The Stones Hotel

After our sin’s wedding, we stayed at the Stones hotel and came away very disappointed. The room was clan and comfortable, but it was warm and stuffy, with no fan or airconditioning. We’d been looking forward to a cooked breakfast, but when we went down at 9.15am there were no eggs, no bread set out, and the orange juice jug was empty, among other things. We decided not to bother eating. For a 3* hotel, we expected a better standard, especially when it comes to ventilation.

The location is good and the hotel sits in a nice spot, but the food was bad and overpriced. Breakfast was unremarkable, and after I got a burned pizza, the chef was rude and complained. The site says there’s 24h room service, but when we tried to order, we were told it was closed. In the room, the sockets didn’t work, a light kept flickering, and the TV controller was faulty. We asked for replacement batteries and got ones that seemed even older. It’s fine if you just need a decent room and some sleep. For good food and service, go somewhere else.

We had our ceremony and reception at the hotel this weekend, with many of our guests staying there too. The whole team was warm, polite and friendly. Whenever anything came up or we had a question, they sorted it quickly. I’ll always remember the care, effort and small touches that made our day so perfect, including packing things up for us after the wedding. Sasha went far beyond her job from day one. She was organized, efficient and quick to reply, and nothing felt like a problem. She’s the person to have organize your wedding, and she’s lovely too. Thank you again, Sasha, Joanna and the rest of the team. We’re so grateful and appreciate you all x

The manager seemed to think it was acceptable to be rude to multiple guests. It was an appalling stay, like Fawlty Towers is alive and well in this shambles of a hotel. At check-in, other signs of trouble were already there. The receptionist asked for help over her walker talkie and was ignored, while other members of staffing rushed around. I was told the hotel had run out of water from its bore hole and asked to wait half an hour before using any. That’s not ideal when you need the loo or are trying to get into a room that makes Saudi Arabia feel cold. Nobody suggested the water might be intermittent during the stay, despite what the hotel response implies. After dinner, I went to the room, used the toilet and tried to wash my hands. Still no water. I had to go to reception for bottled water so I could clean my hands, and spoke to four members of staff before getting a bottle. Meanwhile, the restaurant was serving food, staff couldn’t wash their hands, and the hotel was open while guests couldn’t wash theirs. The manager fobbed me off again about the bore hole running dry. The manager had just been shouting angrily at an older couple who wanted to order dinner. The restaurant sign said it closed at 9pm, and it was only 8:20. The hotel response says he spoke politely but loudly because it was noisy. I strongly disagree. The restaurant was almost empty and not noisy at all. “Don't you walk away from me when I'm talking to you” sounds respectful and polite? The woman walked past almost in tears. Readers can decide whether bellowing that at guests fits the hotel’s claim of respectful, polite behaviour. The room doors sound an alarm after about 10 seconds if you don’t close them, so get into your room quickly if you don’t want to annoy the neighbours. When you leave, unlike just about every other hotel, the doors don’t lock by themselves. You have to swipe your room key again. I’ve stayed in all sorts of hotels, from 1 star to 5 star, across 5 different continents. This is the first time I’ve had no water and an incredibly obnoxious manager. Having now read more reviews, it seems this has happened at the hotel before. Wiltshire Environmental Health has replied to me and is going to investigate. If you want a shower, want to know that the people serving your food have clean hands, and expect polite management, avoid The Stones Hotel.