The Rivenhall Hotel in Witham, Chelmsford

This is a difficult review to write as we have very mixed feelings about our stay, When we arrived we thought that we had come to the wrong place and we had driven into a derelict site that once was a hotel, there were no cars or people that you would expect on a Saturday afternoon 1 hr after check-in. We did find someone and he ushered us to reception asked our name and produced a key. We were certainly getting a little concerned at the condition of the hotel but decided to go to the room and see, we could always leave if it was bad. The gentleman showed us to the room and to be fair he was pleasant and pointed to a non existent notice with the Wifi password. The room itself seemed ok so we grabbed our cases. In fact the room was Clean and warm, bed was obviously pretty new and a modern TV hung on the wall (sadly it only had online channels so were limited to 4 Freeview channels, this didn't matter as i never stay in a hotel without my trusty firestick..... and I stay in a lot of hotels for my job). The Bathroom was very clean and honestly it was fine. The only issues we had were 1) only 1 power socket with the tv plugged in, 2) No Bar or restaurant even tho the booking website show a fully stocked bar. 3) The main gate is locked after 10pm and we arrived back at 12.15 having to wait 10 minutes and 3 phone calls to the displayed number for a chap to come and unlocked the gate. All in all the essentials are there but its not a hidden Gem ....... Yet - A work in progress

Odd place, lick the main gate late at night and kids running around the place

Hotel seemed to have only just been taken over from a closed down establishment. They had no services available and the hotel smelled musty as though vacant for a very long period. Not Very Nice!

property was was in a state of disrepair whilst the room was comfortable and clean the reast of the site was like a building site nd being remote had no falcilities to eat or relax

What a place. The construction work is massive and all over the property. No bar, room has damp. It’s the sort of place you don’t want to take your shoes off

No on site facilities no bar or restaurant no vending machines Only 1 bath towel for a double room Room was clean but dated as was the surroundings.. like a building site. No key drop off or anyone on reception when leaving. Tea making facilities very basic and not enough for 2 people.

The hotel is run down and the rooms are very basic and need modernising. A lot of the rooms are not used.

Better than anticipated but obviously a work in progress. No restaurant or bar.

This hotel was just a two night wedding stay so didn't need to be great. Price suggested it wouldn't be. It is a bit run down trying to get back on its feet. Staff were as helpful as they could be. No restaurant so no breakfast. A lot of the rooms not in service it appears. Room wasn't serviced between days. So did it's job at the basic end, nothing more.

Dreadful!!! Looks like a building site. Shower flooded the bathroom in 2 minutes. Cold. No power by bed.

Didn’t get there until 1am as at an event in Chelmsford. Got in the room and the window was open and there was a horrible smell of weed and sewage but the room was so hot we needed the window open. There were mouse traps in the room. Tried putting the tv on but didn’t work. The door didn’t lock from the inside, no plug by the bed just went to sleep as so tired. This morning went to have a shower and had no water at all couldn’t even brush our teeth. Would not recommend.

Stank or mould/damp. Place is literally a building site. Had to unplug the tv to use the kettle! Bathroom was decent. Hopefully better when building is finished.

Staff lovely. Room clean. Only problem was fire alarm going off at 05.30

The hotel is in really bad condition, the room was large but very very basic and beds comfortable but the carpet was threadbare, there was no hot water, the wardrobe was infested with moths, no remote for the TV woken up every hour by noises guests and I have woken up this morning with bites on my legs and arms. I really don’t expect to have an experience like this when I book through Hotels.com!

This basic type hotel seems to be just starting up? I expect it will be much better in the future. Staff are very nice and seemed very enthusiastic Bathroom very nice in the room I was in, which was small but nicely decorated and the beds very comfortable. On the downside it was thick with building dust which I cleaned from the air as well as the surfaces before I could sleep there - this was back in March 2025. They seemed to welcome my suggestion that they next get a good cleaner. I hope they did. Paper thin walls.

Very reasonable budget hotel. Staff very friendly and helpful. Small basic room but clean and tidy, decent bathroom with good size shower. Plenty of hot water. Overall, it suited me perfectly.

