Runnymede

If you’re after peace and quiet this particular Warner’s hotel is probably not for you. The hotel is located in a lovely spot alongside the river Thames. There is a lock nearby and you can see the boats cruising up and down the river. There are also some very pleasant riverside walks available. Windsor Castle is nearby as well as the historic site of the signing of the Magna Carta. However, next to the hotel are two bridges, one for the A30 and the other for the M25. Consequently, the noise of traffic was always there. Additionally, as the hotel is not far from Heathrow some planes would fly over not long after takeoff. A fellow guest had radar app on his phone and he said that the planes were between only three and four thousand feet up when they passed over. I appreciate that we were there during a particularly warm spell of weather but the air conditioning was severely lacking in parts of the hotel. Our room initially had air con but it was very loud. When we tried to turn it down or off it made no difference whatsoever. An engineer came to look at it and said that he would have to disconnect it as there were no spare parts available. We were provided with a desktop fan but this also was noisy and not very effective. The only window in our room, which to me seemed too small for the size of room, directly overlooked the hotel’s service area where there was a generator/refrigeration unit (?) which was constantly operating. Fair enough, but we couldn’t sleep with our window open due to the noise, as well as hotel staff speaking loudly at very late hours and noise from bottles, bins and large gas canisters being moved about. The only way to get any respite was to sleep with the window closed, fan off and no air con. As a result neither my wife nor I slept very well throughout our stay. The room itself though was clean, big and comfortable with plenty of storage space. Our first meal was dinner in the Market Kitchen. This was very cramped and the tables were close together. We were shown to our table which, even though it had been laid, had dirty cutlery and no serviettes. The table was by an open patio door. A welcome breeze given the temperature but unfortunately some other guests used this as an exit to the garden area, passing very close to our table and a couple of times knocking our table. We dined in the Brasserie for our next two nights which was much better experience. The staff were efficient and business like but other than the bar staff we didnt think there was a friendliness that we have experienced in other Warner hotels. Admittedly they were working in areas of the hotel where the temperature was uncomfortably high and it seemed incredibly busy. Regarding the point about the air conditioning , during our stay I spoke with a local resident who said that the hotel had been there since the 1970s and when Warners bought the site about five years ago they built a new wing that encompasses rooms, bar and the theatre. Apparently when they refurbished the other older rooms they didn’t upgrade the air conditioning hence the reason for it being unfit for use. The bar and theatre were wonderfully cool, clean and furnished. We attended a cocktail making session run by a young lad called Michael. He was exceptional. Very professional and enthusiastic about the subject. Having never tried a cocktail before, I am now a convert! The indoor pool was lovely. Didn’t try the outdoor pool but it seemed very popular. My wife tried Pilates for the first time and enjoyed it. We went on a river cruise for an hour which was lovely and the young man who piloted the boat had a good rapport with the guests. If, as is predicted, this country is going to experience heatwaves as we are at the moment, I think that Warners need to invest in new air conditioning throughout the hotel in order to make it more comfortable for guests and staff alike, especially if, as has been suggested, there will be a maximum temperature level for staff to work in.

This is a very busy hotel. If you want a quiet break it isn't for you. We had to change rooms due to water coming through the ceiling and we didn't feel the substitute was up to the standard we expected. Not a good start although the staff did what they could to help. Reception was very helpful and thorough, but this meant there was always a lengthy wait. Food in the restaurants was very good and the staff were always friendly and helpful. We would recommend the self service restaurant for the variety and choice of dishes. We made a lot of use of the pools. The outdoor one has a lane for those who wish to swim lengths. The location is mixed. The hotel is very close to the M25 and A30, so there is constant traffic noise. It is also close to Heathrow, so there many opportunities for close-up plane spotting. Frequent visitors to Warner hotels will recognise the facilities, though axe throwing was a new one on me. We could only find one decent walk..along the Thames towpath. Access the site from the M25 is very quick and there is plenty of car parking.

Superb hotel and exceptional spa. Particular thanks to Jaspal at the front desk who took such good care of us. The location of the hotel is wonderful, adjacent to the river with canal locks and very easy to get to. Rooms decorated with character, I particularly liked the artwork. The spa was brilliant, members were friendly and welcoming and a delightful attendant was friendly and helpful. Sometimes members can be rather unwelcoming to hotel guests but everyone we encountered were very friendly. Breakfast was outstanding. The selection available was second to none- wide variety of fruit as well as smoothies, extensive range for continental and superb quality of cooked breakfast (even the sliced bread for toasting was high quality and delicious) We will definitely be returning and I will be sharing this diamond with everyone. A huge thank you to the whole team for such a wonderful break.

The venue itself is beautiful, the scenery is stunning, and the majority of staff and management were friendly, professional, and helpful. Afternoon tea, the live music, and the evening bar atmosphere were also enjoyable. Unfortunately, the overall experience was overshadowed by repeated service issues from one member of staff. Throughout our stay, we repeatedly had to explain what was included in our package, as attempts were made to charge us for items that should already have been covered. - Dinner service was particularly disappointing. Requests were not fully followed through, drink orders were interrupted, and interactions often felt dismissive and unprofessional. One member of our group was served wine in a glass that appeared to have lipstick marks and fingerprints around the rim. After raising the issue, we observed the wine being transferred to another glass rather than replaced entirely, and were then charged for the replacement. - We also encountered conflicting information regarding payment for drinks and were spoken to in a manner that we did not feel was appropriate when seeking clarification. Following a discussion with management, the situation improved considerably and we were assigned another server who was excellent for the remainder of our stay. The following morning, we discovered a drinks charge on our bill for an item we had not ordered and at a time when we were not even seated in the restaurant, raising further concerns about the billing process. ( Billing issue has been resolved ) While management handled our complaints professionally, the repeated service issues, hygiene concerns, and billing inaccuracies significantly detracted from the experience. Given the price paid, we did not feel the stay represented good value for money and unfortunately would not return.

A bit disappointed with my first and last stay at the hotel: -I booked via booking.com and on the day, they could not find my booking despite having the reservation code. After a few minutes, they informed me that someone put my reservation a few days before my initial booking -due to this, they needed to find a room last minute and the room had the AC on continuously (I assume this was the only avaliable room as they didn't offer me any other one). This made it difficult to stay in the room and relax because it was a steady 16 Celsius. -Room decor looks nicer on website but it's an old style design. Bathroom has wood parts flaking because of the steam. Shower is as basic as the one at home -spa facilities were extremely average, the main pool was cold and steam room was not working. Outdoor ok but only because it was sunny, if not it was a complete misery being locked in the indoor part. Plus which spa hotel do not offer complimentary slippers??? -breakfast was very average too. -At the reception we were given contradicting information about a/c system panel control and breakfast rules. I won't be booking another stay. If you really need to, I recommend to book via Booking.com as I paid way less than what the official website would offer. Be aware also that yes it's open to 18+ but, average age is 75+ so can feel a bit strange if you're younger as you can have a glimpse of what growing old will feel like.