"We stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Bath for one night as a family and, overall, had a good stay. The location is absolutely fantastic and we would stay again, but there are some significant housekeeping and operational issues that really need addressing.
First impressions from outside aren’t particularly good. The exterior is very uninviting, there isn’t really a proper sense of arrival or an obvious hotel entrance, and there is nowhere convenient to pull up and unload luggage. The area immediately outside is also extremely busy. That said, once inside, we were pleasantly surprised by the hotel.
Unfortunately, our room wasn’t ready at the advertised check-in time and we were told there would be approximately an hour’s delay. My husband expressed his disappointment and, to the hotel’s credit, they offered us complimentary drinks at the bar while we waited. The choice was restricted to a soft drink, beer or wine rather than anything from the full bar menu, but it was still a welcome gesture.
My husband had booked a suite and, once we got in, we were very happy with the room itself. It was spacious, clean and appeared to have been refurbished relatively recently. The beds were well made and we had absolutely no complaints about the cleanliness of the room itself.
There were, however, a few issues. The cot supplied for our baby was broken and repeatedly collapsed during the night, which is obviously concerning and something we only discovered later in the evening. Our daughter’s bed also hadn’t been made up when we arrived, so we had to request this before going out for dinner. When we returned, the sofa cushions/pillows had simply been put on top of our bed rather than being tidied away somewhere appropriate.
There were also only two cans of water supplied for the room, despite us staying as a family, which felt a little sparse for a suite. The minibar was completely empty. Neither of these things would stop us staying again, but they’re worth noting.
The biggest issue, by some distance, was housekeeping in the communal areas. I had noticed other reviews mentioning this before our stay and unfortunately have to agree with them.
The corridors were extremely messy. Housekeeping trolleys were left everywhere, often making it difficult to manoeuvre a buggy past them. Bags of rubbish from rooms were left in the corridors, while clean linen was sitting on the floor. Some bags of rubbish remained outside rooms for essentially the entire 24 hours we were there. There was even a metal pipe simply shoved underneath the curtain at the end of our corridor.
The housekeeping trolleys themselves were messy and there doesn’t appear to be anywhere suitable for staff to store them, so they simply remain in the corridors. Whatever the reason, the overall effect is very poor and well below the standard I would expect from a DoubleTree. The hotel really needs to review its housekeeping protocols and the storage facilities available to the team.
We had another frustrating experience on our final day. My husband had paid for a late checkout until 3pm. We returned from lunch at around 1:30–2pm to discover our key cards had been deactivated and we were locked out of the room, meaning he had to return to reception to have them reactivated.
Around ten minutes after getting back into the room, while our baby was napping, a member of staff then knocked on the door asking when we were leaving. Given that we had specifically paid for the room until 3pm, I found this completely inappropriate. If a guest has purchased a late checkout, that needs to be communicated properly between reception and housekeeping.
We had dinner at the hotel’s Bread Street Kitchen & Bar by Gordon Ramsay. The food was very good, although we felt it was expensive. Our waiter was attentive throughout. He recommended the cod, which happened to be the most expensive main course on the menu; personally, I always find it slightly off-putting when the recommendation is automatically the most expensive dish.
That aside, the restaurant team were excellent with our children. We asked whether they could make something simple for our baby and they prepared mashed potato and broccoli for him, which was really appreciated. The broccoli was a little firm for a baby, but the fact they accommodated the request so willingly was lovely. Our daughter thoroughly enjoyed her meal and both my husband and I really enjoyed ours. We were celebrating a birthday and they also brought out a small birthday dessert, which was a really thoughtful touch.
We returned to the restaurant for breakfast the following morning. Breakfast itself was fairly average and service was a little slow, but there was a good selection. The fruit and pastries were good and there were plenty of options for a cooked breakfast.
The standout at breakfast was Mateo, who appeared to be managing an enormous amount front of house almost single-handedly. He was absolutely brilliant – friendly, efficient and working incredibly hard.
There was also a lady on reception with dark hair whose name, unfortunately, I didn’t catch. She was wonderful with our children and gave them teddies and cookies, which was such a lovely touch.
Another huge hit with our daughter was the LEGO station. Children can play with the LEGO and take their creation back to their room, and she absolutely loved it. It’s a genuinely brilliant idea for families.
Finally, the location is difficult to beat. You’re right in the centre of Bath, just around the corner from Bath Abbey and Waitrose, making it incredibly easy to explore the city on foot. There is also parking directly underneath at £18 for 24 hours, which we thought was quite reasonable for such a central location.
Overall, we would stay again. The room was good, the restaurant was enjoyable, several members of staff were excellent and the location is superb. However, the housekeeping operation throughout the corridors is noticeably below standard and the handling of our paid late checkout was very disappointing.
If management could get on top of the housekeeping and improve communication between reception and the housekeeping team, I think it would make a substantial difference to the overall experience and to the reviews this hotel receives."
