Winchester Royal Hotel

Reviews

1. Mine Osan ★★★★★

   A historic hotel set in a beautiful old building with a long history. It is located right in the heart of Winchester, with everything within easy walking distance. Winchester train station is around a 7–8 minute walk away, which makes the location very convenient. The hotel itself is lovely and very well maintained. Despite being a historic building, the rooms feel refreshed and well looked after, and they were spotlessly clean. The rooms are well equipped with everything you might need. The staff were friendly, welcoming and very helpful throughout my stay. There is an open buffet breakfast available in the mornings, and for an additional charge the hotel also has a very nice restaurant serving traditional British and pub style dishes. The garden restaurant area is particularly pleasant. I stayed here for work and found it to be calm and comfortable, with fast internet that allowed me to work and attend online meetings without any issues. I was also travelling with my dog, and I was really pleased to find a dog bed, water bowl and even a small treat waiting in the room, which made a big difference for me. I would happily stay here again and it would definitely be my first choice if I return to Winchester.

   almost 2 months ago
2. Keith Wrigley ★★★☆☆

   Firstly, this is absolutely NOT a 4-star hotel which reception admit when you arrive (and can see for yourself). "3-star but trying to be a 4" was what we were told and I fear that might be hard to achieve without a considerable spend. Claiming & advertising to be a 4-star is not acceptable nor honest and is false advertising. The hotel is externally very ordinary & looks a little bit tired and is desperate for some TLC and In need of bringing up to muster in some areas. Location wise, it is hard to fault, but the standard rooms looked more B&B than 4-star. Our room had a std double bed despite requesting a room with a king size as I'm 6'4" and recovering from a serious medical condition. We were upgraded to a suite without extra cost which was a nice large room with dark wood furniture and a large canopy bed that was so high it had steps either side. For what we paid, we were happy with the room, but if I had paid the full suite room rate, I'd have been disappointed. The single glazed window frames REALLY need painting and do nothing to exclude external noise, the curtains were threadbare and there were various areas that need basic decorative attention. Tha bathroom was fine but basic, especially for a 'suite'. The breakfast area (garden room) is the nicest part of the hotel and the staff are very accommodating. We stayed while the Christmas markets were on and it was disappointing to see how little effort had been made to make the hotel look welcoming & festive despite a few Christmas trees. The bar for example has 4x paper snowflakes hanging and that is all, which is not making the most of the building or to make guests feel festive when Winchester looked so good! A few period feel garlands in the public areas would have made a huge difference. We were given a free drinks voucher for booking direct but they fell over themselves to point out to colleagues at the bar that this is a "small measure of house wine only" ( repeated several times ), not the glass of bubbly we were promised on checking in. We enjoyed our time in Winchester which is a beautiful city, but probably wouldn't recommend the hotel despite being so conveniently placed. It's just not quite nice enough. It's frustrating that the cost of making the place feel more welcoming is really not huge, but hasn't been done. Huge potential to be a classic historic hotel yet to be released... It was our 25th anniversary and nothing was done to recognise that or even mention it. We were offered a 10:00 am breakfast on the Monday morning by reception only to be called in the room at 9:30 to be told that breakfast had finished so we needed to get down there quickly. Not the end of the world, but not the most relaxing way to start a day. Staff were lovely, hotel was very warm and the parking was convenient if you were lucky enough to grab a space. Without being unkind, I think the photographs used to promote the hotel have been extremely strategic and slightly misleading...

   almost 2 months ago
3. Rebecca Burdge ★★★★★

   The clear choice for a stay in Winchester. The Hotel is beautiful, and situated in the heart of Winchester Close to the shops, restaurants, Cathedral and Cinema. The staff are attentative and clearly enjoy what they do as they are always smiling, polite and happy to help. I felt relaxed and at home here. The rooms offer all you need, tea and coffee are provided as well as towels, shampoo & body wash. It would be nice to have two pillows per person but not essential. The line is cotton and of a high standard. In the Garden rooms you can open the windows (there is a catch so they only open partially but it's enough to get some fresh air and not feel boxed in) Parking is an extra but is not over priced and the carpark is secure although not very well sign posted. A sign from the upper car park to reception would be very helpful also. The hotel and rooms are spotlessly clean, this includes the carpeting. Breakfast has a great selection and the coffee is excellent. The house keepers are diligent and respectful and the bar staff are professional and good fun! Overall a fantastic stay, I would highly recommend. Thank you to the staff for making such a difference.

