Queens Hotel Cheltenham — Hotel in Cheltenham

Certainly the worst stay we have ever had in a property run by Sofitel - by some margin. Last time we stayed here, we had a lovely time. Which is why we came back. But on that occasion there was no wedding.

The public areas in the hotel are not big enough to cope with a large function alongside regular guests. So when we arrived the car park was full, but we were advised to leave the car in a non-space, and hand in our keys at reception. However, reception was so full of wedding guests, we could not be heard as we tried to check in.

We had booked to dine in the restaurant. It is a thoroughfare to the garden, frequented by all those who want to smoke. This meant that our table near the garden door was as cold as the fridge. We asked to move to the inner room, but that wasn't possible till later on because they were expecting another wedding group. The headwaiter kindly locked the door to the garden, which was fine, until he opened it to let other guests through.

We decided to go to the lounge or the bar to have a cup of coffee, but it was absolutely heaving - completely taken over by the wedding, with not a single empty seat in sight. We retired early to our room. En route, I complained to the duty manager, who was apologetic. He realised this was unsatisfactory, but could do nothing. Earlier in the evening, the TV in our room wasn't working. But we had two prompt visits by reception to rectify the matter, and it was fixed at the second attempt. They did their best to improve things where they could, but they could not re-design the hotel in an instant.

We left with a real impression that every effort is being made to sweat the assets, rather than take care of the guests. Might it be possible to find an alternative route to the garden – e.g. through the bar? And how about an upstairs lounge for residents? This would improve the experience, both for the regular guests, and for any large function, since they wouldn't have interlopers pushing through their party. And it might of course help if the hotel manager were present sometimes at the weekend to see the experience at first-hand – when we asked to speak to her we were told that she only works during the week.

Staying here, before adding dinner, cost us well over £200. If you decide to choose this hotel, check their events diary before booking.

There were positives. Our room was comfortable and big enough for a dance. Breakfast was as good as we had remembered from our previous visit. And the refreshing lemonade in reception was most welcome after our walk round Cheltenham. But I don't think we'll be back...

For Cheltenham's flagship hotel I could hardly believe how poor of an experience I had at the Queen's hotel.

Check-in was advertised from 2pm - after arriving a little after 2pm I was informed my room was not ready. This was a little disappointing however they offered to look after my bags and I was told my room would be ready with the hour which was fair enough.

After returning at 3pm I then queued for nearly half an hour in the lobby waiting to attempt to check in again. I was again told my room was not ready and it would be another hour before I could get the key. I later found out that every other custom who's rooms were not ready were offered a complementary drink at the bar for the inconvenience. Despite having had this happen twice no such offer was extended to myself until I questioned why this was.

On the third attempt to check in, two hours after my original attempt, I was again told my room was not ready. I had to push the clearly understaffed desk to find me a room that was ready as I needed to change and leave for the evening.

Now in the room I hardly had time to consider how small, dark and disappointing the room was - although the bathroom was lovely.

During the check-in process I was told I needed to book a time slot for breakfast the following morning to ensure there would be space and a table free. I booked for 10am and the following morning arrived in the lobby at 9:50 to find a queue snaking its way through the hotel. This queue which lasted for nearly 40 minutes, was for breakfast. This lead to the question why book in the first place if there is going to be a massive queue?

When I got to the front of the queue I explained that I had been queueing for 40 minutes and I only had half an hour before needed to leave. (foolishly I had assumed that turning up 10 mins early and an hour would leave more than enough time for breakfast). I was shocked by the rudeness of the manager running the breakfast service who told me, in no uncertain terms, that it was my fault and if I had wanted to be on time for my booking I should have been arriving half an hour early. I was also told that the cooked breakfast was taking over half an hour. I cannot stress how unconcerned he seemed about the situation and the complaints coming from the other customers.

I left a week between my stay and writing this review as I didn't want to let my frustration cloud my review but looking back at it my frustration was fully warranted. I cannot in good faith recommend that anyone pay to stay at this venue until the staffing levels and attitude of the staff have...

So wanted this to be a 5 star review but... We stayed at The Queens Hotel Cheltenham for 3 nights over New Year. It was a wonderful experience. The hotel is beautiful - big but never overcrowded. It felt intimate, cosy. It has such character and is in a beautiful position on Imperial Square looking out over the gardens. Ideal for walking into town or up to Montpellier. All staff we encountered were lovely - friendly, consumate professionals who would help with any query. After the first evening Ben knew exactly what drinks my partner had and happy to recommend gin! We had booked for the New Year' eve black tie gala dinner which was a little disappointing. The evening began at 7.00 p.m. with cocktails then the first course was served at 8.00. Over three hours later, the final cheese board course was put out on the tables. The food itself was lovely but there was just far too long between courses. The Disco was ok - the dance floor had been set up in the lounge - but after midnight, the DJ started playing requests which seemed to empty the dance floor - surely you want to be keeping people dancing? One other concern we had was in the bedroom - there was a lack of clothes storage. There was half a wardrobe and a couple of drawers and a shelf. Staying for four days including New Year, we naturally had a few changes of clothing. We ended up hanging suit/dress bags from the picture rail and on the back of the bathroom door with other items being left in the suitcases. Aside from this, the bedroom itself - and the bathroom - was lovely although very warm. A large, comfortable bed which had been made up to take account of my feather allergy. Plenty of plug sockets and good lighting and complimentary tea/coffee but this, along with the tray and kettle was inside the wardrobe which we found odd. Would we stay at The Queens Hotel again? Absolutely but we will be prepared for the...