Warner Hotels Reviews 4,025

Alvaston Hall
On arrival spa facilities, jacuzzi and sauna not available, ongoing repairs, swimming pool cold.
Room small and shabby, veneer peeled from wardrobe, veneer sellotaped on drawer front, bath chipped, kettle rusty inside.
Moved to another room.
Next morning workmen working on scaffolding outside above the room, using angle grinder producing showers of sparks, drilling, etc generally very noisy.
Plates and crockery in dining room wet and food residue.
Other minor issues.
Give option to either move to another room (third in less than 24 hours) or leave and receive a refund.
Question :Why put guests in a room where extensive building works underway when other rooms were available?
We cut our vacation short and checked out after 1 nights stay.
A full refund was issued.
Customer service response, weeks later, to complaints were very dismissive
ie, facilities are subject to availability
they do not have to inform you if not available.
Basically just sorry it did not meet your expectations!

Warners is no longer catering for its customers! Very disappointing!
We have just returned from a stay at Littlecote House. There was no welcome pack in the room and no indication of how to get on the internet. We were not given this information on check in either. Everything is now on line including the programme of events, but we were not told this before or on arrival. The free internet is unsecured and often I couldn’t get on, so couldn’t access the programme any way. When I asked about the programme of events I was given a print out and a map and other people hearing this also asked for this. The staff at reception said it was a new system Warners were trialling. Everyone I spoke to was complaining and many were saying they didn’t like using the internet, or were unable to due to a disability. Warners customers are generally older retired people, who come to Warners to get that personal touch away from robotic use of technology for everything. This is just a cost cutting ploy!
The staff at Littlecote, however, were very nice, especially the entertainment team. The ones I spoke to, were also unhappy with the system. None of this problem is their fault!
The breakfast system was chaotic. Drinks should be served at the tables. The drinks machines were in a place where the queue of people for drinks was right next to where people were eating and the staff were stressed!
Come on Warners, please go back to your old system and give us the personal touch we all used to love!
And finally, why are you making it so difficult for us to give you direct feedback? I think I know the answer to that!

I phoned Warner's to reschedule an afternoon tea. I waited for about 15 minutes before my call was answered and after a brief conversation I was told that I should speak to another department, I was transferred and waited another 20 minutes, after a call that lasted 40 minutes in total I still haven't been able to reschedule the tea. Really poor customer service.

I booked a group of 10 back in November to stay at Heythrop Park. Booking for the shows proved to be extremely frustrating, - our dinning arrangements were lost and so it went on.
One of the party had a freezing cold room. Warners tried to fix it with a small space heater. Hopeless.
As the lead of the group I complained in writing to the GM of the resort, failed to get a response, wrote to the CEO failed to get a response, wrote to the personal email of the GM failed to get a response. As a group this was the fifth time we had booked with Warners. To use their central reservations and customer care is frankly extremely frustrating.
WE WILL NOT BE BOOKING EVER AGAIN! Beware their customer care and central reservations, and their inept failure to resolve issues - it does not bode well.

We have been using Warners for over 15 years and the service has gone down drastically recently. We have just returned from Cricket St Thomas (one day early) as we were bored and there was very little to do on a rainy day. Some of the changes that we have seen are:-

We had table service with bread offered with dinner. This is now self service and bread is there if you can find it. Tea and coffee you now fetch yourself from a machine. The staff have been cut and those that are working are run off their feet. The choice and quality of food varies but in the case was very poor.

There used to be complimentary products in the Signature room including moisturiser, body lotion, tissues, bottle of wine, basket of treats, fluffy robes and fresh milk in the fridge. All of these are now gone, robes have be requested and milk is not fresh but in plastic single use packets. There are two tin cans of water and two of apple juice in the fridge along with two packets of crisps and some biscuits.. There is no housekeeping on the first night of your stay so you make your own bed etc. Every other day if staying longer than a weekend.

We have always gone to Warners for the entertainment and daily activities. In the past these have included
archery and shooting which were included at no cost as part of your break, they are still there but are now charged at £10 each. We have previously done nordic walking, yoga, ballet, pop choir jive, tango and salsa classes, cooking demonstrations and coach trips. THere was always something to occupy your day. These all seem to have gone. On this trip we had aqua robics, and a stretching class. You can do several other things all of which are charged for including cocktail making, gin tasting, afternoon tea and spa treatments. On a rainy day we would have gone to their cinema, simple room with a DVD, but this has now gone. Evening entertainment has also changed with more emphasis on staff involvement rather that known acts with varying degrees of professionalism.

