Champneys Avis 

My mum and myself had a lovely spa day. We also had a complimentary clarins facial with Amy. Amy was professional friendly and the facial was absolutely lovely and made our day so special.

Very disappointing experience at Champneys Forest Mere. What was meant to be a special mother-and-daughter stay for my daughter’s 18th birthday was unfortunately let down by poor customer service and an unwelcoming experience.

I contacted Champneys afterwards to raise my concerns, but over a week later I have received no response or even acknowledgement.

Not the level of service I would expect from a luxury spa. Sadly, we left feeling very disappointed.

Disappointing stay at the Tring Champneys. I’m afraid to say the place has gone downhill in a year. The sun loungers are filthy the outdoor tables are filthy the woodwork is filthy. The sun canopy over the outdoor jacuzzi was no more ? . We now get a £16 food allowance for lunch and a £30 allowance gor evening meal. It seemed everyone is working out there food allowance with a phone calculato , quite stressful . The Staff are incredible very polite and attentive it’s a shame the management let them down. They also need more staff. We couldn’t get a drink after 9.30 as there was no staff to serve it. The Fire Alarm went off AGAIN and everyone was evacuated we had to leave our food and leave the building for 45 mins. No real apology apart from the lovely staff. The management need to get their act together not sure I’ll be back also PLEASE answer your phones !

I have been going to Champneys for years and always enjoyed my stay but my last visit was made particularly enjoyable by Lily who was working at reception during my stay. She was attentive to all of our requirements including showing us to our room and helping with my luggage because I had a bad back. Thank you so much Lilly

Eastwell Manor
EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED
Approximately 10 years ago we stayed at Eastwell Manor and had an excellent experience and as a result I booked to go there again to celebrate my partners birthday. Previously we had a great experience in the restaurant and used the facilities to have a swim.

We booked for two nights in a Mews Room. The following morning, we walked to the main Manor House and was directed to the Spa building for breakfast as the manor house restaurant was closed. Here we waited more than 10 minutes to be seen and were presented with the breakfast menu. Eastwell Manor website shows the sort of breakfast we were expecting, i.e a traditional English breakfast but the Spa only has ‘health’ options with none of the usual British Breakfast options. The Spa main option was Steamed Spinach with Halloumi – not a choice I would ever entertain, and the other options were similar. We were advised by the Spa restaurant manager to go to a local Café and that the Manor house restaurant would be open the next day. Unfortunately, this was not the case and yet again, we were told to get our breakfast at the Spa. None of this is shown on the website! In fact, the website does not clearly state that the main restaurant is closed on certain days. In our case it was closed even on a day it should have been open. I would also mention that the whole point of booking a stay in a country house hotel is to enjoy the ambience of eating and drinking in lovely surroundings. However, the Spa is a clinical, modern building with no character at all so there was no comfortable seating or atmosphere.

We also enquired about having a swim and was informed that a slot needed to be booked at a cost of £40 (£20 each) as we had not booked a Spa package. Excessive price if all you want is a swim and not use any of the other Spa facilities.
Unfortunately, there are lots of websites that you can book the Manor through and the one we had chosen did not have this option, note, a swim in the pool in our previous stay was not part of a Spa package and required no booking or fee.

The room we stayed in although clean was tired in appearance and had a badly patched hole in the wall with window blinds that were either shredded on the side or stuck and would not pull down. The shower had two options – waterfall or a hand wand. The wand contained a broken porcelain handle which was sharp and made a cut to the hand. There were marks on the ceiling in several places and the shower leaked into the bathroom. [see photos].

All in all, not the experience we had before and it became apparent that Eastwell Manor was all about the Spa with the hotel taking a second place. There was also an absence of management.

For anyone staying at the Manor and not intending to use the SPA you will not be able to use the indoor or outdoor pool without fees and a booking.

Don’t rely on being able to use the main Manor House restaurant for a normal English breakfast.

WE WILL NOT BE RETURNING!

Spa break was cancelled by the company on the day due to unforeseen circumstances. Communication has however been poor/unhelpful and far from the ‘luxury’ spa experience expected. Bitterly disappointed!

I got a return vaucher from Henlow branch to use it , but due to my business travelling I was not available to use it, just before expiry, I wanted to book it in my convenient time, but Henlow site was not available in certain date due to special party in that week, so overall i have lost 260 £ voucher, it is not small money and they stolen my money due to their stupid T&C s, no happy and will not go any of the Champneys from now on.

