voco Lythe Hill Hotel & Spa by IHG — Hotel in Waverley

We recently celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary and having stayed at Lythe Hill several times in the past, we felt that it would be a good choice to have a celebratory weekend away. We last visited over 10 years ago and naively relied on our fond memories of a luxurious hotel with attentive staff rather than reading the more recent reviews, which we now regret.||Sadly our recent stay will be our last at this hotel. It wasn’t awful and we did enjoy our time away, but for the money it feels very underwhelming and just generally quite half hearted. The room was comfortable and had everything we needed but it’s nothing special and does not seem to have been updated at all since our last stay over 10 years ago, with the bathroom showing lots of wear and tear. ||The staff are generally pleasant but it feels very much that no one is enjoying their job - mainly because it feels that the hotel is grossly understaffed so the people that are there are having to take on the jobs of others. Everything therefore feels quite chaotic and detracts from what we feel should be a more luxurious experience. A few examples - ||The spa was manned by just one person who seemed to not fully know what she was doing. We were not welcomed when entering, we had to ask how it all worked and were told ‘just to warn you, it’s kids hour’. Kids ‘hour’ turned out to be for another 3 hours, essentially until we would need to leave. The staff member didn’t seem to care that this might be inconvenient and just gave us vague directions to take a towel and head to the changing rooms. There was no discussion of possible treatments, explanation of the facilities etc. Certainly not the kind of spa experience we are used to (more on the spa below).||The breakfast was completely chaotic and it felt like they needed at least double the staff they had. The lady at the entrance was flustered and explained she’d need to clean a table first, we then had to wait whilst she took payment from some people trying to leave and then she waved us vaguely in the direction of the breakfast room. No welcome, no explanation of what we should do or where things were. We sat at the table for about 10 minutes, looking around at the numerous tables of uncleared plates, not sure of what we needed to do. There was a menu on the table so we assumed we needed to wait for someone to serve us but after a while a guest at the table next to us kindly explained they had done the same the previous day and had worked out that actually it was just a buffet and they explained to us what to do/where things were. It’s quite embarrassing that the hotel is relying on other guests to explain these things. Still no one came around to ask if we needed anything else and the only interaction we had with staff was when we had to chase them down to request things to be topped up or to assist with the coffee machine. When we had finished someone came to clear the table and made us feel that they wanted us to leave asap. ||The staff give off a general impression that they don’t want people there, presumably because they are understaffed and would prefer not to have many people around to attend to. I don’t blame the staff so much, more the management who really should be ensuring that there are enough staff around to be able to provide the minimum service level that should be expected in a hotel like this. We’ve experienced more attentive staff in places like Premier Inn and Travelodge, which are obviously far cheaper.||We were also disappointed not to be able to get a late checkout - I was told on check in (via a piece of paper I was given) that as an IHG rewards member we would be able to get late checkout up to 2pm but when I went to check this I was told they could not accommodate it. As the hotel seemed fairly empty on that day I was unsure why this would be an issue.||The breakfast was adequate but again not a luxury experience. We remember when staying previously that staff came to the table and brought cooked breakfast and fresh coffee (cafetière) but now you have to queue up at a generic coffee machine (poor quality) and then help yourself to buffet style food, queuing around tables of people trying to enjoy their breakfast. It was no better in quality than cheap convenient hotels and therefore quite disappointing.||The condition of the spa also needs quite urgent attention. We recall the spa being quite a luxurious experience from our previous visits to this hotel but it now feels very dated and in places dirty. It’s disappointing that as hotel guests you don’t even get a robe/slippers - that would be a nice touch and is something we experience in other spa hotels. As above, the ‘welcome’ at the spa is non-existent and it’s very much a case of working things out for yourself. The changing rooms can’t have been updated since our visit a decade ago; they feel dark and dirty and not what you’d expect. Hair in the shower drains, a big pile of wet towels, dirty floor etc. Just not a nice thing to see when you enter. Other places we have been to have a nice atmosphere, music, lighting, products to use like moisturisers etc. It would be in the hotel’s interest to make this area more inviting as it’s the first impression you get of the ‘spa’. The sauna was broken and seems like it has been for a while and the pool and jacuzzi are quite cold. If we had been given robes we would have been happy to walk across to the nearby bar area and have drinks etc. but we didn’t feel able to do this in just towels. The bar area of the spa was unmanned so if you wanted a drink or anything you had to walk round to the reception area and then back around to the bar. When we did this the drinks selection was very limited because they were ‘awaiting a delivery’ - that was on the Saturday and by the Sunday afternoon that delivery still hadn’t arrived. They managed to find one gin and tonic can and a can of wine, but had to wash up the plastic glasses in front of me with what looked like quite a dirty cloth. It just felt very half hearted and like we were causing a problem any time we wanted something (bearing in mind the cost of drinks, I would expect better - it felt a bit like a student bar!). It would have been possible I assume for them to get some drinks from the nearby bar and bring them across to the spa but as it was we just decided not to order anything further. We didn’t pre-book treatments which is our fault but it was disappointing not to be able to get anything booked in. It sounded like there was only one person doing treatments and she finished at 4 so perhaps having more people available to do treatments would also be helpful on weekends. ||We have children ourselves so we appreciate it’s nice for them to be able to swim but we do think the hotel should restrict child swim times more than they do. The ‘children’s hour’ is essentially most of the time that hotel guests would ideally like to use the facilities meaning that the pool is often full of children and pool floats etc. We assumed children’s hour would be an hour or maybe two but actually it’s something like 10-2pm and then 4-6pm. Having arrived at the pool about 4 on the first day and then needing to leave to go for dinner about 6.30, it was disappointing not to have more quiet time at the pool. We ended up just sitting outside for most of the time, with a quick swim around the kids and floats in the water. Then the Sunday once we had checked out as required at 11am we wanted to use the pool again but obviously the children were then still allowed in until 2pm which was roughly when we needed to leave. We came away for the weekend to have a bit of a child free break, so to then have to listen to excited children all afternoon wasn’t ideal. I think they allow local people to use the facilities for a fee so it seems like there will usually be children using the pool at weekends. Having said that, it ended up being quieter on the Sunday so we did manage to enjoy some time in the pool without children around, which was a nicer experience. ||We did enjoy the grounds and lovely views and as the weather was nice we were able to sit outside and sunbathe which we enjoyed. We decided against having any other meals at the hotel as frankly we felt unwelcome and assumed any further meal experiences may be as chaotic as breakfast, so we chose to eat elsewhere. We had planned to at least have lunch/afternoon tea at the hotel and would have had treatments and drinks at the spa as above, so the hotel is missing out on money due to the service levels and understaffing. It’s a shame, as with some tweaks and updates the hotel could be lovely, but they do need to update the spa (maybe include some outdoor hot tubs, provide robes etc). They also need more staff to ensure that a better customer service can be provided. The grounds are lovely but could do with some general maintenance. It really doesn’t feel worth the money we spent and in comparison to hotels of a similar cost, it feels very overpriced for what you get. It certainly doesn’t feel ‘premium’ which is what the brand apparently is classed as. We came away feeling disappointed and as such, we will not be returning or recommending this hotel to others, as we have done...

