Clarion Collection Harte & Garter Hotel & Spa

The location is perfect (just across from Windsor castle). The hotel room was clean, we had refreshments consisting of tea and milk/sugar. A small fridge in the room, a fan, iron etc. The shower was nice and hot and the room was always an appropriate temp. The carpet and sheets/towels were very clean. Staff were lovely and they kindly took in some of our baggage as we arrived before check in time. However if you are like me and have worked in hotels before and if you're someone who expects spic and span for £120/night I need to share that there were streaks on the mirrors, some dust, a massive burn/stain on one curtain. I didn't mind any of these for the price and location but where I worked previously we had lots of complains about small things like this. It's not a problem of hygiene just presentation so please consider this before booking. Other than that, very happy.

*AVOID!* We booked here using a buyagift voucher I received as a present, choosing this hotel thinking it had a spa as well as air conditioning as advertised. Not only does it not have aircon or a spa but on one day there was no hot water either! Upon checkout, when asked how our stay was, we informed them of this. Their response was that the boiler wasn't working yesterday which would have been nice to know! A cold shower isn't really what I'd envisioned for a relaxing weekend away. I am gobsmacked as to how this hotel is charging £180 a night for a standard room. Sure, the beds are comfy enough, there's decent storage space, a couple of refreshments and a TV but it doesn't undo the following: - Dust everywhere in the corridors - Our sink was chipped which made it look grimy - We informed them about the aircon unit not working within an hour of us arriving. They said they'd send someone to look at it. We were there for 2 days and no one actually came to look at it. As a result, my husband was having to take multiple cold baths a day and soak himself with a wet flannel to avoid overheating. You couldn't open the windows which we thick, keeping in heat but certainly not keeping out noise. - We asked about the spa which they said hasn't been open for 4 years. They asked if we'd booked 3rd party which I confirmed and they said that will be why I thought that then but they are literally still called "Harte & Garter Hotel & Spa"!!! as well as having "Spa room" listed under their facilities. - There is a busker that likes to sing directly outside the high street side of the hotel. Not only is he loud but he is not very good. This is not really the hotel's fault but something to be aware of. Overall we were disappointed and aside from watching a lot of mindless TV as we often do on trips away, we ended up trying to schedule as much outside the hotel as possible. We will not be returning and I'm so glad we only ended up paying £56 ourselves (meaning the residual £304 must have been covered by our voucher) but even that feels too much. Windsor is pleasant and if you want castle views, you would like this granted you can deal with the noise and vaguely dilapidated feel of the hotel. We will be complaining to buyagift too and recommending this place is removed from their list. I've given it 2 stars for the convenience of location and the fact that it was a place to stay which we could sleep (albeit poorly) in. Don't trust their website reviews either. Their website is the only place they claim to be rated 4.9* or anywhere near that. Trust sites that aren't biased.

I would not recommend staying at this hotel. I will start off with wording straight from their own website. “A combination of modern fabrics and Victorian furniture creates an elegant and relaxing atmosphere in the large guest rooms, each of which comes well-equipped with a satellite TV,…” As they do have “modern” fabrics, they are filthy and dinghy. When they mention Victorian furniture, they are not kidding. The bed felt like one from that same era, so I guess that is them giving you a real experience. It was so hard and uncomfortable. While the rooms are large, nothing about the filthy appearance makes it elegant nor relaxing. Despite being on the first floor, the Internet connection was weak. The TV was unwatchable because it was so choppy from the weak signal. I was able to get a room facing the front and it was amazing. Looking right at Windsor castle! The entrance to the castle is right in front of the hotel, so there is a lot of people walking around all day and traffic on the street is busy all day long. If you are to stay in Windsor, stay somewhere else. The Christopher Wren looked nice when I walked by.