Passage House Hotel

The staff were unhelpful, and between the cleanliness and the rules, this was a huge disappointment. My room was filthy when I arrived, and it looked like housekeeping hadn't done its job. One day I even got a strange, unprofessional call asking why I'd put tissues in the bathroom bin instead of flushing them. I also brought in outside food to eat on the balcony because their food was baaad, but was told that wasn't allowed. It felt completely unnecessary. This was one of my worst hotel stays, and I can't recommend it.

I booked through Hotels.com at the last minute on Saturday 11 of October 2025, using a voucher for a discount, hoping for a night away. There were two skips outside the main entrance when we arrived, which wasn't a great first impression. The receptionist, a young woman, was very professional. Our room was in North lodge, across the road in a separate building. The room was very worn, and the double bed was two singles pushed together. The whole complex needs a major overhaul. The swimming pool was closed for refurbishment, and nobody had told us. After looking around, we went to the Passage house pub, where we've been many times, for a quick drink, then headed back for one more at the hotel bar. At reception, there was now a man sitting with the receptionist, visibly agitated about an ID issue that had nothing to do with us. He came over to the bar, and when I said hello, he didn't answer. He went behind the bar and, while pouring my drink, spilled some over his hand before getting it into the glass. My partner asked for ice in her drink, but they had none. He said he'd get some; she politely said it didn't matter, but he stormed off without a word anyway. Other customers were there, and his attitude was unacceptable. We eventually got our drinks and sat down, and he calmed down later. As we were leaving, my partner took our glasses back to the bar and I went ahead, waving to the receptionist. As she passed the barman, he said, "thank you," then, before she could answer, added, "or not." I found that totally unacceptable. I think this staff member needs immediate customer service retraining.

The staff at reception and in the restaurant were lovely, but the North Lodge room wasn't worth the money. It was clean enough, though the carpets were threadbare in places, the radiator was rusty and the telephone stand was broken. The place looks dated and needs refurbishment. It needs sorting out before I'd return.

The riverside setting and location looked promising when we arrived, but our group of 18 was put in North Lodge and the stay was a real letdown. The rooms were spacious, but old and shabby, with grimy carpets, stains on the walls, obvious repairs and a terrible mattress. I'm not blaming the cleaning staff, because this old place seems impossible to clean properly. I got the impression that coach groups are treated differently from individual private bookings, with the latter placed in the main building and given better rooms and breakfast options. The hotel seems focused on groups staying one to three nights and appears to accept below-standard rooms for them. There was no air conditioning, which isn't an issue for me because I like sleeping with the window open, but traffic and nearby railway noise made that impossible. For dinner, groups have to fill in a form with their choices, which is a good system. But why were we given a German list with German food? We're Dutch, so just give us an English list. We're in England! The meals were inconsistent: fish and meat were very dry or overcooked, though the starters and desserts were good. The serving staff were busy but friendly. This doesn't feel like a three-star hotel. It badly needs a proper renovation, especially decent beds and rooms that aren't tatty, so the cleaning staff can do their jobs properly.