I hate to give negative feedback but I do feel by doing so it can also constructive.

We booked online about 12 days before arrival and it was extremely difficult to reach anyone on the phone. It was our anniversary and it was booking for my husband as a surprise and I wanted to arrange extras. I was able to get hold of reception via email who said they would arrange for a bottle of prosecco to be placed in our room. However if we wanted treatments at the spa we needed to contact them directly. I tried via phone, leaving voicemails with my details as requested and I never received a call back. In the end I had a response via email and it would take a few days for them to reply when I asked questions about pricing and times ect. In the end they stopped answering my emails. I had asked for treatments for my husband and I the day after we arrived as we were staying for two nights...

When arriving at the hotel I just had a feeling to ask if the prosecco had been placed in the room and the receptionist said that information wasn't passed on to her... so that was the first thing. I didnt want my husband to know so I was a little disappointed. I also asked about the spa bookings she said we had to go down to the spa reception and speak to them personally.

The receptionist then sent a complentary bottle of prosecco to our room which I thought was very sweet.

We then headed to the spa reception and they also apologised regarding the lack of the communication but said that a slot had been reserved for only one treatment for us the next day. I was quite disappointed to say the least and again I've had to arrange all of this infront of my husband so there was no element of surprise.

We had dinner at the restaurant which was nice. Limted menu and expensive but the cocktails were lovely as was the service.

