Hoar Cross Hall Reviews 

I hope this is not an indication of what is to come, but I have contacted Hoarcross Hall five times in the last week or so, and the telephone has not been answered within the first 20 minutes so far !!!

We were promised we could get a refund should the hotel close for COVID restrictions but this was not honoured, a gift card was presented. We have spent a small fortune on this experience only to find we could not book key dates: birthdays / anniversaries etc. And also the times for our treatment and food are automatically allocated and the hotel would not change this. I don't want to eat breakfast early on a relaxing weekend or a late night dinner at 9pm when I'd rather be asleep, alongside a treatment starting as late as 5pm. My emails have been ignored for the last few months so I'm already frustrated by the experience so far!

Having searched for a high-quality, luxury spa break experience we came across HCH. We booked several months in advance and were looking forward to our stay – however it was clear from the outset that the Hotel, Spa & Reservations teams were all severely disjointed. We tried several times to get a proper itinerary for our stay, with clear booking times and a summary of the room we had booked. Reservations Team were impossible to get hold of, ignoring multiple emails and providing little information over the phone.

Upon arrival, we were told we had a lunch reservation and that a member of staff would lead us directly to the restaurant – Hugo’s. Arriving at Hugo’s we were told that the Spa was very busy and we’d have to queue with other guests to have lunch – making our reservation void. Since we still didn’t have our itinerary, including the times for our Spa Treatments, we were concerned that we’d not have enough time to eat. Our concerns were picked up by the Guest Liaison Manager who kindly dealt with the matter and we were once again looking forward to our stay.

We checked into our room (226) after lunch and found that it had not been cleaned properly – with no toilet paper, the previous Guest’s used toiletries in the Shower, litter in bins, and a wet robe. The view from our window additionally involved a skip full of waste.

Having alerted the Hotel Reception Manager to these issues, we were assured that the Room would be serviced again and checked by a supervisor before we returned from our pre-booked Spa Treatments.

We returned to the room around 17:30 to shower and get dressed for Dinner in the Ballroom. Upon entering the shower, the handle fell off which prevented me from being able to turn on the water. We again brought this to the attention of the Hotel Reception Manager, who explained that Maintenance had left for the day and the only available spare room in the hotel was a small, accessible room – a far cry from the high-quality upgraded room we had paid for. The Hotel were also unwilling to refund the cost of the room for this inconvenience.

After spending the majority of the day liaising with Hotel Managers for issues, we were given a final choice to accept a full refund of our visit on the condition that we left the hotel with immediate effect. We felt we had no choice but to take this step.

HCH fell significantly short of the standard we would expect for a high-quality, luxury spa hotel. We’d travelled for over 3 hours to find we were unable to properly enjoy the spa and were suddenly faced with nowhere to stay, our plans for a high-class dinner in the Ballroom scuppered and our plans for the rest of the weekend on the brink of collapse.

A stay to relax, refresh & reinvigorate ended in nothing but heightened stress, anxiety & frustration.

Reading the reviews maybe it wasn’t because of the colour of my skin but the customer service was very unwelcoming and I was made to feel very uncomfortable.

The desk staff never called me over to ask why I was there. I told them about my appointment but they chose to ignore me twice. We was then left standing in a awkward position with loads of stares and I had to enquire with another desk staff who asked the same questions which shows they never even booked me in. On this occasion I just left as I could only imagine what the treatment would of been like moving forward. I was excited to go here but I can tell you it’s not the place for people of colour, however the review state it seems everyone has felt this way so maybe their not prejudice but the staff need to be less judgemental and more polite as I’m sure their welcoming to who they consider are an imagine of themselves. Glad to not spend my money here!

Can I first say that my partner and I had a great laugh and enjoyed the experience at HCH, this was down mainly to our sense of humour and desire to see the best in everything. That said we have some input that we feel is relevant.

Our overnight Spa break was a lovely gift which has had to wait due to covid lock down. So when we finally were able to book we were excited and couldn’t wait to get there.

The hall is a fabulous building and on arrival we were greeted with a lovely glass of prosecco and a smile

We got to our room and settled in. The room decor was tired and in need of updating – it was clean but the overall feeling was of an older, less classy hotel. Given the luxury nature of the break we expected more, I guess.

