Royal Station Hotel

The building is beautiful and the staff are lovely and friendly. I spent a three-night weekend here with a stag group of 17, but the hotel was so busy that half the group had to stay up the road at the holiday inn express. The rooms were nice and had the things you'd expect, including a fridge, tea and coffee, an iron and more. Bathrooms were okay, though they need upgrading. Breakfast was fantastic, with a good selection. Thanks, Josh.

The location is still the main reason we'd come back, and our earlier two stays were excellent value. We travelled by train this time, and it was unbeatable: only a two-minute walk from the platform to reception. Jonathan at the front desk was friendly, welcoming and really helpful. We paid £82.00 in advance for a superior room, room only. It was noticeably larger than a classic room, but didn't feel particularly superior otherwise. Several issues took away from the stay: cables hanging under the TV, a dirty splatter down the bath, underwear left behind the radiator, and a toilet that needed the water to rise very high before it flushed properly. The fixed shower head couldn't be adjusted, and the temperature swung between hot and cold. I reported the problems at checkout. This visit didn't match the value or standard of our previous ones. We'd stay again for the location and our past good experiences, but wouldn't pick a superior room in its current state, since it didn't justify the upgrade and needs attention.

The only saving grace was the polite, friendly staff. My room on 3rd June 2026 was at the far end of the hotel and felt very isolated as a woman travelling alone. It was small and in serious need of refurbishment: the radiator by the bed was filthy, the wardrobe and drawers were dirty and in poor condition, and the net curtains were torn and dirty. The bath towel had makeup on it and looked unwashed; the cold tap was loose and leaking, and there were hairs in the bath. I was told at check-in that the room was on the 4th floor. After taking the lift there, I found three more flights of stairs because the room was in the roof. That was a real problem with my mobility difficulties, and I was lucky a gentleman passing by offered to carry my case. The next morning I had to struggle back down those extra stairs with it before I could use the lift. I saw a similar review from someone a few months earlier and suspect it was the same room, with nothing done since. I complained at checkout. If I'd booked more than one night, I would have cancelled and asked for a refund. Avoid this hotel, I can't recommend it.

The food was good, though very overpriced: pizza £15, onion rings £5 and fish and chips £19, plus a 12.5% service charge. The staff were very good and the leisure area was good too, but I won't stay again. My booking was messed up: I had reserved a family room from Saturday the 18th to Sunday the 29th of April, but on arrival was told I was booked from the 17th to the 19th. They sorted it out, but put me in a regular double instead of a family room. I paid £312 and got no reduction. Room 124 wasn't great. The bottom of the door was broken, as if it had been kicked several times; the bathroom door had been filled in on both sides; there was no double glazing; and the netting was grubby. A carpet stain sat below the desk, the TV was on the side wall so you had to twist your neck to watch from bed, and the shower seal was coming away with a rusty corner piece missing. Definitely not worth £312 for two nights.