Well, what can I say, upon arrival the exterior looks dated ( building very 70s). Went to room, key card didn’t work and young girl, assume a cleaner? Let us in. The room was extremely small, a small double bed ( we think) up against the wall, a huge tv which took over the room. The second room which my children were in was bigger, 2 single beds. But on inspection of both room and bathrooms we were extremely concerned and disgusted that these 2 rooms cost us over £500 for one nights stay! Dont have a picture because it made me feel sick but the bed my daughter was in had what can only be described as blood on the base !!!!We booked breakfast but are seriously considering not taking this. And we will be raising our concerns and findings with the staff, Expedia and our credit card company, I would not pay 50% of what we’ve been charged. We had driven here from Heathrow straight after a flight in from the USA to spend Christmas here and wanted to take my children to the Christmas market and stay overnight as a treat… I was so tired but couldn’t sleep!Nearby activities: MarketWalkability: Right by the Christmas market
Karen Morton
What a tired sad place to stay. We went to a Christmas Party here last night,the food was terrible, I chose the Pear and Stilton salad, but asked for no Stilton, what I received was a pear on a plate with a bit of watercress and balsamic drizzle, my husband had more salad as a garnish on his patè. My main course had raw pastry so I was unable to eat it. For a large Christmas event there were too few bar staff which had a knock on effect for the start of meal service as people were still trying to get served. As the meal started late this left very little time for dancing after. The DJ wasn't a professional as the music was very random and didn't flow well.We stayed at the hotel after and our room wasn't too bad the only criticism was that it was freezing cold as the heating didn't work, but friends that stayed had ripped curtains, hair in the bath and a previous patrons shower cap in the bathroom. There was a large crack in the ceiling over the bed and mould. A lady I met in the lift also complained of a shabby room with ripped curtains etc. I would definitely give this hotel and it's Christmas Parties a very wide berth and not recommend until they have had a serious upgrade.
Brad
Location is good but that's the only thing good about this place. The photos on website are NOT accurate. This place is disgusting! Carpet is threadbare, walls mouldy and crumbling, lights don't work, windows don't work and then list could go on. 2 single beds put together which is often done in hotels but surely they can find 2 that are the same height not an inch different!Front of house staff Magdelana staff absolutely rude! She has no concept of customer service and nor does the manager!I've read reviews and ill await your standard reply about how the place is being fixed blah blah blah. But I can't see anywhere being fixed. I'm shocked 'Mercure' would allow their name on such a filthy establishment.
Carla Hartman
The hotel is a little tired looking on the outside but pleasant enough inside. The location is perfect for spending time in the city. A few disappointments. Communication throughout the hotel was poor. We had no literature in the room and didn't know when breakfast was. Noone was on reception and there was no bell to get anyone's attention from the back office. We eventually found out the time so then it wasn't an issue. For breakfast you are told it's a buffet to help yourself but the choice wasn't plentiful which you'd expect for the price you are charged for it (£17.50 pp). It was only when we saw others with items on their plate which were not available openly , we enquired. We told that if we wanted the mushrooms or an egg, like the other guests,we have to order them, which we did. I'm not sure if there was anything else available which we could order because again, no literature or menus on the tables. We're not big eaters and what we had was enough but choice wise for the price overall ? a Premier Inn would win hands down.Mattress was far to soft and left us with a back ache. The bedding used was for a double or king bed and was just folded in half to cover the mattress because we had asked for a twin room. After readjusting the overly large mattress protector which was on the single mattress, it was slightly better. Duvet was small, it didn't fall down the sides of the bed but the room was warm and so this wasn't an issue. Perfect location for the stay and we only needed it for the night. Had we planned on staying there as a holiday stay, I wouldn't have been impressed. It's not a cheap hotel so I really hoped for more
helen burr
A pleasant stay with a room overlooking the cathedral. The only issue was coinciding with Christmas parties two nights running and a complete lack of communication between reception, the bar and the manager. Despite booking a table with reception (and confirming three times) for 7.15pm, on the first night we were redirected from the restaurant (laid out for a private function) to the bar. We were told the kitchen was closed until 8.30pm. On asking to see the manager ('Becks', who we never did see the entire visit!), we were then told we could eat if we chose from the Festive Menu in the next ten minutes. Reception had said we would have the normal menu on the first night and the Festive on the second. After ordering, we had to sit on a coffee table as the bar was full of party goers. Eventually the bar cleared as they moved to the restaurant and we could grab a table. The food came quickly and was very nice, and we were treated to the verbal dramatics of 'Mistletoe and Murder' from the restaurant over the microphone! A very pleasant employee booked us for dinner in the bar the next night at 6.30pm and organised a free drink; which we appreciated. Inevitably we arrived at 6.30pm the next evening with no specific table allocated (tables said 'Reserved' but no one knew who for). We grabbed a table in the bar and quickly ordered our food. As it was the Festive menu again, options were limited, and we ended up eating the same main course two nights running! There was also confusion about how many courses we were allowed to have. The bar filled up as the second set of party goers crowded in but at least we already had a table to eat at! We found ourselves constantly referred to as the DBB's, as staff tried to work out what to do with us. Everyone was very pleasant but it's embarrassing to be labelled as a sub-group and have to assert what you have already paid for in order to eat! It was poor that the manager never sought us out and we were left feeling not particularly welcome.Food & drinks: If you are on the DBB package, it may be a struggle to get dinner!