In summary, we wont be returning in the future unless things improve but if you are thinking of going I
wouldn' t bother with a signature experience room at extra cost as the standard is very little different now. And if you like to have things to do which are included in the price I would take a good book.

Just sat watching TV when a Warners add came on.
Yes, when they get it right, there are some fabulous venues to stay and enjoy.
Recently we stayed at Alveston Hall.
Our room was really cold with a heavy draft through the patio doors.
On discussion with reception, a maintenance man came and applied sealants to the windows & doors.
This had very little effect.
Having spent another cold night in our room, we again went to reception. They offered us a free standing heater, repeat a second time. Thats 3 sleepless nights. Gave up for night 4 and just stayed up late and slept fully clothed.
Boy were we pleased to get home.
To add to this the spa area was closed and the pool and changing rooms were freezing.
The sad thing is Warners will not engage in conversation, or own their own short comings.
They just engage in a co-operate statement where they will learn from their mistakes.
Come on Warners get your act together !!

Having booked, I had one simple question. Customer service is non existant. Call centre neither answers nor rings back. Customer service email ignored many times. AI bot useless. Tried to contact actual hotel and exactly the same nil result.
Outcome, now cancelling. Will lose deposit but not worth throwing good money at this company.

We stayed at Cricket St Thomas in Dec, I was taken ill, my 87 year old partner rang reception to ask for help! None forthcoming, chap said was on his own, unreal...We did manage to get to our car and came home day early. I wrote to Head Office, presumably did not receive, wrote to CST no reply. The customer service is simply appalling. My question is, had I needed an ambulance, who would have helped? Since then have been very ill in hospital and had an op. Thank you Warners for your total lack of interest.
Tried to ring Warners and 30 minute wait, says it all...

Warners : The Runnymede.

Platinum card holders.

We arrived at The Runnymede at about 1055 am having booked early check in.
We were greeted very warmly by the staff at reception, who duly checked us in and gave us our room card.

The hotel has WiFi for all guest, however it’s not much good. Granted it’s free. But don’t advertise your premium hotel as having free WiFi if it’s rubbish. It was easier to stay on the mobile network.

We couldn’t get the room before 12 noon which we knew before arrival, so it was off to the bar and a bite to eat.

We went to our room at 1145 (chancing our arm) and it was ready. And a very nice room it was too. Tea. Milk. Biscuits and a coffee machine all supplied and a king size + bed.

The room was very clean and well appointed with a big bathroom come shower.
Apart from the window that let in a force 10 gale and all the seals were falling out.

The coffee machine advertised as “Nespresso” was not. The coffee on the one day we were given capsules for the machine was un-drinkable.
Not sure what type of coffee it was but it wasn’t nice. Luckily as seasoned travellers we took some Kenco with us.

The Market place restaurant is quite small. And unlike other Warners you don’t get allocated your table for the duration of your stay, whilst the Bistro restaurant is much more spacious.
The food is plentiful and fresh, hot and tasty.

However, whilst the food was very good it was quite samey. The restaurant staff/bar staff are not proactive in any way shape or form.
With the exception of Atrind (we think that was his name) who was superb.
One particular evening there were 8 tables that needed clearing/resetting and one of the waiters had not moved from propping up the bar in 15 minutes.
He then came and took my partners plates etc but not mine, which was very odd.

The hotel is spic and span. But let down by the lazy bone idol restaurant staff to the point of having to get our own drinks. Now I’m not a snob or posh bloke in any way shape or form, but when I pay to stay in a warners so called “reserve “ hotel I expect a certain level of service.

And as platinum card holders we have seen a better level of service by staff around the country at various Warners by students.
It should it also be noted that this is also the first Warners that we have been to that charges a service charge to get a drink. Which by the end of our stay we asked for it to be removed.

If this is the direction that Warners is going ….we won’t be.

We also booked a spa massage and I have to say both ladies were absolutely the best particularly Gina. We were both more than impressed with their level of customer service and professionalism.
My massage was by Gina and as it was my first ever massage she totally put me at my ease. Such a professional.

And very oddly for a hotel of this size there is only one lift and only 3 or 4 people can fit in it. And given the average age of Warners guests you wouldn’t fit a mobility scooter in it.
That said anyone with a mobility scooter should notify the hotel at the time of booking so that they are on the ground floor.

