was that all the Blue Badge spaces adjacent to the hotel were all reserved and unusable but without a single vehicle occupying these valuable spaces. If this is the hotel policy, then it should be advised to prospective guests on booking so that we too can have the chance to make a reservation - as it happens my brother and I both have Blue Badges and as he is particularly immobile, a park space near the hotel would have been very welcome.
The other concern related to the hotel admin. They phoned me three times in the previous 48 hours to confirm my booking and then staff had difficulty producing our bill on departure.

Great spa, beautiful room on top floor, delicious breakfast and wonderful service from the staff!

Breakfast service was very good

Beautiful grounds at the back. The room was comfortable and well equipped with a very clean bathroom. The spa was nice with a good sized pool, big steam room, mixed sauna plus a women's only sauna in the changing room. The walk across the common to town was convenient. Staff very helpful and friendly. Breakfast was generous. I'd definitely stay again.