Spamalot
The hotel was well located for the Christmas market and staff were very friendly. Parking was a nightmare but understandable given 1000s of people attending the market (recommend you pre book in advance using just park). The only slight downside was the breakfast wasn't fully stocked as only two staff working so it was a little limited. There was also a Christmas party in the room below us that didn't finish until after 12am but not really an issue as it was people having fun. The room was opposite the Cathedral so we had a great view, but it was a little dated along with the hotel in general. That being said we enjoyed our stay and would recommend the hotel.
Andrew Parker
Let's start with a positive - the location.My room was small, with lovely [sarcasm] stains on the carpet by the door!Breakfast was average.£15 for overnight parking!!There are better hotels.
Chas Thomason
2nd time with you,,in the same room!!.Came down for the Xmas Market again, great location and very attentive nice staff,lovely comfy king size bed,good breakfast, my only complaint is having to pay for the parking after paying a lot for the room.Will definitely be back next year
Michelle Ramshaw
Went to the bar for a drink after work a few weeks ago and the service was great. It was very quiet so service was fast. Was served by Arthur and he was lovely, very professional and attentive. Would come here again!
Aaron
Not a 4-star experience at all.The rooms are cramped and worn: unpleasant carpet, bathroom stains, and peeling wallpaper. Sleeping on a rock might be more comfortable than the stiff mattresses. Signal reception in the rooms is a challenge.Breakfast items seemed to have been left out for hours, with tough meat and stale croissants.Requesting body wash replacement took three attempts before receiving a new bottle.Despite a menu for room service, an event led to an early kitchen closure at 7:15 pm, changing the menu—guests were clearly deprioritized.Charging premium prices should come with a genuine four-star experience.
Went for a works Christmas party, food was horrendous. Weight burnt, cold, soft roast potatoes, overcooked veg, and the stuffing.... like a solid dry chunk of flavored sawdust. Bar service was ridiculously slow. First time there and it was a terrible first impression.. Won't ever go back.
Tony Halliwell
Currently staying in this hotel. Have stayed in Accor group hotels around the world, sadly this is the worst we have stayed in.On the positive side it has a great location, breakfast was very good and the reception and breakfast staff have been excellent.Now the negatives. The room is very tired. Threadbare and stained carpets. Dusty curtains that don't close properly.My wife was looking forward to having a bath but took one look at the grubby bath tub and decided showers would have to suffice. Unfortunately the shower pressure is feeble, probably not helped by the shower head being partially blocked with a build up of calcium. The grubby bath tub fills up with water when you shower because the plug hole is chock full of old hair and filth.This hotel needs to be demolished and rebuilt to take advantage of the great location.
Sherian
The location is great, right next to the cathedral. The Christmas Market was on when we stayed and the hotel had a lot going on in the area nearby. As others have mentioned, the hotel looks shabby in places, it needs a refurbishment. The carpet in the bedroom was threadbare in places. The shampoo and shower gel dispensers were completely empty, which I didn't spot until I was in the shower. I reported this at reception and they were replaced later. The breakfast was really disappointing, tough sausages and bacon, tasted like they had been cooked hours earlier and kept warm, cheap tasteless bread. First day there was filter coffee, black pudding and fried eggs, next day there none of them, there was scrambled egg and a 15min wait for any other egg request. Both days there was over 10 min wait for hash browns. A very poor quality breakfast, definitely not worth the price. The staff were friendly. It was handy having a bar at the end of the evening to have a drink.Rooms: Very tired looking, need a refurbishment.Nearby activities: Right next to the cathedral, perfect location for exploring Winchester.Food & drinks: Very poor quality breakfast.
Ken Oliver
The hotel is tired and for £140 a night I expected better than a room with damaged furniture and used bathrobes hanging on the back of the bathroom door. The bar staff where unwilling to make a cup of tea. The supply of tea and coffee in the room was minimal although reception where happy to supply more when asked the view of the cathedral from our was nice though
Gwyneth Pearcy
Great location for all the shops, cafe's, Christmas markets and pubs! Nice room, clean throughout the hotel and breakfast was very nice. Parking was a little difficult but we managed to get a spot.