We just needed somewhere to crash as wasn't planning on being in room for long. Room was okay, we were not expecting much and got what we expected. Was not expecting what looked like mould on the bathroom ceiling and for the shower to be impossible to get to a useable temperature. Either freezing cold or scaulding and if by some miracle it did get set to a useable temperature, it changed after about 15 seconds.

very clean brilliant shower room and highly helpful receptionist . a brilliant stay

Staff friendly enough. Room was clean & tidy & bathroom was really nice. Hotel is having maintenance with building works outside. Room had recently been painted & had a very strong smell. Understand maintenance is required, but drilling at 8am on any day, especially a Sunday was unacceptable, also without any notice.

Room was clean and good size , the bed was comfortable , everything you need for 1 night. Could do with nets on windows .

They had peaples round out side talking very loud, car broke down in car park with car alarm on and off very noisy.

Staff lovely. Room clean. Only problem was fire alarm going off at 05.30

It's quite clear that there is a major refurbishment going on, it looks like it's becoming an OYO hotel of sorts. The hosts are nice and friendly, but felt more like a BnB than a hotel. Just without the breakfast... So a bed. Honestly I was going to give this place a 3, it's not terrible but clearly needs some works, in the end I settled on a 2. I barley slept for road noise and couldn't shower or bath. The water drizzled out of the taps, and that's not an exaggeration... So a bath was off the cards. I turned to the shower, which has two controls. In theory the bottom says on and off. And the top is hot and cold. This is not the case, you have to play around for a good 30 seconds before water comes out. The choice is 30 seconds of 100 degree water or none. In the end I gave in. I must of looked like a tradesman and ended up in one of the un-refurbished rooms. Dates, tired and very miss matched. The bathroom from the outset looks nice, then on closer inspection it's all miss match, the towel rail isn't connected. Units are all different shades of white and fittings, botched in with trim pieces. Tiles look new but poorly laid, most of the floor is cracked and lifting. Bed was okay, not the best or worst. But the road noise was unbearable even with earplugs. I was in room 607 right on the corner of the A14. It was also rather cold in the room, heating off. No form of AC or electric heating. I woke up shivering at one point and had to put a jumper and trousers on.

This basic type hotel seems to be just starting up? I expect it will be much better in the future. Staff are very nice and seemed very enthusiastic Bathroom very nice in the room I was in, which was small but nicely decorated and the beds very comfortable. On the downside it was thick with building dust which I cleaned from the air as well as the surfaces before I could sleep there - this was back in March 2025. They seemed to welcome my suggestion that they next get a good cleaner. I hope they did. Paper thin walls.

Very low pressure in the shower so the water practically trickled out. The bed & pillows were uncomfortable. At 2am I packed my bag & went to sleep in my car

Great big room and comfy double bed

The staff were very nice. The room was clean and comfortable. Unfortunately the lead for the kettle could only b plugged in if you took the plug out of the tv. But I believe they r addressing this. Also I couldn’t get terrestrial tv, but that was possibly me. I had to go through apps. The bed was really comfy and the room was what ever temperature you wanted it to be. I would stay again. Although it might b good if they get slow closing doors, as you do hear your neighbors

Very reasonable budget hotel. Staff very friendly and helpful. Small basic room but clean and tidy, decent bathroom with good size shower. Plenty of hot water. Overall, it suited me perfectly.

Comfy room in good condition and clear. Was a convenient location and a good nights sleep

Lovely big shower, but you wait 10 minutes for the trickle of hot water. They are doing up the hotel, but clearly on a tight budget. Internet tv only, which keeps loosing signal. On the positive, comfortable bed and my room was away from the road and hence very quiet. Warm welcome from receptionist, who walked me to my room, but he did not offer help with my bags.

Went well. Comfortable rest. They were excellent hosts.

The staff were helpful and security was good . On the whole better tn reviews

Very reasonable budget hotel. Staff very friendly and helpful. Small basic room but clean and tidy, decent bathroom with good size shower. Plenty of hot water. Overall, it suited me perfectly.

