Basingstoke Hotel

Booked at very short notice so ended up with the "cupboard under the stairs" with no window. Appreciated the ironing board in the room and the tray with coffee, water and biscuits. Bit loud with the lift noise. Food was ok for the price and a quick bite to eat. Hotel grounds were nice. All staff very friendly.

Whilst the venue is good (ideal for the smallish wedding party I went to anyway), the maintenance leaves a lot to be desired. The bin in the gents toilets, for disposal of paper towels for hand drying, wasn't emptied the whole night, resulting in a tsunami of used ones cascading all over the floor. The room I was in (251 - a single) - the toilet seat was only fixed on one side, the shaver socket was upside down and not screwed in properly (right next to the sink of course!), the shower rail fitment looked like it had been done by a child (many years ago!), the windows were so dirty you could barely see through them, and there were numerous places where the wallpaper was either ripped or falling off! I'm NOT normally a fussy person, but the room should never have been rented out in that condition.

Stayed in the Executive room (GBP 150 per night) in hot Mid-June and encountered the following. There was no air conditioning "taken out 2 years ago". The TV was not working; the safety deposit box was not functioning "taken out of action 10 years ago". The extractor fan in the bathroom ran continuously; the bathroom door could not be closed, the soap dispenser was broken and there was no internet connection. The hotel is very dilapidated - according to one member of staff, "there is no planned maintenance and the the whole place is falling apart". It is no surprise that the Britannia hotel chain is voted one of the worst chains in the country. The Basingstoke Country Hotel should be demolished and a decent hotel built in its place. Never again.