The Star Hotel

The staff at The Star Hotel were polite, friendly and professional, and happy to help. It’s very good value for money, and the location gives easy access to Southampton City centre, with its many shops, restaurants, cafes and bars. The room was clean and comfortable, with a comfortable bed, nice linen, and tea and coffee facilities. Breakfast was fantastic, with cereals, yogurts, fruit juice and a full English, plus toast and a choice of tea or coffee. It’s a great way to start the day. Thank you, Star Hotel.

I stayed at The Star Hotel for 12 nights while working in Southampton. It wasn’t cheap, so I expected basic hygiene and a reasonable level of comfort. My partner stayed at Leonardo Hotel Southampton at the same time for a similar price, but in my opinion the standard, comfort and experience weren’t comparable. After my first night at The Star Hotel, I noticed several bites and initially gave the benefit of the doubt. When I stayed again the following week, I developed very large, visible bites across my body, much worse than before. From my perspective, the pattern was clear: I arrived without bites, slept in the hotel bed and had bites afterwards. My partner had none during that same period. I reported it straight away. They said they’d check the room and offered a refund for only my final night. After inspecting it, they told me they hadn’t found anything and wouldn’t accept responsibility. The matter was effectively closed there. I was still liable for 11 of the 12 nights, the whole stay except the one refunded night, despite what I experienced. For the price, I didn’t think that was fair. I can only describe what happened to me and how the hotel handled it. If you’re thinking of staying at The Star Hotel, I’d strongly advise seriously reconsidering.

It’s dated, but has a cool feel, and you get what you pay for. We paid £57 for a double room with breakfast for two adults. There was a cooked breakfast buffet, cereals, yoghurts and some fruit. The front bar had very reasonably priced drinks and cocktails, though we didn’t try them because we were short on time. It all seemed good value. The location is handy for restaurants and bars, and for Mayflower Park, where we were exhibiting.

Our family room was large and bright, but the bed and pillows were really uncomfortable. The shower was small, though the water pressure was good. The place wasn’t very clean, and the bedrooms badly need some TLC. Breakfast is very basic, with hardly any options if you don’t like English breakfast. The price is far too high for what you get. I wouldn’t return.