Harington's Hotel

I found Harington's at the last minute online and had a wonderful, if brief, stay. The bed was extremely comfortable, with lovely quality linen, and the room was beautifully clean with charming, quirky decor. It was peaceful at night, with no street noise. Breakfast was delicious, cooked fresh to order, and came with good coffee. All the staff were great, especially the receptionist. Since I arrived very late, she texted twice with information and to check I was on my way. The only small downside was that street lights came through the curtains because there were no blackout blinds. I’ll definitely come back and recommend it to others.

We’d been looking forward to using the hotel’s hot tub, but at check-in no one mentioned that it had to be booked. When we went to use it, we weren’t allowed to, and they wouldn’t let us book it then either, which was a real shame. We’d booked that day after the other hotel let us down, and chose this place partly for the hot tub and partly for its great location. It’s on a lovely cobbled street beside the Roman baths and Jane Austen centre.

We really enjoyed the hotel and its lovely rooms. The only reason I’m not giving five stars is that it was quite loud early in the morning when beer barrels were delivered to the pub opposite.

The location in Bath is excellent, breakfast was included and had a good selection, and most of the staff were pleasant. The first floor is cozy and nicely decorated. In a Scandinavian context, calling it a “boutique hotel” sets expectations that weren’t quite met. Our biggest problem was the heatwave during our stay. We were in a room at the very top of the building, and without AC it became unbearably hot. We were out most of the day and contacted the hotel in writing about practical things. When we asked for a fan, they simply stopped replying. We could have pushed harder, but at a more premium hotel guests shouldn’t have to chase such a basic request. I wish the hotel had done more to make things comfortable. We were travelling through England for longer with heavy luggage, and the narrow stairs and lack of a lift meant carrying our bags up in the heat. The room stayed above 30 degrees at night, making it extremely hard to sleep. We had to leave the windows and shutters wide open. That cost us privacy with neighboring buildings, and let in noise from pub crowds, countless seagulls, early morning garbage collection, and deliveries to nearby businesses. We got very little sleep. Online check-in was smooth and easy. We were told the bathroom shower was dripping, that it was silent and wouldn’t disturb us, and that someone might come check it if we agreed. We did, and were promised advance notice. But later a plumber walked straight into our room without warning. He apologized profusely, over and over, but if you promise to give notice, you should actually do it.