University Arms, Autograph Collection

“Wonderful place to stay in Cambridge.”

I recently had the pleasure to stay at the University Arms Hotel in Cambridge ,U.K. It is located right in the center of the city so very convenient! The hotel is beautifully decorated, the rooms are spacious and comfortable. The members of the staff are professional, kind, courteous, helpful an… more

I recently had the pleasure to stay at the University Arms Hotel in Cambridge ,U.K. It is located right in the center of the city so very convenient! The hotel is beautifully decorated, the rooms are spacious and comfortable. The members of the staff are professional, kind, courteous, helpful and smiling! There is everything you could possibly want for breakfast. I enjoyed my stay immensely and highly recommend this hotel. One last thing, the scones are delicious!

less

“Nice hotel - but no staff spoke to me for 3 days...”

Lots to like about this hotel - historic building, great location, typical Marriott well-oiled-machine. And yet... Just spent three days here, and I think it's fair to say I've never felt so neglected as a guest at a supposedly posh hotel. First, the good stuff. Paid about £220 per night for a sma… more

Lots to like about this hotel - historic building, great location, typical Marriott well-oiled-machine. And yet... Just spent three days here, and I think it's fair to say I've never felt so neglected as a guest at a supposedly posh hotel. First, the good stuff. Paid about £220 per night for a small but nice room. TBF, the hotel has proper olde worlde charm (my grandparents used to stay here in the 1950s when visiting my dad, who was a student at the time, so I drink the 'University Arms' Kool Aid story) . Service and operations were, as you'd expect from Marriott, efficient. Nothing went wrong - no complaints. Next, the bad stuff: service. Just because it's a nice hotel and nothing went wrong, doesn't mean it was a good stay. I checked in on a Thursday night and left Sunday morning, and literally, no-one talked to me in between. When I checked in, the person was polite, but barely looked up from her computer screen behind reception when checking me in. Exactly the same on Sunday morning when I left. Eyes down, looking at the computer, robotic. And between that - Thursday night and Sunday morning - nobody uttered a word to me. OK, I was coming and going, doing stuff at the University, not having breakfast at the hotel. But to spend three nights/four days at a posh hotel and nobody speaks to you...? Literally, you walk in through the lobby, and the staff are just eyes-down, looking at their laptops behind reception. No attempt to make eye contact or engage with guests. It was such a weird - not bad, just weird - experience that I felt obliged to spend time writing a long review. Hope it's helpful. Bottom line: Of the two 'top' Cambridge hotels, swerve The University Arms, go to the The Graduate by Hilton instead, which is about the same price. Less historic charm, but better rooms, better public areas and infinitely more personal service.

less

“Expected more”

The hotel itself is very nice, and the rooms are spacious. However, service was lacking. We were here as a group for my brother's wedding, and the hotel did nothing to acknowledge this or make it special. Even the service we had during tea after the ceremony at Parker's Tavern was just awful. It wa… more

The hotel itself is very nice, and the rooms are spacious. However, service was lacking. We were here as a group for my brother's wedding, and the hotel did nothing to acknowledge this or make it special. Even the service we had during tea after the ceremony at Parker's Tavern was just awful. It was pretty upsetting to everyone, and I really expected more from one of the "nicer" hotels in Cambridge. Also the beds were beyond firm, stiff as a board. Next visit we will be staying elsewhere.

less