Mercure Winchester Wessex Hotel 4 stars

Staff are lovely. Made sure i was comfortable and had everything i needed… some house keepers seemed rude but wasn’t a problem. Room was also very nice and comfortable beds. Didn’t have any issues and staff were will to have a chat!

One night stay. Bed room was large and airy with good air conditioning and the ability to open windows as well. The bed was large but a little too firm to give a totally relaxing sleep. Breakfast was a good choice in a very pleasant room with views across to the cathedral. Parking was a big plus. A very enjoyable stay.

Positives - good location and friendly-ish staff Negatives - hotel is in really poor state. Rooms are really tired re decor. Needs redecorating and updating. Eg bathroom door had a hole in it and bath was chipped. Also shower was terrible. I couldn’t stand underneath it without bending down. In the restaurant, the windows that overlooked the cathedral were all misted up - because the seals had gone. And one was boarded up! It looks really uncared for and needs improving.

From the view of Winchester Cathedral to the top-notch staff and comfortable suite, I was happy I called this hotel home while on business. There are great paths and sidewalks to take a walkabout at the end of a stressful day or just to take in the views. Couldn’t be better located.

Generally this hotel is a good place to stay, particularly for being located in the heart of the city. The rooms, however, are worn off a bit and need some rework. I am thinking of window curtains with torn edges, broken or missing handles on closet drawers, mould in the bath screen, to name a few. Also, the room service was not satisfying at all. Not only the complimentary short bread and tea bags weren't replenished, also the cleaning of washbasin and mirror obviously did not take place, let alone long hair found on the floor and in the bath tub AFTER room service was done. Last but not least, neither hand wash nor shower gel were replenished, even though I had left a note indicating these were empty. The breakfast offered is OK, only thing I missed was the zizzling pot of real porridge which used to be there the last time.