Worst experience I have ever had, from start to finish. From the inexperienced receptionist who gave me misleading information when I booked my appointment, to being given a treatment that was not what I had requested, the treatment being poor, to the poor level of service I encountered whilst trying to use my voucher to pay at the end. I would complain in store (Enfield), but no one seemed to know what they were doing. I have never written a review, but the level of service was so poor that it needs to be acknowledged.

We booked a two-night stay at Buxton Crescent Spa Hotel to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, expecting the luxury 5-star experience advertised. Instead, we left after the first night.

Breakfast was a disaster. After waiting over 90 minutes without being served, we discovered there was still a long queue of orders ahead of ours. We missed both breakfast and our planned activities for the day. The restaurant staff were clearly overwhelmed, with some in tears, and it was obvious they had been left to cope with an impossible situation.

The most disappointing aspect was the complete lack of leadership. The Operations Director was reportedly “too busy” to speak to guests, despite numerous complaints. I was promised a call that never came, my follow-up email was ignored, and the full refund promised at reception has still not materialised.

Reading recent Google reviews, it is clear our experience was not an isolated incident but part of an ongoing pattern. This hotel has serious operational problems that management appear unwilling to address.

I feel sorry for the hardworking staff, who were doing their best under extremely difficult circumstances. Unfortunately, this was one of the worst hotel experiences we’ve ever had, and certainly not the luxury experience we paid for.

Champneys Springs

Before my visit I called the main HQ team and explained that as I had recently had an ACL op that it was tough to get up and down stairs so they moved my room to a ground floor.

When we arrived one of the housekeeping staff (Julie) noticed my husband was struggling with all the bags (I am on crutches) and so offered to help carry our bags all the back from where she had come (such a sweet touch and we were very grateful for the help).

At dinner Catrina noticed the situation and sat us in a cosy space near all the facilities so I didn't have to walk far. The food was lovely and portions were very generous.

The staff were support attentive and on the second night we had Massimo who was incredible

Dev the night manager was also really helpful when we struggled to charge our car (EVs are new to us) he made sure everything worked as it should and even fixed my husbands glasses when he broke them

Izzy in the gym was also really lovely, I was in there doing my rehab exercises and even though she was having a workout she made the time to check in on me.

Had an amazing massage that really helped with my back! Thanks you Estrella :) @Tring

it was our second visit to Eastwell Manor, and unfortunately it will be our last

the spa facilities are great, the food is good, and the staff are friendly. however, the waiting times in the restaurants completely ruin the experience

every breakfast, lunch, and dinner involved waiting between one and two hours for food. instead of relaxing in the spa, we spent at least 9+ hours of our three day stay simply waiting for meals

the same thing happened during our previous visit a year ago, so this is clearly not a one off incident. it seems to be how the restaurants normally operate

it's a real shame because everything else about the stay was enjoyable. if the restaurant waiting times were fixed, we would happily return. as things stand, we won't be coming back

The voucher for food is now £15.
Had a good day, but very busy think there was a few wedding as we couldn't get a seat outside and the spa was also busy
Dissapointed kids were allowed in as I had gone to have a break from mine

Was told upon arrival that the buffet lunch was no longer a thing, and that we had a limited voucher of £16.50 per person for food & drink as part of the £99 paid per person. Champneys did send an email about that but i do not subscribe to newsletters, junk mail and advertising/marketing mail. That put a real downer of the day from the get go. The buffet was always the highlight of the day, especially after a workout or some swimming.
The flip flops supplied were cheap unbranded ones.
The pool area has a number of tradespeople/gardeners etc walking in & out, all wearing shoes/boots, I would have thought they'd wear overshoes.
The changing rooms had no spare towels in, but did on previous visits. It all feels a bit cheaper these days.
The food- where to start?
Ordered some food mid-morning which we were going to pay for, but the food never arrived, so we lost 30 minutes of our day there! Waitress (non-English) didn't process the order.
The actual lunch - its interesting that you are given the allocated £16.50 pp to pick something but a large number of main dishes come in just under or over the £16.50, so you either leave money on the table, or have to spend more. Clever by Champneys!
Our food was returned as drastically undercooked.
The main meal portion was tiny (Champney's will call it 'balanced' but I didnt come here to be told that smaller portions are healthier for me, thats not their call to make) and based on that experience we werent prepared to spend any more money and waste more time out of our day.
The service was slow and uninspiring.
Removing the buffet has taken a large part of the feeling of being pampered and specialness that we always associated Champneys with.
We can go to a half dozen other Spas that give you more for less, with no drop in opulence and quality.
Upon check-out, when we gave feedback, the receptionist acted like she had never heard these types of comments before. Looking at the feedback from guests, I hardly doubt that, unless she started the day before.
All in all, an ok day but too much time lost unnecessarily by staff, average food, no buffet experience and a feeling of cost-cutting all round. Prices up though.
I do not think we shall return (we actually wont).

