****The Belfry have offered us a complimantary return visit including bed, breakfast and a spa session****
I booked a Sunday night spa package for myself and a friend through SpaBreak. Having used the De Vere, Swindon as the reception venue for my wedding last year, I was expecting it to be fabulous.
I was sent a confirmation email advising me that rooms were guaranteed from 3pm. We planned our journey to arrive soon after 3 so that we could get settled in right away, and make the most of our short time break.
We arrived at reception at 3.40pm and were told by reception that the room was not ready. She offered no explanation, and little apology, despite confirming that rooms were guaranteed from 3pm. We were told to ‘try again in half an hour’. She did not assure us that the room would be ready then, nor did she direct us to the lounge or any other place we could spend the half hour. We wandered away aimlessly from reception, too stunned to complain. Eventually we were directed to the sports bar by the (very helpful) doorman.
When we returned in 40 minutes (well we didn’t want to walk all the way back to find the room still not ready) reception had to phone through to check our room was ready. At this point, no-one confirmed our dinner reservations to us, or confirmed we were booked into the Aqua Spa the next day. We were left to hope that when we turned up, we would be booked in.
The room turned out to be reasonable, but certainly not the expected high standard of a four star hotel. It smelt strongly of smoke, despite being a non-smoking room. The sheets on the beds were faded, tattered and ripped, and the bed was made so the sheet did not reach the bottom. It was also rather cold, but nothing compared to the igloo that was the lift. Every time we got in there we came out with teeth chattering, and there did not seem to be any stairs nearby as an alternative option.
The following day we arrived at the spa for our two hour session. The spa was lovely…
Except for the broken feature showers meaning a wait for the only one that worked…
And the Sanarium was closed.
The Sanarium was the room we were expecting to enjoy the most as my friend does not like the intense heat of the Sauna. The sign on the door was dated early February so there is no reason people could not be informed that it wasn’t usable, and then be able to decide if they still wished to book the Aqua Spa.
As you can imagine, my friend and I were extremely disappointed in our stay, which we had been looking forward to as a real pampering experience. We understand that occasionally rooms may be delayed or things may break, but the attitude of the reception staff was awful. If a room is guaranteed and then not ready, you would expect a proper apology and some kind of compensation. As the first people you meet, the reception staff do not give a good impression. I was shocked that no-one confirmed any of our reservations to us.
And as for the Spa, I see no reason why people should pay the full amount when whole areas are out of order. Especially when they are not informed until they try to use them and can’t!
My opinion of De Vere Hotels has fallen rather rapidly since my stay at The Belfry, which I would have expected to have been the best.
****UPDATE**** Thanks for comments so far, I have written to complain and will let you know the outcome. Also, the Sanarium is just one room of lots in the spa so although they should have told us, and it was disappointing, we were still able to use most of the facilities in the spa area.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Well done on getting a complementary return visit, we had terrible problems at a hotel in the Midlands last weekend, and have also been invited back for a stay, problem is, why can't they just get things right in the first place.
Sue
petitesquirt 08.03.2004 08:25
I would have complained to the manager there and then!
weenawoo 05.03.2004 15:30
Glad to see from your update that you'll not be letting them get away with low levels of service. The Belfry used to be good - I think it might be something to do with De Vere hotels that it now sounds pretty c***. Jo
(By the way, welcome to Ciao - think you'll probably get a warmer welcome here than at the Belfry - hope so anyway!)
Set in 550 acres of the finest English countryside The Belfry is in the heart of the ... more
country yet only minutes away from major motorway networks and Birmingham International Airport As the spiritual home of The Ryder Cup and now host to the Quinn Dire...
Information:
Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
very helpful by (41%):
helpful by (59%):