The next day we had our breakfast which we thoroughly enjoyed. We went to the spa after and asked if we could split the one treatment into two small ones and we had a 25min massage each. The reception placed a 20% discount for our trouble. My husband went first and enjoyed his. My massage was quite painful and I was wincing during the massage I was a little embarrassed to ask to stop after we made an issue with having a treatment each. The next day I actually had a bruising around my shoulder blade on the left side and when I moved my arm it was very sore. The sauna and steam were lovely I really enjoyed them. However the pool was so so cold it took our breath away. Many of the other guests were also complaining.

The grounds are stunning and I love that the hotel has a historical element that they should definitely focus more on.

We went back to our room and saw that our TV was no longer working and so we called reception and the young lad said he will send maintenance around within the hour. We waited an hour and decided to venture into the local town, as we passed reception we said we were going out. The young lad said that maintenance have more important issues to do around the hotel and we wasn't priority but when they have finished they will go into the room and sort it out for us.

When we returned to our room the TV was still not working so we called back reception and the staff had changed and the young lady said that the information hadn't been passed on to her and the maintenance team had gone home so it would not be fixed till tomorrow. She said she would check if all the rooms were the same. She then called us back and said that they were and that she would offer us two course meal in the restaurant that night. That was very nice but our plan was to stay in our room and relax for the last night.

I have a back ground in tourism management and my observation was there was staffing and communication issues. All the staff we encountered were very polite and courteous, apart from the young lad who I felt was quite rude and lacked good customer service. We were guests for a special reason and I felt becasue of the issues it didn't make the occasion for us as special as it...

Having raised concerns regarding our stay with reception at the time and also sending an email several days later - I have heard nothing from this hotel. Clearly you think very little of your guests.

Luke on reception was welcoming and showed us to the steps leading up to our room - one of two rooms accessed up some outside steps and then a short flight of stairs. A hoover was left on the landing - surely the area should be kept clear as it is a fire exit.

The room was very warm, facing onto a brick wall with a bank of air-con units below (not working during our stay). Decor was a tired, access to power points was difficult - located behind beds/furniture that we had to move. Pillows were synthetic, and not comfortable. No bottled water in the room, although there was a kettle and tea/coffee, you had to move a dressing table to plug the kettle in.

In the morning I had a shower - the 'hot water' being tepid at best, despite letting it run for a number of minutes. Basic stuff to get right. Only one of us was brave/foolish to try.

The shower pipe was in a poor state of repair and the bathroom had peeling and cracked paintwork and mould on tiles, you expect better from a 4* hotel. Just to finish off my frustrations, there were no spoons in the room to stir our coffee - small problem I know, but this is all mounting up!

I went down to reception and explained to a young woman about the lack of hot water and spoons in the room. Her response was they have received comments from other guests about the water and suggested I should have left it running for a while! I am sorry, should the hotel not be investigating and sorting the issue out. I left the water running for about 4 or possible 5 minutes - still tepid, not an acceptable situation. The Receptionist said someone would email me regarding my complaint. There was not one acknowledgment of empathy during this exchange.

Breakfast - on offer was Coffee/tea and a small selection of pastries, yogurt and fresh fruit were set out around a small bar area. In another part of the restaurant trays of piled up with cooked food with small burners under each to keep ‘warm’. God only knows how long it had sat there, but the bacon had congealed and was stone cold on top and not much better the deeper you went, the scrambled egg was not made with fresh egg but made with egg powder and was disgusting and again tepid at best. The only item of food that seemed to have any heat in it were the baked beans. If you are going to serve food this way, only put out a small amount and keep replenishing with fresh, hot food.

We spoke to the assistant manager pointing out the food was cold. In fairness he offered us freshly cooked food, but to be honest, I was now pretty shocked at what was transpiring. He and the chef came out and took some trays away, but in the meantime guest had arrived and helped themselves to eggs, and then stood waiting for ages for the bacon/sausages, before finally staff offered to bring their breakfast to them once things were sorted out - communication is key to keeping guests happy.

We did witness staff eventually replacing all the trays and bringing out smaller quantities of food and replenishing the serving dishes.

Several couples attempted to sit at window tables only to be rather abruptly asked if they were a group of 4 and then told they couldn’t sit there, and would have to move, again no apology or help to carry items to another table. One couple dropped something on the table and the guy clearing the tables just used his hand to brush it off - very hygienic!

They insisted we paid £139 on arrival. For this we had a room that was too hot, with tired decoration, view into a brick wall (avoid Room 303 at all costs), paper thin walls, a shower with no hot water (the hotel knew about this) and a breakfast so below par that it...