Champneys Tring — Hotel in Dacorum

This is the worst champneys of them all . |I’m going to leave this review as a story with a start , a middle and an end . There are so many problems , it’s the only way to cover it all . ||It all began when I tried to book my treatments before arriving for my stay . We booked a mother daughter couple of days stay here . Both my mother and I tried to call the hotel for 2 days . No one picked up the phone . This was a sign to me from the start that we were going to have a bad stay but I ignored my gut . Finally booked the treatments after having to download the hotel app and after sending an email to the hotel saying how frustrated I was to not be able to speak to anyone ( no reply even as of today re my email I might add) ||On arrival we went to the cafe whilst waiting for our room to be ready and one poor member of staff was doing it all ! To say the cafe was understaffed was an understatement. This theme continued during our stay . When the food actually arrived (25 mins later ) we didn’t feel like it anymore and it wasn’t that good anyway . ||We noticed during our stay that every room , corridor was cold . Really unpleasant, if you are particularly walking around in a bath robe as everyone does . We were shown to our room which was very underwhelming . Design ? What design . (New rooms ) ||We decided to try the spa out . Drum roll …… ||Disappointing to say the least . Jacuzzi indoor was out of service , the pool of water with the jets were weak and the spa was over crowded . You literally found yourself just standing in a pool of tepid water , not really knowing what to do with yourself . We braved the jacuzzi outdoors , only to find the imagined hot jacuzzi to be tepid and pointless . ||Freezing we went back inside . No where to lounge and relax , every chair taken . No where to hang our bag to be able to sit down or go In the steam room if we wanted to . Finally we took our chance to go into the sauna to find ourselves like sardines . We gave up and went to use the pool , had to wait 30 mins to take a swim as 1 class decided it was necessary to use the whole massive pool for the class . ||(Remember there is nothing much to do , after my description of the spa) anyway the swim was ok but again the pool was cold . |I ventured to take a shower . The water was freezing and so I had to find a working hot shower . The place was so run down it was revolting . Zero quality control re cleaning , no staff to be seen anywhere ( another common theme ) this leads me nicely to the next drama. ||I went to my room only to find the key card didn’t work . Freezing now in my swimsuit and wet dressing gown , I waited outside the room for 30 mins for my mother to let me in the room . I tried to call reception but no one ( surprise, surprise ) answered . There was not a single member of staff around . Very bad for health and safety .|I noticed there were cobwebs all over the hotel , so many that I found a spider crawling out of my hair whilst freezing in the corridor . Yes it’s sounding laughable :) I know . ||My mother finally arrived to rescue me . ( she had got lost as the lighting outside from where her yoga class was held was missing , at the turning for her to turn back to the hotel) . ||After I complained to reception generally , we were offered another room ( the room had not even been part of any complaint at this point .Merely an observation at how uninteresting they were ) nice gesture however . ||I thought a nice massage would cheer me up ( wrong again ) cost a fortune and the room I was put in ( up a dark cold dingy staircase ) was freezing again . I decided after that to cancel my pre booked facial . Fed up now i was told I would have to pay 50% .of the fee . Of course I refused to do that and said after everything that had gone on I wasn’t going to pay a penny . ||At dinner is where I noticed how awful my mother’s pedicure was that I had gifted her earlier . She admitted she hadn’t looked closely at it and the lighting wasn’t great . The next day the lovely spa manager who had been off until today also refunded me for this. Zoe was most apologetic and it felt genuine . ||Anyway by this point I had got through 5 key cards for the old room and the new room . ( I heard lots of guests complaining about their key cards not working and room issues . The new room we found ourselves in was nicer , though when I went to call reception before dinner found the phone was broken . At this point I was just emotional beaten up and thought nothing else could go wrong :) ||we went down to dinner . |A lump of plastic appeared in my meal ( lovely ) |The cocktails tasted like imitations of the real thing . The menu looks amazing but the food does not match . . |There were some nice staff that we spoke to . Cheree was fantastic and a lovely young waitress at dinner . |I feel sorry for the staff , as they can only work with what they have . |I think you have no business opening another site in Marbella !!! When you have such bad standards at this one . A desperate refurb is needed and some...

We stayed here April 2025 - What was meant to be a restful and rejuvenating stay at Champneys Tring turned out to be one of the most disappointing and concerning experiences I’ve ever had at a hotel or spa. From serious food safety violations and “misplaced and lost” jewellery, to unsafe equipment and poor management, the level of care and professionalism fell far below what any guest should expect — let alone from a brand that claims to offer such luxury and wellbeing.

1.Loss of Jewellery and Gross Mishandling of Personal Items During my facial appointment, I was asked to remove my earrings and was provided with a small dish to store them. Once finished, I unintentionally left them behind — something I realised shortly after, however the spa was closed for the evening upon returning. Surely must happen quite regularly with guests removing earrings/necklaces/rings etc, so I was confident my earrings would be safe and waiting for me in the morning. What followed the next day was a disorganised and frustrating series of interactions, during which I was repeatedly told to return later, passed between departments, and given no clear information about the whereabouts of my earrings. Despite assurances that the earrings had been stored securely, they were never recovered. This incident reflects not only a lack of clear protocol but a gross mishandling of personal items. The absence of accountability and poor internal communication resulted in the loss of earrings that held both financial and sentimental value. At best they were lost, at worst they were stolen.

