The Clarendon Royal Hotel

The building is lovely and full of history, which made the state of my room all the more disappointing. The carpet was quite dirty, and the bathroom sealant was a mess. I emailed about my concerns after leaving but never got a reply. My room was so hot I barely slept during either of my two nights. It felt airless, and the shower made it even more humid. I asked for another fan and they brought one, but it didn’t help. Staff were mostly polite and helpful, though they didn’t seem sure what they were doing. When I arrived, I waited a long time at reception even with two people behind the counter, and neither acknowledged me while I was the only one waiting.

The location is good, and I’d stayed here before, so it’s a shame the hotel has gone downhill so much. My sheets were clean, but the room was grubby, had no mirror, and the furniture was worn and damaged. A piece of wood had come off the bathroom wall, which looked and felt dirty. New carpet and an updated bathroom would help a lot. Customer service wasn’t great, though I didn’t mind that as much. My earlier stay was much better.

We were only there for a night, but the river garden and car park were nice to have. The bar was very reasonably priced, and the shower was one of the strongest I’ve had. Our room was decent, and the team at the Clarendon were lovely when we arrived. We’d come back and use it as a base for seeing the area.

I tried calling today for ten minutes and nobody picked up. I wonder how much business they lose when the phone goes unanswered.