Champneys Reviews 927

We were overcharged for items we did not have. I have sent several emails which have been ignored and in the end called Eastwell Manor who agreed to refund and 3 weeks later still have not refunded me.
Upon checkout, We asked if any charges to be told no.

We stayed here April 2025 - What was meant to be a restful and rejuvenating stay at Champneys Tring turned out to be one of the most disappointing and concerning experiences I’ve ever had at a hotel or spa. From serious food safety violations and “misplaced and lost” jewellery, to unsafe equipment and poor management, the level of care and professionalism fell far below what any guest should expect — let alone from a brand that claims to offer such luxury and wellbeing.

1.Loss of Jewellery and Gross Mishandling of Personal Items
During my facial appointment, I was asked to remove my earrings and was provided with a small dish to store them. Once finished, I unintentionally left them behind — something I realised shortly after, however the spa was closed for the evening upon returning. Surely must happen quite regularly with guests removing earrings/necklaces/rings etc, so I was confident my earrings would be safe and waiting for me in the morning. What followed the next day was a disorganised and frustrating series of interactions, during which I was repeatedly told to return later, passed between departments, and given no clear information about the whereabouts of my earrings. Despite assurances that the earrings had been stored securely, they were never recovered. This incident reflects not only a lack of clear protocol but a gross mishandling of personal items. The absence of accountability and poor internal communication resulted in the loss of earrings that held both financial and sentimental value. At best they were lost, at worst they were stolen.

Weeks later, after much chasing, I received nothing more than apologies and a suggestion to contact my insurance provider — an absolute farce considering the duty of care owed upon accepting responsibility for my belongings, and being reassured as we left they would be returned to me. If I had known the level of incompetence that was to come, I would never have allowed myself to be assured enough by management to leave premises without them in hand.

2. Food Safety and Dietary Negligence
Despite informing the staff in advance of our dietary requirements, and ordering from the appropriated allergen labelled dishes, we were served food that contained egg — a clear violation of basic food safety standards. The issue only came to light the following morning, when we noticed allergen information on the same bread item and raised the concern ourselves. We were then told by the kitchen manager that the wrong bread had, in fact, been served to us the night before. At no point were we proactively informed. This level of carelessness not only undermines trust but also poses a genuine risk to guest health and those with allergies.

3. Serious Electrical Safety Failures in Room
Upon using the hairdryer provided in our room, we discovered that the plug was missing its earth pin. This is not a minor oversight; it represents a clear breach of basic electrical safety standards. The appliance also lacked a valid PAT label, which is legally required for all electrical equipment in commercial hospitality settings. The presence of a faulty and potentially dangerous item in a guest room raises serious concerns about the adequacy of safety checks at the property. While I was told the hairdryer was removed after I reported it, it is troubling that such a risk existed in the first place — and that it required a guest to identify it.

Champneys wants to trade on a luxury brand image, but what we experienced was the complete opposite: food safety failings, lost valuables, unsafe equipment, and indifferent management. Their repeated apologies mean little when there is no meaningful resolution.

If you're looking for a wellness break, do not waste your time or money here. Our stay at Champneys Tring was one of the worst hospitality experiences we’ve ever had — a chaotic, disorganised operation hiding behind polite emails and empty reassurances.

I was left chasing updates, chasing my belongings, and chasing basic answers — and all I got was a pair of missing earrings.

We have had a fabulous four days at Champneys. The rooms were great, they were comfortable and had all the amenities that you needed, we enjoyed the views from our balcony. We had amazing food and were served by some fabulous people. I would like to mention Ashe, who was so helpful and supportive. Charles, nothing was too much to ask for and he also had a fabulous sense of humour! James, who always had time to give us advice on anything we needed and gave us a great service. Last but not least was Joe, who was friendly, giving us a great alfresco dining experience.
There were multiple activities available if you wanted to be active or if you required a more restful break, beautiful scenic walks and places for a more tranquil short break experience.
Thank you all and we will return again soon!!!