Weeks later, after much chasing, I received nothing more than apologies and a suggestion to contact my insurance provider — an absolute farce considering the duty of care owed upon accepting responsibility for my belongings, and being reassured as we left they would be returned to me. If I had known the level of incompetence that was to come, I would never have allowed myself to be assured enough by management to leave premises without them in hand.

Food Safety and Dietary Negligence Despite informing the staff in advance of our dietary requirements, and ordering from the appropriated allergen labelled dishes, we were served food that contained egg — a clear violation of basic food safety standards. The issue only came to light the following morning, when we noticed allergen information on the same bread item and raised the concern ourselves. We were then told by the kitchen manager that the wrong bread had, in fact, been served to us the night before. At no point were we proactively informed. This level of carelessness not only undermines trust but also poses a genuine risk to guest health and those with allergies.

Serious Electrical Safety Failures in Room Upon using the hairdryer provided in our room, we discovered that the plug was missing its earth pin. This is not a minor oversight; it represents a clear breach of basic electrical safety standards. The appliance also lacked a valid PAT label, which is legally required for all electrical equipment in commercial hospitality settings. The presence of a faulty and potentially dangerous item in a guest room raises serious concerns about the adequacy of safety checks at the property. While I was told the hairdryer was removed after I reported it, it is troubling that such a risk existed in the first place — and that it required a guest to identify it.

Champneys wants to trade on a luxury brand image, but what we experienced was the complete opposite: food safety failings, lost valuables, unsafe equipment, and indifferent management. Their repeated apologies mean little when there is no meaningful resolution.

If you're looking for a wellness break, do not waste your time or money here. Our stay at Champneys Tring was one of the worst hospitality experiences we’ve ever had — a chaotic, disorganised operation hiding behind polite emails and empty reassurances.

I was left chasing updates, chasing my belongings, and chasing basic answers — and all I got was a pair of...

Champneys Tring has seen better days. There was some brown gunge leaking from the ceiling in the main corridor, cracked tiles, cracked plaster in 2 our of 3 rooms, cracked plaster with a hole in our main corridor. And just a feeling it's seen better days.

The facilities are 2 indoor jacuzzi that can fit 6 people all touching, 1 outdoor that could maybe fit 12, a square not so heated pool with some jet streams but was always packed apart from at dinner time and pre-breakfast, a main pool (a standard straight up pool with members doing laps - so you couldn't just stand in it and chill). There were a handful of beds and chairs around each area and 2 tiny relaxation rooms (3 bed and 5 bed). Yet, the spa hosts day guests, over night guests with over 100 rooms and members using the facilities. Oh there's more - sauna and steam room maximum comfortable fit of 8 without touching someone. I didn't get to use the sauna at all on day 1.

Champneys - you do not have enough facilities for the number of members and people you let into your hotel let alone adding day passes...

There was no where to sit and relax and chat, compare that to Eden Hall Day Spa who have multiple spaces (quiet ones, 2 cafes, outdoor heated) Tring was loud, cramped, crowded and we ended up having to sit with one on the floor and 2 standing at one point. The spa websites sell this as luxury 5 bubbles - it isn't. (Hence 2 stars as facilities are part of the service)

Treatments - mine was amazing, Jay, absolutely the highlight of my stay. One of the others on our booking had a 20 minute treatment. Girl was 5 minute late, but kicked my friend out bang on time so 15 minute or less treatment by the time they got upstairs. Mid way through Spotify played the meerkat advert, she said Champneys didn't pay for premium. At £55 for a 20 (15) minute treatment, disgusting. The other treatments for our party were OK.

Dinner - food was delicious. But they were so understaffed they had only wine and one brand of beer available. A spa therapist was seating people and didn’t take bookings for breakfast, which turns out should have been done. The F&B manager was really sweet and tried to make up for the lack of choice - other customers were really upset and rightly so not everyone drinks wine or beer. Our group managed. The service of the staff in the restaurant was good, until the end where the person over charged us on an old menu for a bottle. Couldn't understand why that'd be on the system, I feel like that's setting you're staff up to fail...

Piano player though, excellent.

Breakfast - fish and rice anyone? Lentils? Boiled egg - the only type offered? Slices of turkey or smoked fish? As someone whose gluten and dairy free my options were severely limited, I managed some toast and fruit. Fine, but again not what I'd expect from a luxury health resort. We heard more than one person ask where the avocado was.

Lunch - better, more options and the host explained each option thoroughly and allergy listed them.

Rooms: we booked as twins. None of the beds had been made as twins. We had to attempt it ourselves. We tried calling reception. Nothing. Each time. Luckily, one of the room staff saw us and helped us, really friendly and professional.

There was a finger nail on the desk in our room, but honestly trying to get reception on the phone (before the other member of staff arrived) was so hard and the 6 of us had rooms next to each other, I just cleaned it myself.

Overall: if I'd have paid full price for this I'd be demanding all our money back. We got this on black Friday, which was made a point of, didn't feel that was necessary. The fact we got it for half price, all the staff were really nice, if a little run off their feet or inexperienced, aqua class was hilarious and fun; I felt I just about got what I paid for (including over £200 on my treatments). We laughed our way through it and the girls in my group made it excellent, but honestly, time for a revamp. Do not pay full price to go here, you will be...