Doubletree By Hilton Cheltenham

“Excellent overnight stay.”

A cheerful and helpful reception, smart newly decorated room 427, an enjoyable freshly cooked and well presented evening meal in the restaurant and rounded off with a very good selection at breakfast. I found it hard to reconcile how lovely our overnight stay was with some previous reviews. All st… more

A cheerful and helpful reception, smart newly decorated room 427, an enjoyable freshly cooked and well presented evening meal in the restaurant and rounded off with a very good selection at breakfast. I found it hard to reconcile how lovely our overnight stay was with some previous reviews. All staff were lovely and Alfie who looked after us at dinner was brilliant. Plenty of hot water, immaculate bedding and good size towels.

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“Good quality hotel on the outskirts of Cheltenham”

Good quality hotel on the outskirts of Cheltenham. I went there for a College Reunion dinner, held at the hotel. The meal was fine and generally well-organised with good service. I was happy with my room which was clean, with an en-suite and working wi-fi. Parking is available. Without a car, it's … more

Good quality hotel on the outskirts of Cheltenham. I went there for a College Reunion dinner, held at the hotel. The meal was fine and generally well-organised with good service. I was happy with my room which was clean, with an en-suite and working wi-fi. Parking is available. Without a car, it's a longish walk into town.

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“Nice Hotel – but a few minor things to sort out”

Overview I was right in not believing the 1* star reviews but the 5* ones are also slightly over the top. As I indicate below, there were a number of “niggles”, minor in themselves, but cumulatively they add up to reduce my verdict on the hotel to only 4*. Check-In I am not quite sure why it wa… more

Overview I was right in not believing the 1* star reviews but the 5* ones are also slightly over the top. As I indicate below, there were a number of “niggles”, minor in themselves, but cumulatively they add up to reduce my verdict on the hotel to only 4*. Check-In I am not quite sure why it was necessary to check-in before bringing the bags in from the car. Whilst we were able to park quite close to the front door this was not a problem but if you were any distance away this could be a nuisance – especially if raining! The check-in brownie was nice, though! Room Whilst not the largest deluxe room I have ever had, it was well appointed and clean with air conditioning (apparently not currently connected), iron and ironing board, coffee making facilities, etc. However, like most UK hotels, there was no minibar which would be useful in the summer. Unfortunately, there was a leak under the carpet near the bathroom on our second day. We reported this on our way out and, as it could not be fixed, we were given the keys to the adjacent room on our return. It was only after moving rooms I realised that the light switches were incorrectly wired in the first room. Both light switches by the front door turned on the main room lights but neither of them turned on the desk light which was the case in the second room. I reported this to reception and assume that it will be fixed. It might be a good idea if this sort of thing is checked in all rooms as they have their refurbishment completed. The new room had a communicating door into the next room. The sound proofing of this door was inadequate and I could clearly hear an American-accented call well after midnight. So, I would recommend asking for a room without a communicating door unless, of course, you want one! The internet was good in both rooms. Meals The breakfast buffet was standard for this type of hotel and was adequate rather than good. However, as other people have mentioned, items run out and are not immediately replaced – in our case hash browns. Again, this is not a serious problem but one that can be readily avoided by having staff check the food regularly and taking action when necessary before it actually runs out. In addition to the hot food there was a very limited selection of cold meat and cheese. However, as someone who is lactose intolerant, I was pleased to see soya products available to go with the cereal. There was a good range of marmalade, jams and marmite and the bread only had to go through the machine twice to make very good toast. The evening meal menu was, again as someone else has pointed out, more up-market “pub grub” than classy restaurant food but, that said, it was very good, once you found what was still available! Perhaps once the room renovations are complete, the management could have a go at renovating the menu. Bar The bar has both local beers – an excellent bottled IPA – and a fine draft local cider. The farm where the cider comes from is close to the nearby Hailes Abbey which is well worth a visit. On that topic, a ride on the GWR from the Race Course station is also an enjoyable experience. However, on our second visit to the bar, it did not have any crisps – only the empty basket where they should have been! Either the hotel had not ordered any in time or they were in stock but the bar staff could not be bothered to fetch them. Either of which are due to poor management. Staff The staff were, without exception, very friendly and helpful. Refurbishment The website warns about the refurbishment and, whilst there were obvious signs of it taking place, these did not cause any problems. Although the noisy drilling did start slightly before the 10am earliest target. Hopefully, once it is completed, management can find time to address the various issues which I, and many other reviewers, have raised and the hotel can be rated the 5* which it has the potential to become.

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