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HOTEL STYLE
Quaint
Quirky Hotels
Languages Spoken
English
Location
58 The Pantiles, Royal Tunbridge Wells TN2 5TD England
The Tunbridge Wells Hotel
437 reviews
Getting there
Good for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
The hotel is situated in the most perfect of locations, with many cafes, restaurants and bars within walking distance. Parking is a slight issue as it's on the opposite side of an incredibly busy road, meaning crossing can be dangerous. I recommend walking slightly up the hill to the zebra crossing and then walking down to the next zebra crossing,not ideal when you've got luggage but it's the safest bet. I also think the parking should be free, charging people is a little cheeky, other companies use the car park and offer customers free parking. Staff are friendly and welcoming. The room we had was incredibly small and in need of a revamp. The walls had finger prints all over them and looked filthy, the plumbing system needs looking into, the shower sounded like it was going to take off and no hot water. Our room was situated close to the kitchen & function room meaning we would smell whatever was being cooked( fish was on the menu one night). It's such a shame because the hotel is in a perfect location but the rooms need updating.
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Date of stay: September 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Firstly I’d like to say i arrived late and the girl was so welcoming, openend the side door for my ease, helped with my bags and took me to the car park. So friendly
I did not have an evening meal here but i did get breakfast include - it was limited but certainly enough for breakfast.
The room was quite high up and no lift, some may struggle to get up all the floors. The room was very quaint - nicely decorated with a few old style pieces but the room tilted, my only gripe my make up kept rolling off the cabinet.
The downstairs decor in restaurant was so pretty and unusual with cherry blossom hanging from the centre light and a flower wall- lovely pretty touches.
I would imagine in the summer this would be a hugely popular place to eat and stay
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Date of stay: February 2020
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A mixed bag. The check in process was quick, easy and professional. Covid 19 restrictions adhered to and all good. Our room was huge and the bed was a super king, super comfy with lovely bedding. The room was bright and clean. The bathroom was newly fitted but the water pressure so bad that just getting the shampoo out my hair took over 20 mins - the water dribbled out. We mentioned this to reception who said they would tell maintenance but the next day it was exactly the same with the added problem of water switching from hot to cold. This really isn’t acceptable in a hotel charging £300 per night. The room had decent furnishings but a dressing table without a chair or stool meant kneeling on the floor to do hair and makeup. Great hairdryer though! The bar and reception area are nicely decorated and a relaxing atmosphere. Gardens are pretty but the garden seats were covered in bird poo so not useable. The spa looked ok but can’t comment as didn’t use it, I did have a treatment and it was superb, the treatment room was quiet and the therapist Emily was first class, it was one of the best treatments I’ve ever had. We didn’t eat at the restaurant in the evening but had a salad and sandwich off the bat menu and they were fine. The wine was superb, nicely chilled but at nearly £50 a bottle if it wasn’t it would have gone back. We wouldn’t stay at the hotel again purely because of the rubbish water - it really was totally crap but I’ll defo be back for a treatment!
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Date of stay: June 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Parking is excellent!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Really struggled finding somewhere to have the type of christening reception we wanted in TW so hoping this helps someone else!
From the outset dealing with the Manager Ajay was really easy. They accommodated us having the function room all day and arriving early to set the room us as we wanted, tables, flowers, cake, photos etc before we went to the church.
There were 26 of us (6 being kids) but the room could accommodate more. It didn’t feel cramped and there was space for the kids to play. The room was laid out as requested with a lovely selection of fresh finger sandwiches (coronation chicken a particular fave), scones, and cakes - plenty enough with lots leftover.
The drinks service was standout - plenty of popping in and out the room to take additional drinks orders for the tab on top of the Prosecco and tea/ coffee we had preordered. This was despite it being super busy with guests outside as a very sunny Sunday and a farmers market going on in the pantiles, all of which served as a lovely backdrop to our occasion.
I was offered boxes to take leftovers away and a complimentary drink while I tidied away our gifts and bits from across the room which was a nice touch.
Would highly recommend to anyone for a Christening, baby shower, large birthday meal etc. thanks again Ajay and team for a great day for our special little lady
Thanks Jess
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Date of stay: September 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â The pantiles gets really busy but there is usually plenty of parking at the gravel Car park over...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rather mediocre. We booked a cosy double- thank goodness we travel light because if we had a suitcase goodness knows where we would have put it! For a hotel that bans you from bringing your own food and drink you would expect a better range of teas ( only normal tea in the room), a complimentary biscuit and 24 room service ( not finishing at 9pm). Our room was freezing cold, the shower sub zero, the extractor fan from the kitchen was really noisy, the cistern from the neighbouring room woke us up several times in the night. No lift, no help with luggage and the finally at checkout not being asked if we enjoyed our stay - no opportunity for feedback.