The auditorium is fantastic. The sound system is brilliant. The entertainment staff and the resident bands are absolutely great.
All clean. Warm and fresh.

All in all it was a pleasant stay. And wouldn’t stop us going Thoresby Hall in November.

If I had to grade the hotel and stay it would be:

Hotel condition: 7/10
Food: 8/10
Room: 7/10
Bar staff: 6/10
Restaurant staff: 4/10
Entertainment:10/10

Don't bother to complete the feedback that is e-mailed after your stay as Warners cannot be bothered to acknowledge or reply although serious concerns were raised in respect of Customer service and safety. My stay was at Heythrop at the end of November.

I am disabled and booked a twin bed disabled room. On arrival I found my room was up two flights of stairs and was not for disabled. I was advised attempts would be made to find a disabled room but if not I could stay overnight and return later to complete my stay. The next day, having struggled up and down the stairs, I was not fit enough to undertake the 80 mile journey home, and I was allocated a room which could be accessed using a lift. However, this was not a disabled room so the bathroom facilties were inadequate and I was not able to shower throughout my stay, and it was so far from the dining room and activities that I was unable to participate in many of the activities and on occasions I could not manage to get to the dining room for meals. The distance to the dining room and entertainment area left me so tired I could not attend any of the evening entertainment. Staff seemed blind to the needs of the disabled. My disability is very apparent, I am load-bearing on crutche so unable to carry anything but at no time did staff offer assistance even though all meals were buffet style and had to be carried to the table. Great difficulty was experienced making a complaint; webchat did not operate, numerous email addresses, many provided by the company failed to operate or get a response, and the ceo failed to respond to an email. Eventually contact was made but the company refused to respond favourably.

We have been to Warners many times and on the whole have enjoyed it. Disappointed last October at Thorsby, no sauna, no steam room, had to walk through building site to get to pool. No extras. No discount. Tried to book this year for Hereford but will not pay the new single person supplement of £70. You've lost 4 good customers.

My niece purchased a stay for us as a Christmas present. Under a bit of stress at the moment so thought, fantastic!!

Haven’t even stayed yet but so far it has been utterly miserable. Trying to get in touch with customer service is the equivalent of a legendary quest, well nigh impossible.

I have spent hours on hold and on chat waiting to speak with someone, anyone to extend our stay to no avail.

In the midst of one of the mammoth holds, I finally get through only to have an automated message advise of new hours. Now only contactable between 9am and 1pm which is great if you’re not working. Forget the weekend, they are now closed.

A lovely gesture has turned into a nightmare. Can’t cancel because they will lose their money and can’t speak to anyone as no one is available.

I forgot to add that I did get through to the hotel once but they couldn’t deal with my query so they provided another number who also couldn’t help and the second number was just as unhelpful.

So here I am on hold again. It’s after 1pm so I have hung up. At the same time I thought I’d try the chat function and that’s as useful as a chocolate teapot.

Conclusion, if we could get out of this we would. Definitely will not spend any further monies with them, and can only hope the hotel is at least ok. At this point from the low TrustPilot score, I doubt it.

I'm trying to contact warner about an existing booking. Tried live chat . Got message saying they were available betwoon 19.00 and 20.30. Despite phoning at 19.30 they weren't available. Tried phoneline. " Busier than usual, 30 minute wait" Tried chat line again, after waiting 25 minutes no response

Superb staff. Pity theres no daily itinerary at Thoresby. The Blue room option for meals is an absolute rip off. Breakfast menu is £6.95 pp extra. Very poor, no toast. Disgusting. Otherwise the entertainment is fabulous. Overall enjoyed the break.

Extremely poor service. I have been trying to get an invoice from my stay for over two weeks, yet this seems to be an impossible task. The phone lines are only open from 9am - 1, and there is ALWAYS at least a 30 minute wait. When you get through to someone, they are a central team, and simply advise that you need to speak to the hotel - when they redirect you, you then enter into ANOTHER queue and are advised you need to wait for over 30 minutes or to call back another day! I have sent messages, and called three times now. I give up. Horrendous company, and won't recommend anyone to stay here.

Warners have definitely gone down since we first went, especially the food. The other thing I don't like with them is how they manipulate prices and rooms, how in the space of a few days can a break go up by over £100 when they are advertising a supposedly twenty percent discount, con merchants.