Friendly staff great price for the stay

Very helpful and pleasant staff, went above and beyond to make our stay comfortable.

very clean brilliant shower room and highly helpful receptionist . a brilliant stay

the Staff was very friendly, available and went above and beyond their duty to aid a senior couple, especially Mr. Iqbal. if we ever go back to UK, we would not hesitate to stay there again.

Beware, this does not look like the photos, staff will make you uncomfortable. Expedia do not help when you complain

This hotel was just a two night wedding stay so didn't need to be great. Price suggested it wouldn't be. It is a bit run down trying to get back on its feet. Staff were as helpful as they could be. No restaurant so no breakfast. A lot of the rooms not in service it appears. Room wasn't serviced between days. So did it's job at the basic end, nothing more.

Great service again

They had peaples round out side talking very loud, car broke down in car park with car alarm on and off very noisy.

This is a difficult review to write as we have very mixed feelings about our stay, When we arrived we thought that we had come to the wrong place and we had driven into a derelict site that once was a hotel, there were no cars or people that you would expect on a Saturday afternoon 1 hr after check-in. We did find someone and he ushered us to reception asked our name and produced a key. We were certainly getting a little concerned at the condition of the hotel but decided to go to the room and see, we could always leave if it was bad. The gentleman showed us to the room and to be fair he was pleasant and pointed to a non existent notice with the Wifi password. The room itself seemed ok so we grabbed our cases. In fact the room was Clean and warm, bed was obviously pretty new and a modern TV hung on the wall (sadly it only had online channels so were limited to 4 Freeview channels, this didn't matter as i never stay in a hotel without my trusty firestick..... and I stay in a lot of hotels for my job). The Bathroom was very clean and honestly it was fine. The only issues we had were 1) only 1 power socket with the tv plugged in, 2) No Bar or restaurant even tho the booking website show a fully stocked bar. 3) The main gate is locked after 10pm and we arrived back at 12.15 having to wait 10 minutes and 3 phone calls to the displayed number for a chap to come and unlocked the gate. All in all the essentials are there but its not a hidden Gem ....... Yet - A work in progress

It's quite clear that there is a major refurbishment going on, it looks like it's becoming an OYO hotel of sorts. The hosts are nice and friendly, but felt more like a BnB than a hotel. Just without the breakfast... So a bed. Honestly I was going to give this place a 3, it's not terrible but clearly needs some works, in the end I settled on a 2. I barley slept for road noise and couldn't shower or bath. The water drizzled out of the taps, and that's not an exaggeration... So a bath was off the cards. I turned to the shower, which has two controls. In theory the bottom says on and off. And the top is hot and cold. This is not the case, you have to play around for a good 30 seconds before water comes out. The choice is 30 seconds of 100 degree water or none. In the end I gave in. I must of looked like a tradesman and ended up in one of the un-refurbished rooms. Dates, tired and very miss matched. The bathroom from the outset looks nice, then on closer inspection it's all miss match, the towel rail isn't connected. Units are all different shades of white and fittings, botched in with trim pieces. Tiles look new but poorly laid, most of the floor is cracked and lifting. Bed was okay, not the best or worst. But the road noise was unbearable even with earplugs. I was in room 607 right on the corner of the A14. It was also rather cold in the room, heating off. No form of AC or electric heating. I woke up shivering at one point and had to put a jumper and trousers on.

property was was in a state of disrepair whilst the room was comfortable and clean the reast of the site was like a building site nd being remote had no falcilities to eat or relax

I arrived at the hotel. There are two black gates as you enter, extermley tall grass and it looked very baron. I work away alot with work so am used to travelling on my own. My car was the only car in the car park. It didn't feel that safe. I entered the hotel and noticed curtains that did not cover the window entirely and some of the curtains looked like they had fallen off the rail. The main hotel sign was not burgundy, as it shows in all the pictures, it was discoloured all over. On entering the reception it was really dark and nothing like the photos on Expedia. There was a gentleman sitting behind a desk and I advised him that I didn't feel safe at the hotel. The gentleman assured me I was although so far it didn't look at all like any photo's on the Expedia website and it was making me feel anxious ( not normally an anxious person). The gentleman said did I want to check in and see my room. At this point, I want to run as far as I could. He showed me about 5-7 cars in another car park, this still didn't inspire me to stay. I would not recommend this hotel nor would I stay here again. I left and found a lovely hotel where I did feel safe and the staff were friendly.

