Moxy Southampton

A midnight incident in the hotel bar seriously affected our stay. Someone in our group briefly did a harmless dance move, without disrupting anyone, but a member of the bar staff came over aggressively and threatened to have us removed from the hotel. Staff then accused the guest of swearing at them. That didn’t happen. The accusation was made in front of other guests, several of whom saw the interaction and could tell there had been no abusive language. Even when challenged, staff kept insisting on that version of events. It was uncomfortable and embarrassing, and felt like deliberate gaslighting. Threatening to remove a guest at midnight over made-up allegations was unacceptable. The response lacked professionalism, respect, and basic customer service, especially in how the situation was handled. The hotel itself may be fine, but this incident had a serious impact on our stay. Management should review staff conduct and training. Guests shouldn’t be treated this way on the basis of false accusations.

The rooms were clean, the beds comfortable, breakfast decent, and the staff polite. The room did get far too hot, even in winter. I asked for a fan and was given one. They also suggested opening the window, but with the car noise outside, I couldn’t leave it open all the time.

The heating in our room couldn’t be adjusted, so it was much too hot. The welcome cocktail was free, but next time I’d skip it, it tasted like very sweet squash. Breakfast was great apart from the rather bland coffee. We’re an older couple, and we liked the trendy atmosphere, including playing games when we got back from our evening out.

The room was clean, modern, and well laid out, with a very comfortable bed. Staff were friendly, and the reception, bar, and lounge were nicely arranged and decorated. The central Southampton location also made it easy to reach West Quay, the train station, and the docks. The problem was the temperature in winter. The hotel switches off the air conditioning and leaves only heating available. Even with the heating turned off, the room stayed at 26 degrees. The only way to cool it was to open a window, which brought noise and pollution from the central location. It made the room uncomfortable and difficult to sleep in.