Royal Exeter Hotel

The staff were so friendly and helpful, and our spacious room was clean. Breakfast was excellent, with plenty to eat. It’s within walking distance of the town, the bic and the pavilion, so we’ll always book this hotel when we visit Bournemouth.

The room was spacious and clean, though very tired, and the towels were great. It’s in a good spot for the BIC. But there wasn’t even any hand soap, and when I asked, they couldn’t provide any. The floor was uneven enough that the furniture shifted noisily wherever I walked, which felt quite unnerving. The staff were generally hostile. On arrival I was told I had to pay for parking, then told that direct bookings would have been offered free parking. That felt like a deliberate choice to charge me and was pretty punitive. They also pointed out that breakfast wasn’t included. When I asked to leave my car until 5 after finishing work, I was told I’d have to pay again, despite the free parking they can offer residents. I paid for 72 hours even though the car was parked there for about 45. I tried to raise it directly with the hotel instead of going to social media, but the conversation was uncomfortable. There was no apology or engagement, and I felt like a bother. It was awkward all round. I really wouldn’t recommend it.

The rooms are fine, but sleep is out of the question until at least 3am because of a very noisy nightclub. If you’re exhausted and leave something valuable behind, good luck getting it back: the hotel doesn’t answer calls or emails. That can make the stay cost a lot more than the room rate.

I haven’t stayed here, and the red bedrooms and overall theme put me off. Google asked me to review it because I’ve been looking for places to stay in central Bournemouth near the BIC (Bournemouth International Centre). I’d seen this hotel before, but forgot how much red there is. Even looking at it makes me feel bad, never mind staying surrounded by that colour. Maybe it’s just me, but why make every guest live with such a vivid colour? They could use different room schemes for different tastes and personalities. Neutral colours are harder to complain about, though I suppose someone still might.