The Chequers Hotel

The hotel has a lot going for it, but our room was filthy. There was thick dust on the walls and curtains, stains along the skirting boards, and damp in the room. The paintwork on the ceiling, walls and cupboards needs attention. There was limescale in the kettle and shower head, and the bathroom floor needs replacing. It all felt tired and badly in need of a deep clean. This was bedroom 223. The staff were friendly when we arrived and at breakfast, though we didn’t have much contact beyond that. Breakfast itself was a nice, basic buffet. We were only passing through and booked by chance, so didn’t expect much for the price. But a clean room is the minimum, whatever it costs. I’m not posting the photos because I hope this review encourages improvement. It’s otherwise a nice hotel.

The location seems lovely, and the bar area was nice. Staff were welcoming, too, but we barely slept. We were in an annex room by the car park. It looked cute on arrival and the bed was comfortable, but that was about it. The reception carpet needs replacing. The TV had poor reception, so only a few channels worked and even those kept losing signal. The bathroom really let the room down. It was tiny, and as a size 14 I had to squeeze through the unusually small door to reach the toilet. The shower grout was brown in places, the join between the glass screen and wood was crumbling with wood exposed, and the same damage showed on parts of the skirting board and bottom of the door. We’d booked for two, but there was only one mini toiletries set. From around 6:30 onwards, it sounded like people were dropping weights upstairs, possibly at a gym. We could hear people walking and talking in the car park and car doors shutting. It was busy, and I was awake from 6:30 with no chance of getting back to sleep. Then a fire alarm test went off, though not for long enough that we had to evacuate. After that first night and the lack of sleep, I checked the reviews and decided to skip both dinner and breakfast rather than risk it.

I stayed from 20th-22nd February, and while moving rooms eventually helped with the noise, the way the complaint was handled left a bad impression. I was moved from the room I’d booked and paid for to a noticeably inferior one, with no recognition of the downgrade or offer of compensation. The later explanation that an outside pub sign caused the noise didn’t fit what I’d heard or where it seemed to be coming from. In Room 215, loud, repeated banging came from directly above the ceiling, sometimes getting worse. It sounded like heavy movement, perhaps furniture being shifted, and disrupted my sleep. When the manager came to look, he opened the window and suggested I lean out to see a nearby pub sign. The room was on the second floor, and the window frame was about knee height. I found that advice very inappropriate and a serious safety risk. Guests shouldn’t be encouraged to lean out of low windows. The room change dealt with the immediate noise, but the handling of the issue and the safety concern undermined the stay.

We found it very good value for a two-night stay. The location is ideal for Newbury and the surrounding area, and there’s a huge car park. Check-in was quick, the room was clean and comfortable, and the staff were very friendly. Breakfast was plentiful, though the bathroom was a little tight.