I really want to like this hotel, it is well located, room size is great and the view over the cathedral can't be beaten an the bed is incredibly comfortable. Unfortunately I felt more like a minor irritant than a valued customer. Requests I made all took reminders before action taken and as no staff provided updates I wasn't sure if things just took time, systems of communication were broken or they'd just forgotten. Broken fridge finally replaced on day 3 of visit after three requests. On reminder after second request was told someone would be up straight away only to be told an hour later when I went back to reception (at no point did it occur to staff to proactively contact the room) that the maintenance team had gone home for the day. As we were staying for 12 nights I made a request on 22 Dec for the room to be serviced. This was not done. Made a 2nd request on 24 Dec and someone put new towels on the bed and gave more toilet rolls but bed not changed, room not hoovered, surfaces not wiped etc. Finally on 27th Dec after third request the bed was changed. When TV lost sound a maintenance engineer did come up straight away to fix it which was great. Both my room key card and my partners key card defaulted like clockwork between 48-72 hours so had to get them reset 6 times during our stay. I was told that this was unfortunate and that we both must have put them by mobile phones or credit cards. On my last night I took our complementary drinks voucher (that I'd had to ask for which always makes you feel like it's given begrudgingly) to the bar and ordered a beer and prosecco. Was told the voucher only covers one drink (fair enough) so amended my order and said to pay for the beer with the voucher and I'd change the prosecco order to a glass or champagne. Was told you didn't serve champagne by the glass to which I replied yes you do (as I had 3 glasses on earlier visits to the bar) but was told firmly again that champagne was not served by the glass. At this point I just gave up and we left the bar. I'm afraid I spent most of the 12 days just hoping nothing went wrong as I dreaded having to make any request as I knew the outcome would be I'd get a little annoyed. I am sure all your staff intend to do their jobs to the best of their abilities and I don't want this to sound like a personal attack on any one of them as it must be hard to deliver high levels of customer service when you feel you are being moaned at by people all the time but there is little attention to detail. Although I felt like the moany woman from room 112 no one ever remembered my room number or asked my name. Small things like remembering someone's name, room number, making eye contact and wishing someone good morning do matter to the experience. Your room service staff were very good at this always saying good morning but staff on reception would respond to greetings but never initiate them. You have a young bar man named Will who was very good at checking the details and it was nice to see him checking glasses prior to using them. One of the reasons I wanted the room serviced is that being resident for 12 days I wanted to make sure that we didn't add to the wear and tear, it's quite clear that the black mold on the shower screen and the need to re-grout the tiles is because of stagnant water.

The entrance was dull and uninspirational, being that it was Christmas I thought the entrance could have reflected that. Reception was polite and welcoming to us. We went to our room and was very disappointed. The carpet was thread bear, the chair in disrepair and grubby, the net curtains fraying and the room was cold. Not at all welcoming and we had booked the privilege room. We of course did not expect the Ritz but I do not expect the fixtures and fitting to look like they have come out of a secondhand shop. We chose the hotel for convenience to the great restaurants in Winchester so we could walk (due to not wanting to use public services, taxis or drive re: Covid) as it was my birthday. In our opinion it could do with an overhaul. We would have been happier to pay more and have got a nicer room. We did not take breakfast as we did not feel confident in the general hygiene of the place. What was hygiene/cleanliness like in the areas you can not see if you room which is visual is so poor.

Relaxing stay, room was a bit dated though and small but ok, will stay again!

The staff were very friendly and the food was good.

Good

Really enjoyed our stay , all the staff were very friendly, check in was very easy , hotel rooms are tired but as our stay was a groupon deal we were satisfied as it was such a good price . The hotel is in a great location in the centre . Breakfast was ok , not the best as I think it had been on the hot plate for a while , the pastries were nice cereal etc, again for the price we wouldn’t complain, amazing view of the cathedral! . Loved Winchester, would definitely stay here again .

Stayed one night bed and breakfast and although it was a good breakfast, the room was not so good. The kettle had a broken lid handle, the water in the sink drained away very slowly and the heater was not working. I was about to complain about no heat but found a portable heater in the cupboard although that did not give a very good output. It was a night for going to bed early to keep warm. Could have used the bar but that was full with party goers!! All issues I raised with the receptionist on our departure

We didn’t realise the Wessex Hotel Was dog friendly and now will become a regular place to stay while visiting family in Winchester. Staff always helpful and polite. Rooms have had an upgrade and very well presented

I had low expectations when booking this Mercure due to its looks and the book can very much be judged by its cover here. This is pretty low down on the sort of thing that should be allowed to be built adjacent to the cathedral. In an ideal world this would be demolished and rebuilt in a much more sympathetic style rather than given money to refurbish it back into modernity. With that said, the staff have done a bang up job maintaining this museum.

The Wessex is very well located, but is tired and needs an upgrade. I’ve stayed here several times as it’s OK, reasonably priced, but by no means perfect. Tiles and basin were cracked, mattress was not very comfortable, but staff were lovely. If you need a place to sleep, it’s great, but luxury it is not.

Warm and safe welcome, room clean and tidy. Every member of staff we met was incredibly enthusiastic to ensure all visitors to the Wessex hotel had everything they needed as soon as possible, thanks to Bex and her fabulous team.

We stayed here for four lovely nights over Christmas. A great room overlooking the cathedral. A friendly and personable staff who worked really hard to make our stay safe and enjoyable. Service was above and beyond. All of this - as well as the perfect location right in the heart of Winchester.

We had a problem finding the hotel. My fault. No satnav and no map prepared. It was a dark and wet evening. On arrival, we had a good welcome at reception and speedy check in. The restaurant was closed. We happily ate in the lounge bar. Good and friendly service and the food was acceptable. Breakfast was buffet style. All places find it hard to keep everything hot. A pity. I am sorry there was not full yoghurt. Only 0% fat. The rooms were excellent. Well kept and spacious. Ours had a good view of the cathedral. If anything the bed was unnecessarily wide. Excellent location in the city centre. And for our visit to the cathedral.

Having stayed at this hotel 4 years ago i was disappointed to see that the rooms looked very tired and in need of TIC all over. It was a bit disconcerting that there was paint flaking off ceiling and on bath side. The room was very cold that was after turning heat up high. After a bit of investigating i found a heater which worked and left our room nice and cosy . Whilst staying each time we passed through the hotel lobby there was always someone complaining . I didn't want to add to the list of complaints but i really didn't think we had value for money considering the room was over £150 be night but it's location is what made it a good place to stay being next door to the cathedral and easy access for the town maybe now having a Travelodge next door the hotel will start being looked after properly.

We were charged £188 for a one night stay because it was a busy Saturday night. That was our choice, but the 4-star rating was not our decision. Rooms were cold and messy (dust and a discarded fingernail). The whole place needed a refurb, and clearly did not get one during lockdown. I get the impression Winchester is booming, so why bother to invest? The restaurant was shut. The young staff were all fab and get my full support for their efforts. Their bosses? No thanks.