No bar . No food . Second rate room . Noisy.

I use this place a lot when away for work and it provides exactly what I need for that purpose

The rooms and facilities were in poor condition. It’s a good option as a transit hotel but not ideal for leisure stays. However, the staff provided excellent customer care, compensating for the shortcomings.

Comfy room in good condition and clear. Was a convenient location and a good nights sleep

2.5/5 Stars Our stay here was a bit of a mixed bag. Upon arrival, we joked that we'd somehow entered the Twilight Zone – the vibe was more "motel" than "hotel." The staff were friendly enough, which was a definite plus. Our room was clean, for the most part, but we did notice that the spare pillows had some noticeable stains. Not a deal-breaker, but a bit disappointing. The real issue, though, was the overall atmosphere of the place. It felt deserted, like we were the only guests. The decor was straight out of a classic Western film – think tumbleweeds rolling down the sidewalk at any moment. While it had a certain quirky charm, it didn't exactly scream "luxury" or "modern amenities." If you're looking for a no-frills place to rest your head, this might be okay. However, if you're after a more hotel-like experience, you might want to look elsewhere. Perhaps a bit of renovation and some added amenities could elevate this place from motel vibes to something more impressive. For now, it's an average stop poor stay

This is a difficult review to write as we have very mixed feelings about our stay, When we arrived we thought that we had come to the wrong place and we had driven into a derelict site that once was a hotel, there were no cars or people that you would expect on a Saturday afternoon 1 hr after check-in. We did find someone and he ushered us to reception asked our name and produced a key. We were certainly getting a little concerned at the condition of the hotel but decided to go to the room and see, we could always leave if it was bad. The gentleman showed us to the room and to be fair he was pleasant and pointed to a non existent notice with the Wifi password. The room itself seemed ok so we grabbed our cases. In fact the room was Clean and warm, bed was obviously pretty new and a modern TV hung on the wall (sadly it only had online channels so were limited to 4 Freeview channels, this didn't matter as i never stay in a hotel without my trusty firestick..... and I stay in a lot of hotels for my job). The Bathroom was very clean and honestly it was fine. The only issues we had were 1) only 1 power socket with the tv plugged in, 2) No Bar or restaurant even tho the booking website show a fully stocked bar. 3) The main gate is locked after 10pm and we arrived back at 12.15 having to wait 10 minutes and 3 phone calls to the displayed number for a chap to come and unlocked the gate. All in all the essentials are there but its not a hidden Gem ....... Yet - A work in progress

Hotel seemed to have only just been taken over from a closed down establishment. They had no services available and the hotel smelled musty as though vacant for a very long period. Not Very Nice!

property was was in a state of disrepair whilst the room was comfortable and clean the reast of the site was like a building site nd being remote had no falcilities to eat or relax

No bar . No food . Second rate room . Noisy.

What a place. The construction work is massive and all over the property. No bar, room has damp. It’s the sort of place you don’t want to take your shoes off

No on site facilities no bar or restaurant no vending machines Only 1 bath towel for a double room Room was clean but dated as was the surroundings.. like a building site. No key drop off or anyone on reception when leaving. Tea making facilities very basic and not enough for 2 people.

Better than anticipated but obviously a work in progress. No restaurant or bar.

This hotel was just a two night wedding stay so didn't need to be great. Price suggested it wouldn't be. It is a bit run down trying to get back on its feet. Staff were as helpful as they could be. No restaurant so no breakfast. A lot of the rooms not in service it appears. Room wasn't serviced between days. So did it's job at the basic end, nothing more.