Did a nights stay in Henlow, Bedfordshire, with 3 friends. Disappointing from the outset. The rooms we were offered were way up on the top floor, where an obvious spillage or leak had bled into the carpet on the landing. The carpet was filthy and had oil heaters attempting to drying out. Our rooms were just as awful. They furniture was very old and tatty. The beds were very small. We had never seen single beds that small. The carpet looked filthy and dusty and there was a general smell of dampness. One of our rooms had a moth infestation, which, the staff tried to excuse by claiming we were the wrong side of the river. It appeared as though the rooms had been truly forgotten by the cleaning team. Heavy dust and cobwebs were on the ceiling light fitting, in the corners of the ceilings, in the bathroom behind the towel rail. The bedside tables were laden with dust as was the interior of the wardrobe. There were two dead spiders which would have been blatantly visible to anyone who was supposed to clean and maintain the room.
I always walk with antibacterial wipes and those I used on the toilet seat became black with dirt very quickly.
This made for a not very pleasant stay as my friends and I felt very scornful of everything in the room and felt as though our skin was itching all the time. To male matters worse, the TV in one of the rooms could only show one channel and this kept being interrupted with a message stating poor signal. It really was shocking. It's the last thing you expect from a Spa resort.
The rest of the resort was quite nice and quite tranquil and the food was ok. Treatments were good and some of the staff were quite friendly. However, there was a general air of aloofness. None of the staff showed warm and welcoming tendencies.
They have a relaxing area with waterless which was quite nice and very popular. However, we noted there were no sanitising equipment to wipe down the beds after each person had used them.
Champneys is quite a renowned spa resort but yet our overall experience was sadly disappointing and mediocre. I would not recommend the Henlow facility. In fact stay away.

I'm staying at the Forest Mere location, the grounds are just beautiful,
We were welcomed by name and everything was organised for us.
I want to give a special shout out to James! What a diamond! James served us for dinner and he was courteous, responsive to our requests, very personal able and made us relax and laugh. Thank you for making our dinner experience so delightful.
Compliments to the chef - the food was amazing!!!

I would definitely come here again. ❤️

I emailed reservations before booking for help - never received a reply. Expect to be on-hold for over half an hour to speak to someone (if they pick up).
Champneys Tring Spa facilities old and tired. Climbing in and out of the outdoor jacuzzi is a fall risk if you are not steady on your feet due to wobbly/rust handrail.
Staff AT thvenue are lovely, and their face-to-face customer service is excellent. However, trying to resolve issues once you have left the property is nigh on impossible, their customer service is non-existent. My friend and I had treatments booked for 11am which also happens to be the check-out time. In our rush to leave on time, we each forgot an item in the room, a charger plugged in the wall and a jacket in the wardrobe. Yes, it was our fault. However, later in the afternoon, once we realised we had left them, we attempted to contact the Champneys straightaway to no avail. Reception would not answer the phone. Tried again the next day, no answer. I emailed the same (departure) day (16th May), no reply, again on 17th May, no reply, and a third time on 18th May before I finally got a generic response stating nothing was found and they bear no liability. I responded to that email to escalate the matter, as how could I be sure they checked thoroughly if the response came 3 days later, and highlight my disappointment in receiving such a generic email without even a name at the bottom of it - of course they did not reply to that.
We rang reservations who finally answered and were able to put us through to someone directly. We asked kindly if they could check the wardrobe in case it was still in there. They were adamant that housekeeping would checked. Apparently, guests can make mistakes and forget things, but their housekeeping staff are infallible - they would not agree to double check to see if on this one occasion staff forgot to open and check inside a wardrobe. For both items to have disappeared from the room once housekeeping went in is too suspicious for our liking. The person handling our call finally relented and said they would speak to housekeeping and get back to us. Of course they didn't.

Mottram Hall spa break
Two of their main features - outdoor hydro pool and indoor jacuzzi were closed all day. Not the first time I have experienced that here.
I wanted to rearrange a treatment due to a childcare emergency, and despite not being able to offer us any other time, they kept my money. Felt very mean-spirited to do this.
Rest of the stay was ok but those points did spoil it for me, as it was supposed to be a treat for our wedding anniversary.

Terrible experience. Had an awful stay, emailed my complaint and just been ignored after weeks and weeks. Really run down place. Do not use this company.
If I don’t get a response to my complaint I will be giving further details and how you breached a lot during my stay.