Well, what can I say, upon arrival the exterior looks dated ( building very 70s). Went to room, key card didn’t work and young girl, assume a cleaner? Let us in. The room was extremely small, a small double bed ( we think) up against the wall, a huge tv which took over the room. The second room which my children were in was bigger, 2 single beds. But on inspection of both room and bathrooms we were extremely concerned and disgusted that these 2 rooms cost us over £500 for one nights stay! Dont have a picture because it made me feel sick but the bed my daughter was in had what can only be described as blood on the base !!!!We booked breakfast but are seriously considering not taking this. And we will be raising our concerns and findings with the staff, Expedia and our credit card company, I would not pay 50% of what we’ve been charged. We had driven here from Heathrow straight after a flight in from the USA to spend Christmas here and wanted to take my children to the Christmas market and stay overnight as a treat… I was so tired but couldn’t sleep!Nearby activities: MarketWalkability: Right by the Christmas market
What a tired sad place to stay. We went to a Christmas Party here last night,the food was terrible, I chose the Pear and Stilton salad, but asked for no Stilton, what I received was a pear on a plate with a bit of watercress and balsamic drizzle, my husband had more salad as a garnish on his patè. My main course had raw pastry so I was unable to eat it. For a large Christmas event there were too few bar staff which had a knock on effect for the start of meal service as people were still trying to get served. As the meal started late this left very little time for dancing after. The DJ wasn't a professional as the music was very random and didn't flow well.We stayed at the hotel after and our room wasn't too bad the only criticism was that it was freezing cold as the heating didn't work, but friends that stayed had ripped curtains, hair in the bath and a previous patrons shower cap in the bathroom. There was a large crack in the ceiling over the bed and mould. A lady I met in the lift also complained of a shabby room with ripped curtains etc. I would definitely give this hotel and it's Christmas Parties a very wide berth and not recommend until they have had a serious upgrade.
Location is good but that's the only thing good about this place. The photos on website are NOT accurate. This place is disgusting! Carpet is threadbare, walls mouldy and crumbling, lights don't work, windows don't work and then list could go on. 2 single beds put together which is often done in hotels but surely they can find 2 that are the same height not an inch different!Front of house staff Magdelana staff absolutely rude! She has no concept of customer service and nor does the manager!I've read reviews and ill await your standard reply about how the place is being fixed blah blah blah. But I can't see anywhere being fixed. I'm shocked 'Mercure' would allow their name on such a filthy establishment.
The hotel is a little tired looking on the outside but pleasant enough inside. The location is perfect for spending time in the city. A few disappointments. Communication throughout the hotel was poor. We had no literature in the room and didn't know when breakfast was. Noone was on reception and there was no bell to get anyone's attention from the back office. We eventually found out the time so then it wasn't an issue. For breakfast you are told it's a buffet to help yourself but the choice wasn't plentiful which you'd expect for the price you are charged for it (£17.50 pp). It was only when we saw others with items on their plate which were not available openly , we enquired. We told that if we wanted the mushrooms or an egg, like the other guests,we have to order them, which we did. I'm not sure if there was anything else available which we could order because again, no literature or menus on the tables. We're not big eaters and what we had was enough but choice wise for the price overall ? a Premier Inn would win hands down.Mattress was far to soft and left us with a back ache. The bedding used was for a double or king bed and was just folded in half to cover the mattress because we had asked for a twin room. After readjusting the overly large mattress protector which was on the single mattress, it was slightly better. Duvet was small, it didn't fall down the sides of the bed but the room was warm and so this wasn't an issue. Perfect location for the stay and we only needed it for the night. Had we planned on staying there as a holiday stay, I wouldn't have been impressed. It's not a cheap hotel so I really hoped for more
A pleasant stay with a room overlooking the cathedral. The only issue was coinciding with Christmas parties two nights running and a complete lack of communication between reception, the bar and the manager. Despite booking a table with reception (and confirming three times) for 7.15pm, on the first night we were redirected from the restaurant (laid out for a private function) to the bar. We were told the kitchen was closed until 8.30pm. On asking to see the manager ('Becks', who we never did see the entire visit!), we were then told we could eat if we chose from the Festive Menu in the next ten minutes. Reception had said we would have the normal menu on the first night and the Festive on the second. After ordering, we had to sit on a coffee table as the bar was full of party goers. Eventually the bar cleared as they moved to the restaurant and we could grab a table. The food came quickly and was very nice, and we were treated to the verbal dramatics of 'Mistletoe and Murder' from the restaurant over the microphone! A very pleasant employee booked us for dinner in the bar the next night at 6.30pm and organised a free drink; which we appreciated. Inevitably we arrived at 6.30pm the next evening with no specific table allocated (tables said 'Reserved' but no one knew who for). We grabbed a table in the bar and quickly ordered our food. As it was the Festive menu again, options were limited, and we ended up eating the same main course two nights running! There was also confusion about how many courses we were allowed to have. The bar filled up as the second set of party goers crowded in but at least we already had a table to eat at! We found ourselves constantly referred to as the DBB's, as staff tried to work out what to do with us. Everyone was very pleasant but it's embarrassing to be labelled as a sub-group and have to assert what you have already paid for in order to eat! It was poor that the manager never sought us out and we were left feeling not particularly welcome.Food & drinks: If you are on the DBB package, it may be a struggle to get dinner!