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Date of stay: December 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Visited recently and it was awful 👎 Our room was excessively hot and during the coldest weekend we had to open windows !!! and we were still very hot. We were given a twin with a cot and a separate little bed (family of 4) and we could hardly move . When I booked this hotel I informed them who would be coming and this was the room I was allocated so they were aware of the size of our party. The food was on another level of terrible nothing child friendly for a light snack in the afternoon and when we asked if we could have an afternoon tea spread we were told it had to be ordered before - thinking OK we would wait for our evening meal which we were contacted about days before we arrived (no mention of afternoon tea then). The meal was awful burgers were burnt sausages plus mash was cold, chicken was rubbery and the potato rosti was inedible. We ended up going out to the supermarket to buy snacks and sandwiches and cups of packet soup as we were hungry and having children with us this wasn’t the best to say the least. We thought breakfast would be better but no, we ate the toast and the rest was left. Burnt black pudding that looked like black buttons and were rock hard everything had a twang to it and I have never seen orange scrambled egg before in my life - upon leaving the power to the room was switched off dead on 11:00am which I must say is another first for us too. We were about to vacate the room anyway but still thought this was surprising and we found it rude tbh. Also, I did say all of this to the reception staff (and was given a few pounds back so it’s not like I left it all to be said on this review. I would never return and couldn’t wait to leave. This was not the start we had imagined for our little weekend away with our family - very very disappointed.
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Date of stay: November 2021
Rooms
Location
Service
Room Tip: Don’t book a family room
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We came for the bottomless brunch on bank holiday Sunday. When we arrived, the service was unfriendly. We had to explain the menu we had booked for, and when given it, it was a different menu AND price to what was advertised online which was disappointing. Food arrived swiftly and was cold but nice. Had to chase for Prosecco refill (at least a 5 min wait each time) which even then was served begrudgingly. We only received about 4 glasses over the duration, so was very poor value for ‘bottomless’. Part time waiters were delightful, but the full time female management made the experience entirely miserable. Following a previously pleasant experience here, I wouldn’t recommend to anyone - the full time waitress made this a really disappointing and unenjoyable meal.
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Date of stay: August 2020
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We booked a "small double room". On entering the room, we saw immediately that the bed was not a standard double bed (the room was very small also, but it was the bed that we were concerned about). We went downstairs straight away to explain that we would not be able to sleep in such a small bed. We were told, by a girl with a snotty attitude, that we could pay £50 extra to stay in a room with a bigger bed. This was not acceptable, so we asked for a refund. A lady called Claire told us that the bed was a "small double". She said that she was unable to give a refund as we had paid through Booking.com. She told me to contact Booking.com to request a refund. She made it sound like this was a formality and we would be able to secure a refund this way, so we left and booked into another hotel.
I phoned Booking.com and was told that they could not release a refund until the hotel had confirmed via email that this was acceptable to them. Booking.com then emailed a day later to say that the Tunbridge Wells hotel had not responded therefore I should contact them to ask them to respond to Booking.com. Booking.com were happy to give a refund but had to get approval from the Tunbridge Wells hotel.
I phoned the hotel and spoke to Ajay, a manager, who said that the hotel would not agree to a refund. I was so shocked and explained that they were advertising a room as a small double room, when it clearly did not have a full double bed. I told Ajay that Booking.com were happy to refund me, however he still refused to contact Booking.com to approve the refund. On pushing him, he promised to speak to the owner of the hotel about it and said that he would get back to me in a couple of days. Ajay did not get back to me and so after several days, I raise a dispute with my credit card provider and finally got a refund.
I am absolutely shocked at the lack of customer care at this hotel and the fact that I was lied to by staff. They are advertising a room under false pretences, as a double room, when it is clearly not a double. After this experience, I looked at the hotel reviews on the Booking.com website and found around four reviews, going back to Aug 2021, which say that the bed in the small double room is not a standard double bed and that the hotel need to amend their description of the room. Yet they are still advertising the room in this way. My experience shows that they only care about getting money from customers and not about providing good customer service.
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Date of stay: October 2022
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Six of us got together here recently for a low/key baby shower celebration and catch up. The staff team was friendly and accommodating, and efficient without making us feel rushed. The restaurant’s decor and menu were equally lovely; the latter offering something for everyone including delicious vegan pancakes, fruit and yoghurt. Centrally located on The Pantiles with parking nearby this is a super venue and well worth a visit. Highly recommended.
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Date of stay: September 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The negative reviews are a little unfair about this hotel. It's an old building with quirky features such as angled walls snd steep stairs but that just added to the charm. Staff were very friendly and breakfast was really tasty. The location was great, parking across the road was fine, and reception were very helpful in giving us directions in the local area. We were there for a local wedding but would definitely return to get to know tunbridge wells a bit better as this was lovely too.
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Date of stay: September 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â We had a room on 5th floor, there's no lift and it took a while to get our breath back having...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Greater London, United Kingdom64 contributions46 helpful votes
Hi. There's a car park just across the road within 2 mins walking distance. It's just behind the roundabout between Major York's Road and the A26. Hope it helps.
There are more places to choose from in the Royal Tunbridge Wells area.
PRICE RANGE
C$139 - C$218 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
United KingdomEnglandKentRoyal Tunbridge Wells
NUMBER OF ROOMS
20
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Are there any historical sites close to The Tunbridge Wells Hotel?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Penshurst Place & Gardens (7.4 km), Groombridge Place - Enchanted Forest & Gardens (4.8 km), and Dunorlan's Chalybeate Spring (2.2 km).