In our robes now we headed for the Spa - having checked in at 14.00 we went looking for a light lunch or a sandwich. At the coffee shop we were told that there were no facilities open now for a sandwich and that lunch bookings were all full. We asked for a slice of cake and some prosecco and headed for some outdoor seating, to be told that the only available seating outdoors would be up past reception near the ballroom , so it was indoors for now. Over thirty minutes passed during which time a waitress came and asked what we would like, we confirmed that we had already ordered and were still waiting.

The cake and prosecco arrived, I asked if I could have a serviette, it was a cream cake and it was very warm inside the atrium. The waitress had no idea where she could find one but went to ask, coming back a few mins later with two small serviettes. Prosecco and cake were delicious.

We headed for the spa, which was mostly lovely, we had a swim and then thought we would try the steam room and showers. Again, the steam room was lovely, after that we had the strange walk around set of sprays and foot massagers which were not all working, the Steam spray nozzles had maybe 6 or seven nozzles working from maybe 30 nozzles.

The hot showers and cold-water plunge pool - amazing, loved that.

We headed next door to the next pool, much warmer and lighting was very relaxing. The Volcano was very invigorating and again the experience was fun. The downside here was the finishing of the decor, The lion head fountains were not on for some reason, but these just looked like someone had taken a hammer to the mouth of each lion and hammered a hole in to fit the fountain pipe, very rough edges and not at all in keeping with a luxury spa.

The Nordic Heat and Ice rooms were amazing and highly recommended, some waiting due to the covid numbers allowed in each room but not that bad and totally understandable.

Our meal in the Ballroom in the evening was comfortable and relaxed, the restaurant was busy but not crowded and we had a great window seat with views over the back gardens.

Waiting staff were mostly wearing face masks but some would have them below their nose.

We placed our orders for the vegan options of which there were only one for each course, we ordered some sides but asked if the chips were vegan and if we could have the new potatoes without the creme fraiche. Our waiter had no idea so would ask, we did not get a response but instead the food arrived with the creme fraiche on the potatoes and no answer to the chips being vegan or not.

The Sorbet for desert was not available and we asked if there was another vegan option to which our waiter responded "Chocolate Ice cream" ... so we declined.

We finished our meal and ordered some more drinks but asked for them to be served outside at the outdoor seating , we went outside and waited for 15 mins after which I had to go in and re order.

When my partner went to the toilet she asked at the bar outside the ballroom for directions from a young waiter who was laughed at by 3 other colleagues when he admitted to not knowing . Not at all professional.

Breakfast the next day continued with lack of trained staff not knowing about dietary needs and requirements - having ordered Toast and Jam and specifically requesting that the croissants be removed we had toast and croissants delivered to the table . other than that breakfast was good and again a lovely seat and a great view.

After visiting the Spa again we had lunch at Henry's and here we had the lack of Vegan Sorbet replaced with a fruit salad which was a suggestion from the waiter.

We went for a woodland walk and a walk around the gardens after lunch to be treated by a weed filled sunken garden and an empty concrete pond /water feature on the woodland walk. Not Luxury.

Overall the decor and the rooms and the finishing touches to the spa and surrounding areas are in need of update and some TLC . The staff are mostly young and not at all trained to a standard expected from such a spa retreat. Covid could be used as an excuse, but it should have been used to update the property and train staff in advance.

Wow! What great disappointment! My daughter booked this weekend Spa away for 7 people. So much money spent and yet a complete disaster. The only thing good about it was the actual spa, but, even then, it was so full and busy that it took away the enjoyment.

After the lock down everyone rushed to the place. That was not the problem.

It was the overall experience. I am going to need another holiday break to get over this one.

Our disabled rooms had thick cobwebs all over the windows. I have pictures to prove this. There was thick hair clogging the shower, we had to complain, and they removed it. The shower chair was old and stained (pics to prove this). I sent the pictures in an email. They promised to change our rooms. They didn't! They did not offer any compensations. The shower gels were missing. They did not prepare the room. It was thick with grime and dust, we had to ask them to clean the room. When we got back they hadn't.

They made no efforts to change the condition of the room accept from taking the hair and dusting a few tables, whilst we were in the room. Disgusting! We call this 4*. Rubbish! It was more like 2*. How they can feel dignified about charging us so much money with below par service, is unbelievable.

Customer service in the dining room area was no more different. They treated us like we weren't valued. They made us wait hours on end, before food coming out cold and uncooked. The peas were frozen and still cold from being defrosted.