Booked a few nights away and had an issue with dinner on the first night. Tried to speak to a manager but they were not available. Sent an email infact sent five. Almost a week on and nobody has bothered calling me. Don’t take any notice of the money back guarantee l, it doesn’t happen. Avoid at all costs.

I used to be a huge fan of Warner Hotels – great value for money, spotlessly clean and well-maintained bedrooms and wonderful leisure facilities… as well as great food, wonderful service and brilliant staff!

I always thought the Brand really valued their loyal customers (and we certainly were loyal) and I have stayed at their hotels/resorts on loads of occasions with absolutely no complaints at all. I had nothing but praise for the great experience. My short breaks were always fantastic and I would previously always recommend Warner’s to family and friends as an enthusiastic advocate for the whole experience and their unique ‘package’. I must have put thousands of pounds of business their way over the years and was happy to do so, because they deserved my unqualified endorsement - an endorsement happily given, as Warner’s were GREAT.

With this in mind, I think it SO SAD to see the Warner brand now going ‘down the pan’ at a rate of knots. The whole operation now strikes me as penny-pinching in the extreme… and a pale reflection of what it used to be. It now seems to me that Warner’s set out to fleece their customers to the max – sky high bar prices, when they used to be reasonable, extra charges for things that used to be included and rooms that are in such a disgusting state of cleanliness that you worry you might catch something nasty when you stay in them!

My recent stay at Cricket St Thomas was a case in point. A bathroom covered in black mould and a shower encrusted with limescale that meant showering was like standing under a dripping tap. There was also a penny-pinching time control on the bathroom heating that meant the room was freezing cold when I got up at 8am, unless I first got up at 6am to turn on the towel rail in advance! A miserable experience, when I’d paid close to £800 for the two night stay with my daughter. A truly miserable and disappointing weekend.

Likewise the room was covered in a thick layer of disgusting human skin flakes/detritus and the carpet was covered in sticky indeterminate stains that meant walking on it made me feel like I needed to wash my feet in Dettol or anti-bacterial gel once I’d done so!

The evening entertainment was also not as described, which was a big disappointment, bearing in mind I’d booked on the strength of the specific entertainment advertised. Misrepresentation, in my view.

When I got home, I immediately wrote to their Chief Executive ( Paul Pomroy) to raise what I thought was a very justified complaint. I included a host of photographs with my long, detailed letter as irrefutable evidence. He didn’t even bother to acknowledge my letter, let alone initiate a response in any meaningful way. I know he got my letter as I sent it ‘Special Delivery’ and have a delivery signature, but he obviously couldn’t be bothered to answer it – perhaps these days he gets too many complaints to care? Perhaps he’s too ‘self-important’ to treat individual customers with just a little respect and courtesy? A big disappointment - a CEO should know better, especially in the hospitality business!

Anyway, about six weeks later I had an email from ‘Customer Services’ – don’t try phoning them, as I did, as you are left hanging on the line for 45 minutes at your own expense, with no one bothering to ever answer. They offered me a £100 discount as compensation for my complaint, but only if I were to book another expensive Warner’s break. I derisory offer when a Warner’s Break costs me at least £800 all in …. and I don’t like spending that sort of money to stay in what I considered a cold disgusting pigsty!

It really is a tragedy. What used to be a great Company that used to make its loyal customers feel really ‘special’, welcome and appreciated is now, in my view, a disaster area – It is a bit like watching Arsenal or Manchester City deservedly being relegated from The Premier League to the Isthmian League in successive seasons!

I certainly won’t be staying in a Warner’s again - unless things change at some point in the future and future management ‘get a grip’.

I can only hope the ultimate owners, The Blackstone Group/Bourne Leisure, do something about the situation before all their customers, like me, vote with their feet! It is such a shame to see a once great organisation driven into the ground by inept management, who treat their loyal customers with utter contempt and disinterest.

If I were looking for a weekend away, I wouldn’t touch Warner Hotels with a barge pole these days. Very sad, as I used to love a Warner’s break and would have gone on many more in the future.

Have just had another brilliant stay at Lakeside Hayling Island 23rd-28th Jan.
Just a few mentions for what makes it our site of choice.
Entertainment team are great.
Restaurant staff are always polite and helpful, Toni was always friendly and ready to help if anything was needed, nothing was ever too much and Collete is always working so hard.
Another great break, looking forward to the next one