The Windsor Townhouse

Staying in this house felt like stepping back in time. It's beautifully preserved on one of Bath's lovely Georgian streets, and the room was quiet, warm, and beautifully decorated. Breakfast was absolutely delicious. A wonderful experience all round.

Breakfast was hit and miss, with filthy cutlery and empty sugar, salt, and pepper pots. There were only around eight two-seat tables, so the lack of care was hard to understand. The staff didn't seem motivated or passionate, and it showed in the service. You pay a premium and expect the quality to match. I've had better service at Premier Inn's, and that's saying something. We even found drawing pins with someone's blood on them in a drawer. The room's cleanliness and care were awful. This was our fourth visit, and sadly it will be our last. We came to Bath for a long weekend and upgraded to the crescent room with a rear garden view, which we found pointless. The hotel felt as if it had changed hands or was being run by agency staff. We'd always had pleasant stays before, but this one was awful. The room was filthy, with dust everywhere, and the bathroom looked old and poorly maintained. An empty shampoo bottle remained for all four days. The sink was blocked; I told the receptionist, who didn't seem bothered. Silicone was coming away all around the bath, the taps were missing their hot and cold markers, and the curtain was hanging off. Nobody replaced it, so the room was bright early each morning. The carpet wasn't vacuumed, towels weren't changed, the bed wasn't made, bath products were empty, and some lights didn't work. After we went out for a meal, we came back to find the room looking as if a bomb had gone off. The photos are very out of date and don't show the rooms' real condition. I'm shocked by how we were treated, and amazed this is rated 5*. It feels worth maybe 3*. They added a 10% room service charge to the bill at the end, which they can't justify given the poor service and dirty rooms. The woman at checkout took my final bill without telling me, said she'd pass my email on to the owner, and that was it. She didn't care either. It's a shame, as this used to be a nice hotel. I'd strongly avoid it until the cleaning staff or management change to match the crazy prices they're charging.

The boutique room was nice and the location is great. Getting to the higher floors means climbing steep stairs, which could be tricky for anyone with mobility issues. Everything else was good, though I didn't appreciate them trying to take a 'discretionary' service charge at checkout.

A 10% service charge appeared on my bill as a surprise. I paid the balance for my stay, then saw the charge on the receipt. Nobody explained it beforehand.