The hotel was well located for the Christmas market and staff were very friendly. Parking was a nightmare but understandable given 1000s of people attending the market (recommend you pre book in advance using just park). The only slight downside was the breakfast wasn't fully stocked as only two staff working so it was a little limited. There was also a Christmas party in the room below us that didn't finish until after 12am but not really an issue as it was people having fun. The room was opposite the Cathedral so we had a great view, but it was a little dated along with the hotel in general. That being said we enjoyed our stay and would recommend the hotel.
Let's start with a positive - the location.My room was small, with lovely [sarcasm] stains on the carpet by the door!Breakfast was average.£15 for overnight parking!!There are better hotels.
2nd time with you,,in the same room!!.Came down for the Xmas Market again, great location and very attentive nice staff,lovely comfy king size bed,good breakfast, my only complaint is having to pay for the parking after paying a lot for the room.Will definitely be back next year
Went to the bar for a drink after work a few weeks ago and the service was great. It was very quiet so service was fast. Was served by Arthur and he was lovely, very professional and attentive. Would come here again!
Not a 4-star experience at all.The rooms are cramped and worn: unpleasant carpet, bathroom stains, and peeling wallpaper. Sleeping on a rock might be more comfortable than the stiff mattresses. Signal reception in the rooms is a challenge.Breakfast items seemed to have been left out for hours, with tough meat and stale croissants.Requesting body wash replacement took three attempts before receiving a new bottle.Despite a menu for room service, an event led to an early kitchen closure at 7:15 pm, changing the menu—guests were clearly deprioritized.Charging premium prices should come with a genuine four-star experience.
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Went for a works Christmas party, food was horrendous. Weight burnt, cold, soft roast potatoes, overcooked veg, and the stuffing.... like a solid dry chunk of flavored sawdust. Bar service was ridiculously slow. First time there and it was a terrible first impression.. Won't ever go back.
Currently staying in this hotel. Have stayed in Accor group hotels around the world, sadly this is the worst we have stayed in.On the positive side it has a great location, breakfast was very good and the reception and breakfast staff have been excellent.Now the negatives. The room is very tired. Threadbare and stained carpets. Dusty curtains that don't close properly.My wife was looking forward to having a bath but took one look at the grubby bath tub and decided showers would have to suffice. Unfortunately the shower pressure is feeble, probably not helped by the shower head being partially blocked with a build up of calcium. The grubby bath tub fills up with water when you shower because the plug hole is chock full of old hair and filth.This hotel needs to be demolished and rebuilt to take advantage of the great location.
The location is great, right next to the cathedral. The Christmas Market was on when we stayed and the hotel had a lot going on in the area nearby. As others have mentioned, the hotel looks shabby in places, it needs a refurbishment. The carpet in the bedroom was threadbare in places. The shampoo and shower gel dispensers were completely empty, which I didn't spot until I was in the shower. I reported this at reception and they were replaced later. The breakfast was really disappointing, tough sausages and bacon, tasted like they had been cooked hours earlier and kept warm, cheap tasteless bread. First day there was filter coffee, black pudding and fried eggs, next day there none of them, there was scrambled egg and a 15min wait for any other egg request. Both days there was over 10 min wait for hash browns. A very poor quality breakfast, definitely not worth the price. The staff were friendly. It was handy having a bar at the end of the evening to have a drink.Rooms: Very tired looking, need a refurbishment.Nearby activities: Right next to the cathedral, perfect location for exploring Winchester.Food & drinks: Very poor quality breakfast.
The hotel is tired and for £140 a night I expected better than a room with damaged furniture and used bathrobes hanging on the back of the bathroom door. The bar staff where unwilling to make a cup of tea. The supply of tea and coffee in the room was minimal although reception where happy to supply more when asked the view of the cathedral from our was nice though
Great location for all the shops, cafe's, Christmas markets and pubs! Nice room, clean throughout the hotel and breakfast was very nice. Parking was a little difficult but we managed to get a spot.