Taplow House Hotel & Spa

Fell short of our expectations! Definitely Not 4 stars!

Booked a junior deluxe suite at Taplow House as a 4 star luxurious retreat for our 20th wedding anniversary.

Prior to arrival we received a general hotel policy list including screens at the reception desk, sanitiser stations and a protection kit with various PPE inside. None of this was present! Our package included a bottle of champagne in our room, a three course meal that evening and the expected items in the room such as dressing gowns, towels, tea/coffee etc etc.

On arrival at the hotel the receptionist listed out what our package included in the public foyer. To be honest I thought this unprofessional as why should any of the other guests know any of this?! The receptionist then wanted my to provide my card details to take payment for the package. I explained this had already been paid and I was informed they had no record of getting this cleared up we went to our room.

Initial appearance was good, large room, with four poster bed and en-suite, with the champagne on ice! Surprised to see the decorative cushions on the bed and chairs, which we were told would not be in the room due to the pandemic, but thought it looked good. Then we looked closer.

Expectations are the room being cleaned right? Well, cobwebs on the windows, which included dead insects and a dead spider! Marks over the wall paper, dirt on the carpet, cushions and curtains suggested otherwise. The room needed redecorating completely, with some of the wall paper suffering damp stains and the coving not being repainted where the damp had come in. The sockets were not on straight either but worst of all, the socket for the TV was loose, like hanging off the wall and right next to it was a hole where it used to be, covered with some cardboard. Not sure of the latest electrical guidelines, but guessing this isn't in it!!
Not wanting to spoil our weekend away we decided to make the most of it and enjoy ourselves. The food in the restaurant was really nice, but there must have been some issue with the staff, as the concierge was not on his post, but taking orders on both nights of our stay. One of the waiters was wearing a face mask on his chin, as he served our food, which clearly did not have the desired effect of its use. Another couple did actually challenge him about this and he just laughed, which just showed his professionalism.
For some reason we had to ask for coffee, sugar, milk and mugs several times as this was never replaced; on one occasion a cleaner came into our room, whilst we were there and took our mugs and never came back!
During breakfast we overheard other guests complaining about having no hot water, water leaking into their room and only have hand towels to dry with. On the day we were checking out, we were the first to arrive for breakfast and were seated with our order taken. Several other parties arrived over the next 10 minutes, ordered and received their food before us. When the 5th party received they're food I did ask if we would be getting ours and the look of confusion filled me with confidence as they realised they had forgotten us. The waitress, which up to this point was actually very good, did apologise and asked if the food was okay. I explained that despite it being late and the toast was also missing it was okay. She stated that she would go and get me some and I told her not to worry as I'd nearly finished now anyway and it was too late. Approximately 5 minutes later she arrives with the toast I no longer wanted.

Like everyone else it's been a hard and long period during the pandemic, throughout which both my wife and I have been lucky enough to work through it all; My wife being a staff nurse of which we're all proud. This was supposed to be a luxurious break for her and being aware that the hospitality sector has been hit hard I would have expected the service to be of its best standard, if nothing else to attract return custom and forward positive reviews. I would expect that during this long period of closure, that at least they could have decorated the deluxe suite.

On passing on our comments of disappointment to the receptionist at our departure, we were assured that the decorating is something they will be attending to and our comments would be brought up in the managers meeting and addressed. The couple before us were also promised the same as they made a long list of complaints too. As yet we've heard nothing as a response.

Pleasant Stay

Nice characteristic hotel in lovely grounds. Staff very helpful and friendly. Room clean but difficult to get out of shower in bath as right next to WC.
Good food, only criticism is restaurant lacks ambience, felt rather uncomfortable having a conversation at the table in the evening.

Beautiful place

We stayed here for 3 nights last week (13th-15th July) in junior suite which was lovely but on the third floor and no lift. As we are a mature couple and my husband had recently been in hospital with a serious heart condition - it wasn't the best. We should have asked to be moved before staying the first night but dont like to cause problems. When we mentioned it on the second night, the staff were very helpful trying to find a room on a lower floor but there were none available until the next morning. As this meant there was only one night left, we decided not to bother but have to say the staff were wonderful. The food in the restaurant was first class but very limited choice so we only ate there the first night but it was excellent. Wine was a little expensive. All in all, we did have a lovely time. Thank you to all the staff.