   almost 4 months ago

1. Mary OS ★★★★☆

   My mother and I recrntly stayed at the Winchester Royal for four nights. The hotel has a great location - it is in a quiet street very close to the town centre. This was perfect for my mother, who has mobility issues and uses a walking frame. She booked an 'accessible' room and I had a room opposite with a garden view. My room was fine; however, there were a few issues with my mother's - most notably the bathroom (wet-room), which flooded every time she used the shower. The floor was uneven and pools of water collected all over it. Putting these issues aside, the rest of the hotel experience was excellent. The staff were all friendly, helpful and professional, and a special mention should go to Subha in the hotel restaurant, whose service was impeccable and who made us feel very welcome at all times. The hotel garden was lovely and we enjoyed having tea and cakes out there. We would not hesitate to stay at the Royal again. I would suggest, though, that attention is paid to fixing the issues in the 'accessible' bedroom, to make it perfect for future guests.

   almost 4 months ago
2. JANNIE ★★★★★

   Stayed September 2025 . Best hotel for service we have ever encountered. Every member of staff were friendly, helpful, smartly turned out and polite. No request was too much trouble and all performed with a smile . They had even left balloons, birthday card ,including free drinks voucher, for my friend in our room, which was a lovely surprise for her to walk into ( thank you team) The hotel itself & rooms were very homely, yet felt quite opulent and extremely clean throughout. The bar was absolutely lovely with a wonderfully relaxed feel & led out onto the large , well maintained garden and patio area. We will definitely return to Winchester and not hesitate to book a room at this wonderful hotel again. A well deserved , all round 10/10 .

   almost 4 months ago
3. Mark Pullen ★★★★★

   We recently stayed for 2 nights. The hotel is in a fantastic location walking distance to all the local sights, shops, pubs and restaurants. We had dinner on day 1, cream tea day 2 and breakfast both mornings. Staff were brilliant and very attentive, food was really good. Mattress and shower could be better but that said we found it great value for money and really enjoyed our stay.

   almost 3 years ago

1. Thomas Greenwood ★★★★☆

   Great location in centre of Winchester in a building with plenty of character. Staff were friendly and room service was pretty quick and the food was pretty good. We stayed in a room in the newish wing overlooking the garden. The room itself was fine, but nothing too special but no complaints - we both slept well. Overall we enjoyed ourselves and would consider coming back. Thanks Winchester Royal! PS the hotel is quite honest about its parking so don't expect a space if you arrive late. There is parking around the city centre so you won't have to go far.

   almost 3 years ago
2. Fi H ★★★★★

   Went for a wedding and spent a couple of nights in suites 118 & 115. The hotel is very clean and I surprisingly found no faults with the cleanliness of the bathrooms. The rooms are spacious and comfortable. I had the most amazing sleep. The staff was friendly, efficient, and resourceful. The food was delicious. The garden is beautiful and the hotel itself has lovely charm. If I'm back in Winchester again this would be my first consideration. I highly recommend this hotel.

   almost 3 years ago
3. Kim Cordell ★★★☆☆

   The staff we encountered were all extremely friendly and helpful and the hotel could not have been in a better location to quickly get to the city centre. We had dinner in the hotel on our second night which was delicious too. However, the room clearly hadn’t had a deep clean for a while- lots of cobwebs and layers of dust on the lampshades, mildew on the net curtains, flaky paint in areas and it just felt like it needed looking after. The hotel was comfortable but did need updating in areas.

   almost 3 years ago

1. liz oliver ★★☆☆☆

   Wonderful location but that’s about it. Booked a room with a garden view but was put in one overlooking a car park. I was moved when I complained. Decor dated and in need of refurbishment. No vanity mirror or cosmetic lighting in bathroom. No drawers in room. The bar closed at 10.40pm. Breakfast was ok but no hash browns and I had to ask twice for butter. Overpriced.

   almost 3 years ago

FAQs