The staff were all very helpful, polite and friendly. They would all get 5 stars.
However, I think the pricing is high, especially now that they have changed from a buffet style lunch to a cap on the items you choose for lunch off of their à la carte menu of £16.50 maximum. I understand this is slightly higher for evening meals. We can go to a good quality restaurant or gastro pub in Cambridge and get a 2 course meal for £22, with some highlighted items carrying a surcharge. It is very difficult to choose anything off of their menu and not incur extra charges. I understand their rational behind moving away from the buffet style was to avoid waste. That is a fair argument, but I would expect an included 2 course lunch, with surcharge items if you want steak or lobster or 3 courses. Otherwise, what else do you get for the price of a day spa. You have to pay for any hot drinks you want across the day. Some of the furnishings, cushions for the outdoor chairs are looking tired and could do with a spruce up.

My actual visit to the spa was great. But sadly I lost a very sentimental locket and chain . I contacted main reception and the spa tobe told it was not there and they would contact me if found. I also emailed them on Sunday 19th July still awaiting a reply. Trying to contact management is impossible.

My sister went to the spa front desk and found a member of staff that could be bothered to help. Her name is Alisha, she actually checked the envelopes in lost property and found my locket sadly no chain. Alisha went above and beyond. Thankyou Alisha you don’t know how much this meant.

Really disappointing birthday experience. We arrived for our morning spa session at 8.45 and didn't get in until nearly half nine after waiting at the empty arrivals desk for 25 min. Once the queue had at least 5/6 groups waiting, someone finally came to check people in, felt very poorly managed, as 3 receptionists were doing absolutely nothing at the gym front desk. Then once we got in, 2 of the facilities were out of order, very disappointing. Then I went to the desk to check in for my facial, handed the receptionist my slip, which she dismissed and sent me straight up stairs, I wait for 15 minutes to then have a rude beautician ask me what I was waiting for, when I replied she informed me I've missed my appointment and I shouldn't be waiting upstairs but in the shop, when I told her I've been here 15 mins and the receptionist sent me here, she didn't apologise and just walked me to the front desk and said there is nothing she can do, it's missed. I then turned to the receptionist and said she told me to go upstairs and she replied saying I thought you had a treatment. In my vocabulary, a facial is a treatment, and I handed her the sheet so she could double-check, but she chose not to. They then informed me they couldn't fit me in until 4 pm, bearing in mind it was 12.40 at this point, and I had a morning spa session only, so would have to go away and come back (we live in London so over an hour away), this wasn't possible as I had to pick my daughter up from nursery. They then refunded me the amount onto my card and gave a very half-hearted apology. No compensation for it being entirely their fault. I then went to lunch to experience a swarm of flies all over the food and spent the meal batting them away.

They never answer the phone or emails!!!
We had a group booking for the spa for a hen do, unfortunately I had a medical emergency when out of the country which meant I was going to be unable to make my treatment as I was stuck in the country I was in. I called up 3 days before to let them know, took a very very long time at a lot of attempts and hours I finally got through. They told me you cannot get refund on group bookings, I understood, but the gent I spoke to on the phone said I could have my £170 on a voucher instead to then use within 6 months for another time OR allow the hen group to spend the £170 I spent already on drinks for themselves. So I agreed for the group to have access to the money I spent, however on the day they did not allow any of the group to access that, nor would they give the main person who booked my voucher which I was told would happen if the group didn’t spend.

Ridiculous and again now I’m having to spend my time on hold waiting for someone to eventually answer the phone

Had an overnight stay and couldn’t fault any of it had a lovely stay from spa and spa treatment , the room was lovely and clean but so you’ve change your menu’s I can understand why but I liked your buffet style menus especially the breakfast menu there was nothing on the additional menu if you didn’t like eggs or avocado or couldn’t have them please rethink that but I’ll like to give a big shout out to Tilly who served us for our evening meal , how lovely was she , she is such a lovely addition to your team she made our meal there so lovely thank you Tilly

My daughter surprised me with a one night stay , I really enjoyed it I had a primer massage deep tissue it was the best I have ever had her name was Arlyn Iit was my birthday that day I would highly recommend Arlyn I am looking forward to going again this was in Tring