I was frankly less than impressed with the Winchester Royal Hotel, and for £120 a night I expected far more.

Firstly parking is terrible, though I suppose the hotel cannot be entirely blamed for this. The whole hotel is shabby and dated, with wallpaper stained and hanging from the walls, stained furniture and bathroom appliances, and a 'retirement home fresh' scent in all areas.

For £120 a night I'd have at least expected extra pillows and bath oils to be provided, but they're not. I'd also have expected the lights and TV in the room to function properly, but they didn't.

On the upside the staff are very friendly (although we were initially sent to the wrong room with the wrong key), and the food is satisfactory (though some would say over-priced). The hotel is well located for those wishing to explore Winchester and the surrounding area.

In summary, I've stayed in more impressive Travel Lodges - the Winchester Royal does not offer what I would call value for money.

Fantastic location in centre of town, with the potential to be a lovely hotel BUT it was actually most disappointing. Most of the rooms seem to be located in an ugly new wing, only half of which overlook the gardens. The bathrooms are equivalent to a travel lodge with the shower barely dribbling water. The wallpaper is tired and peeling off the walls, with aged lino on the bathroom floor. The heating had not been turned on and the room was freezing when we arrived. The furniture in the room was dated and the corridors were lit with office ceiling lights. Even after our room had been cleaned, the bed had not been made properly, such that the bedspread had merely been pulled over to hid the still rumpled sheets underneath. Further, breakfast was poor. It took over 20 minutes for our toast and tea/coffee to arrive,. When it did, the toast was cold. We then had to endure speakers blasting out terrible music and chat from the radio into the breakfast room as we ate. The only joy to the hotel was the central location and the Twinings tea bags! The staff were not overly helpful and seemed to enjoy talking to each other at length rather than serving customers. Not very professional.

The hotel had helpful service with good food. My room was clean, comfortable with a nice deep bath tub, although the wallpaper was rather elderly! I enjoyed very peaceful nights even though the hotel was full.

Stayed here for business & it was perfectly nice.
The hotel were very helpful & Rachel on reception couldn't have been more helpful. As we had business meetings in Winchester for 2 days, they let us park for the day prior to our stay with no problem (just pop into reception & collect a permit)
Checkin was a breeze. The walk to the room was a little long but they did offer assistance with luggage :)
The room itself was rather "travelodge" like in its simplicity - with more expensive furnishings! It wasn't luxury but far from basic. Spotlessly clean, adequate (though small) bathroom & overall no problems at all.
Breakfast was good - plenty of it & freshly cooked. Unlike most other places there were plenty of staff on at breakfast too - and the fact that they spoke excellent English really helped!
Checkout was smooth, even though you could tell they were very busy they had a smile and were very courteous - somethig sadly lacking in so many hotels today.
Would I stay here again? Definitely if work are paying! I'm not sure I felt it was worth £100 a night from my own pocket but then again it was nice & if you want somewhere central, the extra you pay is outweighed by the free parking!