Winchester Wessex Hotel by Sunday

Niki Everton was always smiling, upbeat and happy to help. She arranged a free room upgrade when I didn’t like the one I’d booked, had the room cleaned before three days had passed, and let me store my luggage. Those are the things I remember, but her service was so good that I’ll book here again just for that.

The hotel was filthy, and as a housekeeper I know I can be hypercritical, but this was unacceptable. I showed the manager a video, and he said they just don’t have the staff. I’d like a refund, though I doubt it will happen. We arrived at 4pm for a night away and were surprised to learn that underground parking cost £15, which hadn’t been made clear when booking. I’d booked late checkout, dinner and breakfast. We were told we didn’t need a restaurant booking and tables would be available after 5. When we came down at 6, we learned the chef was late for the second day in a row, travelling from Bournemouth by train and delayed. By 7 there was still no sign of him. They offered to put our £50 food voucher toward the bar, but we wanted dinner. The chef arrived at 8, and we finally got our starter at 8.45. The food was average at best. The manager kept us updated, and we did get free drinks. I emailed as instructed in the reply to this review on 30 May. They said they’d respond within 48 hours, but I still haven’t heard back.

The hotel backs onto the cathedral, which is a great location, but that was the only good part of our visit. Our room, along with others, wasn’t ready until after 5, even though check-in starts at 3 and we arrived at 4.30. We got a free bar drink voucher, but had to use it before 7 because of a wedding, and were told there’d be no kitchen service. One room smelled, while the other was freezing and needed a portable heater. Later, the green light came on at our door, but it wouldn’t open. Reception said they’d need to call maintenance, but eventually used the master key to let us in. Not a great experience.

Our check-in went well, but the room was extremely dated and smelled odd. The bathroom was dirty, which seemed to be because it was old. Downstairs, the bar staff were sitting on their phones despite there being more staff than customers. Breakfast was a mess, with very little choice. The coffee machine had no beans, so there was only instant coffee, and the cooked food had been sitting on the hot plates for a while. Worse, four staff members helped themselves to breakfast while two others stood arguing about pay as customers were serving themselves. It was shocking to see. I’ve just returned from a one-night stay at the Wessex Sunday in Winchester, and I definitely wouldn’t stay or recommend it again.