Roselawn Hotel

The room was comfortable, with a desk, wardrobe and a bed that was comfy. The shower had enough power for what I needed, though the heaters could do with an upgrade. Everything was very clean, with no sign of areas being ignored or covered up. The staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming, and dealt with every request quickly and politely. It’s a picturesque setting near some useful main routes. I’d recommend this hotel without hesitation.

Dinner and breakfast were excellent, and the staff were friendly and really helpful. The double bed was very comfortable, and the room was clean and tidy, though dated. The TV is too small. A very noisy boiler in the loft woke me often, and the shower was awful, barely trickling at very low pressure. I had to move the soap tray so I could stand close enough to the wall to get wet. With a couple of room upgrades, this hotel could be very nice.

The rural setting is pleasant, with easy access to the M3 and central Reading, though traffic can get heavy at peak times. Breakfast is cooked to order and served at the table, which is rare at this price. The small bar closes at 11pm and only serves bottled drinks, but there are very comfortable leather sofas and a chess set in the seating area. Service was close to flawless. I’d highly recommend staying here. I gave it four stars instead of five because there’s no central heating. There is a wall-mounted fan heater, but its noise could get irritating over a long winter night. There’s no lift to the first-floor rooms, and the ground-floor rooms have several steps up, so it’s not ideal for wheelchair access.

The reservation was cancelled two days after the hotel emailed to say the rate had been a mistake, and I only saw that message on the morning I was due to travel. They offered to lower it from £85 to £75, but that was still over my budget and more than other places nearby had cost when I booked. I’d confirmed the original low rate through Booking.com and assumed it was a Genius offer, since the property was listed that way. I checked on the day of the trip and found the supposed discount was actually the hotel's standard rate on other sites. I’d never have stayed there at that price. The way both the hotel and Booking handled this was appalling, and I won’t book with this hotel again.