We booked for our wedding anniversary with a great price through Vitality and then read the reviews which did put us off.
However, from the moment we arrived we were so pleasantly surprised with the welcome from the lovely receptionist. She was on her own but offered to carry our heavy case to the second floor herself.
All the employees in the restaurant were attentive, helpful, and engaging.
The facilities were great.
We spend a quiet relaxing few hours reading in the library with stunning views.
Gorgeous grounds, lovely places to walk and sit.
Plenty of classes to attend.
An hours meditation was only £8 and well worth attending.
We left something behind and they found it for us in minutes..
Each meal had a wide choice of food, delicious and helped me with alternatives for allergies.
Rebooked for August. 😊

We’ve always had a wonderful time at Champneys Forest Mere, and this visit was no exception. The peaceful lakeside setting, high-quality facilities, and calming atmosphere make it an ideal place to unwind and recharge. The spa treatments were as professional and relaxing as ever, and overall, the stay delivered what we’ve come to love about Forest Mere.

What really stood out this time, though, were the exceptional staff who made the experience feel extra special. Coralee in the beauty store was, as always, an absolute delight – friendly, knowledgeable, and somehow always convincing me to stock up on diffusers (and pick out the perfect gift for my mum!). Her warmth and genuine nature make every interaction feel personal.

And a huge shoutout to Beau in the restaurant – truly exceptional. His attentiveness, professionalism, and effortless charm went well beyond expectations. It’s rare to come across someone so naturally good at what they do. Staff like Beau and Coralee are a credit to Champneys – people you look forward to seeing again, who turn a great stay into a memorable one.

There are always small things that could be polished – a touch more consistency in service in some areas wouldn’t go amiss – but overall, Forest Mere remains a firm favourite and one we’ll definitely return to.

Lewis Bridgman

Why does nobody answer the phone?? You have all these promotions and return vouchers but can only book them over the phone - but no one answers! It is 2025 - can you not add a voucher code box to the online booking to add a code? Honestly most ridiculous thing ever.

2 night stay at Mottram Hall:
Spa: This was okay. The facilities were generally clean, especially the saunas and steam room (bar a cigarette at the bottom of the pool!), but the spa area itself is not that big and it was difficult to get a seat at times. Compared to somewhere like Aqua Sana (Centre Parcs Nottingham) this paled in comparison. Amy, who did my massage and facial, was very considerate and a credit to the team. The treatment experience was brilliant and great value for money (I have the 100 minutes for £100 offer).
The Spa Cafe (downstairs) was very nice, with a good selection of drinks and nice places to sit. The Spa Restaurant where you go for lunch was okay - I ordered a coffee and was told ‘no hot drinks’ in a rather rude manner, then we waited until our meal was entirely eaten to get any water. It is £5 extra to have bread as a starter, and £10 extra for prawn rigatoni, which we thought was a bit cheeky. Other than that, the food was decent.

Hotel: Disappointing! We got 50% off the stay through my work, so we weren’t too put out, but had I paid full price I would have been quite unhappy. The hotel is very outdated, especially the bathroom which looked like it hadn’t had an update in 20+ years. The ceiling in the bathroom had black mould, there were silverfish, and some of the surfaces in the room itself had not been wiped and were very dusty. The room was comfortable, though, and I was happy to pay what we did for it (around £400 for two nights including spa access) but had I paid the full £800 we would have felt ripped off. The reception area is gorgeous and the bar looked nice but cocktails were £15 which I felt was very steep for up north - £12-13 would have felt more reasonable.

Restaurant - Carrington Grill: Amazing! Servers were brilliant and attentive, food was INCREDIBLE. The duck was especially impressive, as were the desserts. The restaurant itself was classy and felt high end - definitely would recommend.

Overall, great for a dinner meal at the Carrington Grill and a spa day, skip the overnight stay.

I’ve had a one-night stay gifted to me this year by two different people and both stays were so disappointing. There seems to be a big investment in marketing and promotions but such a decline in customer service. You can’t just ignore your customers as soo. As they’ve parted with payment to book. I sent countless emails to query things ahead of arrival (on two separate occasions!) and then afterwards to raise issues and queries with my bill. All of these have been ignored while I continue to get mailshot after mailshot of email promotions trying to get me to bi again.

