Best Western Chilworth Manor Hotel

A well located hotel. Rooms are clean and appear to have been recently refurbished. Food was excellent! Staff were young and friendly. Unfortunately manning levels were low and the service and waiting was not the best. Luckily we were with our friends so time was not an element. less

We booked a room only here for £216 for a friend's wedding reception. Check in was easy and we booked breakfast to come to our room at 9.15am the next day as the restaurant only had a table for 2 at 7am or 11.15am. We went to the room got in fine and unpacked. At the wedding reception the bar mainly only had one member of staff so it was really hard to buy a drink. The main reception bar was the same and filthy covered in dirty glasses everywhere. They were obviously very short staffed. At midnight we went back up to our room and the key cards didn't work. We walked back to reception and a member of staff said the keys were "always rubbish" and he coded 2 new ones. We went back to the room. Didn't work. Each trip to the reception took a few minutes. My Husband went back. Got another 2 new cards. Didn't work. We had been trying to go to bed for 20 mins at this point. I went back to the reception and said a member of staff needed to let us in. The man who to be fair was friendly and apologetic walked back to the room with me. His master card didn't work. To cut a very long story short, various members of staff came to try and sort it out. They had a diagnostic/override machine that didn't work. One young man had to hunt down maintenance keys. He swore lots. Another female member of staff moaned about her long shift and just sat on the floor trying to work out what to. Finally the panel was removed by the swearing man, batteries were replaced and we finally got in. 1 hour and 20 minutes in a hotel corridor. Finally getting to bed at 1.30. We were offered a new room during the wait but I needed to take medication and we obviously needed our belongings. I find it concerning from a health and safety point of view how a night team with no knowledge of what to do in this situation would quickly access a room in a real emergency (rather than just 2 tired people really wanting to go to bed) I set my alarm for 9am to be ready for breakfast. But 9.15 came and went. After 2 phone calls to reception we finally got it 50 minutes later and had to quickly eat whilst getting ready as we had to leave by 10.15. Whilst I was half naked at one point the door flung open without any knocking and a surprised housekeeping member of staff stood there. She said she expected the room to be empty due to a lock issue 🤣 and then proceeded to tell me all about her handover. So odd she didn't just apologise and swiftly leave. On check out the receptionist did apologise and we didn't pay for breakfast. She took £50 off the bill but still £166 feels really steep for such a poor experience. We were in a rush to leave for our days plan and I was too tired to argue. This was our first night away on our own since the pandemic. We only live 45 mins away but thought we would treat ourselves. Shouldn't have bothered. I understand the world is under pressure and potentially the hotel was really short staffed or had inexperienced staff but it really was a poor show. I would never stay again. less

Afternoon tea at Chilworth Manor was made even more enjoyable today by the excellent service we received courtesy of Georgia and Evie, They were both very attentive, helpfull and nothing was too much trouble, less

We had booked a 3 night stay through Secret Escapes which included dinner, bed and breakfast during the hottest week in July! The hotel is in a very peaceful location and gave us a great impression when driving up to it, the grounds are beautiful. Our room was located on the first floor of the main building which was very nice. Room was good and bathroom very roomy. Although the room didn't have air con we were provided with a fan which came in very handy! The evening meals in the restaurant were excellent, plenty of choice and well cooked. My husband had the sea bass 2 nights running as it was so good. Breakfast was also good, plenty of choice. The mainly young waiting staff were very polite and friendly although they were rushed off their feet. The pool area was good, luckily we arrived just as the covid restrictions had lifted so no problems accessing the pool. It was a pleasure to have a peaceful midweek swim! The location of the hotel is great for travelling to surrounding areas as the road links are good, we drove to Bournemouth, the New Forest, Southampton and Portsmouth (the Gunwharf Quays shopping centre is fantastic). Will definitely return! less

Chilworth Manor and grounds are stunning...elegant, historic, lots of space to walk, sit, gaze. It has a lovely terrace and the gardens are extensive, very beautiful and old. It borders a site of special interest/nature reserve. The rooms are adequate, clean & comfortable. The staff are lovely! Lizzie, on reception, was patient and unflappable, helping to sort our difficulties using the booking system for the pool. The spa facilities are in a separate building in the grounds, run separately. Staff there were welcoming, efficient and friendly. Pool is lovely with jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. Good bar and nothing was too much trouble for the very helpful young barman whose name I don't remember. We had a lovely stay and are looking forward to going again. less