Harington's Hotel

I found Harington's at the last minute online, and had a lovely, if brief, stay. The room was spotless and had charming, quirky decor, with a very comfortable bed and quality linen. It was peaceful at night, with no street noise. Breakfast was delicious, cooked fresh to order, and came with good coffee. The staff were great, especially the reception lady, who texted me twice with information and to check I was on my way when I arrived very late. I’ll definitely return and recommend it. My only small complaint was that the street lights came through the curtains because there were no blackout blinds.

We’d been looking forward to using the hotel’s hot tub, but at check-in nobody told us it needed to be booked. When we went to use it, we weren’t allowed to, and they wouldn’t let us book it then either, which was a real shame. We stayed for one night in Bath after the other hotel we’d booked let us down, so we booked this one on the day. The location was a big reason we chose it, and it was great, on a lovely cobbled street beside the Roman baths and Jane Austen centre.

The rooms were lovely and we really enjoyed the hotel. It only missed five stars because of the noise early in the morning, when beer barrels were being delivered to the pub opposite.

The hotel’s location in Bath is excellent, the first floor is cosy and nicely decorated, and breakfast was included with a good selection. Most of the staff were pleasant. Still, the “boutique hotel” label carries certain expectations in a Scandinavian context, and our stay didn’t quite meet them. We were on a longer trip through England with heavy luggage, and carrying our bags up the narrow stairs was hard work. There’s no lift, and the whole place was very hot. Our room was at the top of the building during a heatwave, with no AC, and became unbearably hot. We were out most of the day and had been messaging the hotel about practical things. When we asked for a fan, they stopped responding. The nights were long. It was extremely difficult to sleep with the room staying above 30 degrees, so we had to leave the windows and shutters wide open. That cost us privacy because of neighbouring buildings, and let in all the noise from the busy street below: people outside pubs, countless seagulls, early morning rubbish collection, and deliveries to nearby businesses. We barely slept. For a hotel presenting itself as a more premium option, guests shouldn’t have to push for such a basic thing. I’d have welcomed more effort to make the room comfortable. Online check-in was easy and smooth. We were told then that the shower was dripping, that it was silent and wouldn’t disturb us, and that someone might come check it if we were okay with that. We agreed and were promised advance notice. Later a plumber walked straight into the room without warning. He apologised profusely, but if you promise to give notice, you should actually do it.