Marwell Hotel Winchester South

Recently painted an upgraded rooms but didn’t mask the fairly old infrastructure of the hotel. I stayed in a room with an interconnecting door that was quite noisy from the neighbours next door. I would recommend specifically asking for a non-interconnecting room if you are a solo traveller. The breakfast had everything you would expect but the quality of the hot food wasn’t great. Easy parking and as budget hotels go it wasn’t the worst.

Great hotel

We recently stayed at Marwell Hotel for two nights and, unfortunately, it was a mixed experience leaning towards disappointing. On arrival, we were given our key and sent to a room that clearly hadn’t been cleaned—half-made beds, a pint glass, a pepperami wrapper, no towels, and marks on surfaces. We had to carry all our belongings back to reception, which wasn’t ideal. The manager did resolve the issue and offered a complimentary drink while we waited, and we were moved rooms after about 30 minutes, which we appreciated. What let the experience down most was the atmosphere among staff. We witnessed multiple arguments involving management, including one near our room with the cleaning team and another with a receptionist. The receptionist remained calm and professional throughout, but the manager’s behaviour came across as rude and uncomfortable to witness. The second room was acceptable but not without issues—cold on arrival, with no working heating (an oil radiator was provided), and no windows to open, which made the room feel stuffy overnight. There were some positives: the bar food was lovely, and the staff we encountered there were friendly, although clearly understaffed. Breakfast was okay but limited, and service was slow. The hotel itself is in a great location for visiting Marwell Zoo and is peaceful, but it is very dated and in need of refurbishment. The website photos don’t reflect the current condition. The pool was also closed during our stay.

It is so unfortunate that a hotel with this potential has been somewhat neglected. We have visited previously and the change since then is apparent. Still wonderful staff, still a fantastic location but the rooms are in dire need of attention. Nothing as horrific as mould or dirt, still very well cleaned but the cleaners have an uphill struggle with the aging of the property. We will most likely return, it's still a good hotel but it could be fantastic!!

Room was clean & tidy, may be a bit on the "tired" side, but no complaints. The connecting corridors from reception to accommodation blocks were cold, but the accommodation blocks and rooms were nice & warm. Restaurant menu I thought was limited - certainly nothing special and a bit on the prciet side for what you got (I had a chicken Cesar salad and it wasn't the best - lettuce seemed like it was from a 99p ASDA packet and on the "turn", about 6 small croutons, and chicken “breast” that had been "coated" in something...and was very wet - all the signs of cheap ingredients used to try and make an expensive looking dish (it didn’t look or taste it, sorry). Breakfast – good selection – cold & hot. Usual problem with cooked food left under heat lamps… dried out food, especially the eggs, followed by the beans and mushrooms – I asked for poached eggs and they were PERFECT. Overall, an ok stay, clean & tidy, but a tired hotel (I stayed here around 10 yrs ago and nothing had changed) – has great potential due to outs “rural & woodland” setting, but needs investment.