Two of us had stomach upsets with gasey eggy smell. Obviously, badly cooked food. Excuses upon excuses and we all bought it. But really we should have demanded compensation for a miserable stay.

Sad, they don't think much of their reputation or dignity. This company doesn't have ethics. Their protocol is do very little as possible in solving situations.

It's a shame, whereas, the concept of a spa weekend away is fantastic, it was a complete let down. I didn't see what the big fuss was about. My enjoyment derived from being with family not my stay at the Hall.

In total. Waste of money and time. Go for the One day Spa break, but I will never again sleep or eat at that Hall. To be honest, I will never go back again. It was too horrible to take another chance.

I will try a more higher rated Hall. This Hall is low rated. Rubbish all the way through

Complete Disaster

I have visited HoarCross Hall several times over the years as a day guest and for overnight stays and I always come away so happy! The food is lovely, the facilities are great and the updated bedrooms are lush!

Went in February for my daughters birthday for a spa day and it was wonderful. Would definitely recommend!

Booked an overnight stay during February 2020 in a Deluxe Classic room - the room was lovely, HOWEVER, the floor looked like it hadn't been vacuumed in forever (it was covered in ridiculous amounts of hair) and the toilet had skid marks! I went straight to reception and requested that the room was to be vacuumed and the toilet to be cleaned, which the receptionist acted on promptly and was very apologetic for. On our return back to our room, it looked so fresh and clean. Just a shame it wasn't that way when we first arrived.

Full English breakfast (buffet) - meh! It was nothing special. Consisted of sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, mushrooms, baked beans, hash browns, and toast. They don't cater for vegetarians so unless you eat meat, you won't be getting alternative sausages.

Three-course à la carte dinner served in the Ballroom - delightful!

Lunch on day of departure - consisted of 3 courses which were delightful!

Spa facilities - the best I've ever been to!

Treatment - was meant to consist of 55mins, HOWEVER, by the time the therapist collects you from the waiting area, takes you up to the room and then discusses your treatment with you, a 55min treatment actually becomes a 40min treatment. They then finish early so they can get ready for their next client.

The only big thing that let's this place down is the poor customer service.

Although this hotel and spa is absolutely gorgeous, serves lovely food and clean rooms the prices are very high. It would be nicer to see more deals going on. Over £200 for one day experience is a lot in my eyes and probably for other people. A deal would give more incentive to book and go again. But my stay over was lovely (I booked with a third party as it was drastically cheaper so I would recommend that but remember you can’t cancel!)

So I call to book a £300 spa package for my partners birthday next week with Hoarcross Hall (not been before so thought I’d try it) and asked if they could do anything as incentive to book with them direct and not Spa Breaks (considering they are both the same price, to prevent me going through 3rd party) or if they could do anything special at all for his 26th birthday and the Reservations agent was the most miserable and unhelpful person just consistently saying no, nothing we can do- in the most rude tone. Just saying I can spend even more money for more add ons. I’ve already spent £300 for a DAY which I think is enough.

Well done Hoarcross! You just lost £300.00 of revenue and your agent was more than prepared to let the sale go👍🏻

Stick to Champneys. At least you speak to humans there.

Booked 3 rooms for my daughters 21st via a 3rd party site 6 weeks in advance. Received confirmation that the rooms were secure however 2 weeks later we were informed that HoarCross Hall (HCH) were unable to provide us with the rooms. It later became clear that HCH double books to ensure all rooms are taken but then informs others as and when they get around to it. I wrote to express my disappointment with their booking procedure explaining the difficulty it had left us in due to it being a 21st birthday and we didn’t even get an apology. We are now left trying to find another venue at short notice thanks to HCH. If this is how they operate their pre-sales activities I certainly don’t want to find out how they perform with their after sales issues! Very poor indeed.

I recently went to H o a r Cross Hall with three others, on the day we enjoyed our stay. However, after coming home we saw these posts going around about a masseuse who had taken a photo of a woman on the massaging bed with just a towel around her. This was very graphic and quite unpleasant especially when the same masseuse did our massages. After contacting H o a r Cross Hall to ask for an explanation all they said was that it was a prank and it was another member of staff. However looking back on it that is a very poor excuse and it wasn't a member of staff because there wasn't a staff member who looked like her. This is very uncomfortable knowing that they are taking inappropriate photos of their clients. I would've expected a better procedure to be in place to deal with our complaint.

So overall it was a very disappointing and unsettling trip.