It’s so expensive to have treatments and while the practitioners are good, there are not enough staff and customer service is so unhelpful - which I get the impression comes from the top as the staff seem powerless to do anything and just constantly have people complaining. It’s declined so much over the last 10 years - twice I was given dirty robes, my bill was wrong and my emails have been ignored. There’s no communication once you’ve been enticed by a promotion and you don’t know what treatment or when it’s booked for. The queue is out the door at arrival time and several people missed their treatments. It’s so poor and not good value for money with no respect shown to customers forking out hundreds of pounds when everyone is struggling financially.

Great facilities
Wonderful service provided by Louise in the cafe/bar

I have not even stayed here yet and am do to stay overnight this weekend. Many questions and need of clarification. I have called the Henlow location repeatedly but no one answer. I've emailed the central office and no on replies. I finally called the central office and was put on hold repeatedly. I will not be staying here again. I hope someone can help me with myu needs once I arrive. I am afraid someone will tell me I should have made arrangements prior to coming. This is terrible customer service and that alone is enough to take my business elsewhere.

My stay was booked for an overnight stay back in January at Henlow .
I was celebrating my birthday.
Arrived in time for lunch having not eaten breakfast.
A buffet style lunch ,usual selection, salads ,cooked and cold meats .So far so good .
We spent the afternoon at the pool,our relaxation spoilt by an extremely loud aqua class.
At 7pm arrived at dinner and enjoyed a 3 course dinner.I had a different starter to my husband.
We retired to our room at 10pm and went to bed .
At Around 11pm I woke with the most violent stomach pains ,spent the night in the bathroom.No more detail needed.
We left Champneys at 8 am ,saw my doctor at 9.30 ,and was sent to A&E where I was admitted to hospital placed in a isolation room and spent three days having tests ,CT scan etc.Diagnosis food poisoning.
Having contacted Champneys on my discharge reporting my illness and waiting8/9 weeks for an outcome.
Their reply,initially advised perhaps I hadn’t washed my hands properly ,then no other reports of illness during our stay,I wasn’t able to provide the result of a sample in their time frame .
I requested a refund , not a hope ,however they have promised to look after me if I return .Not a chance.An expensive nightmare ,no thanks ,pity that there isn’t a no star option.

As two busy mums craving a rare day of peace, we booked a “luxury” spa day at Champneys Springs. What we got instead was a chaotic leisure centre on steroids experience wrapped in the thinnest veneer of ‘wellness’. It was, in short, an absolute joke.

The pool ‘Wet area’ — The pool — was hosting what can only be described as an aquatic rave, with 30 people thrashing about in an aggressively loud aqua aerobics class. Think water Zumba meets nightclub… at 11am. The noise level alone was enough to trigger a stress headache, and the chaos made any idea of serenity laughable.

There was zero poolside seating, unless you count leaning against a wet wall in your robe, which — speaking of — was paired with threadbare towels that felt like they’d been through a thousand wash cycles too many.

The Sauna smelt like burnt bacon, All poolside seating was full of damp soggy towels, flip flops and a few desperate people trying to zone out of the poolside nightmare. Having been there 10 minutes we enquired with staff if they could find us somewhere to sit, or if there was another area suitable to relax in — we revived a shrug from a member of staff who explained she would get someone to ‘clear the towels, people try to save seats all the time it’s so annoying’. No one came to clear towels or bring more seats so we went back to the main reception the front office staff clearly embarrassed looked all too hardened to handling complaints like ours. There were other people there demanding a refund.

The cherry on top? When we asked to speak to the manager, they refused to face us. We were told, “You can have a refund, we’ll give you a complimentary hot drink… and then you can leave.” Classy.

This wasn’t a spa day. It was a loud, uncomfortable, overpriced farce. We came for serenity, and left stressed, soaked, and sipping a pity tea in a lobby that smelled faintly of nothing but disappointment.

Champneys, you’ve well and truly lost the plot — and two customers for life.

Awful experience and I never even made it there!

I was given a gift card for my birthday and spent 3 days trying to book online and over the phone. The website is not fit for purpose, offers available but no option to actually purchase them, treatments available but then sold out when adding to basket, it just doesn’t work nor does the app. I was also calling the phone line numerous times over the 3 days and no one answered.

When I finally got through on the phone I was throughly put off going to Champneys. I’d wasted valuable time trying to give them money they clearly don't deserve. I managed to get a full refund after raising my complaint with management.

I’m relieved I never got to go as from all the reviews it seems it’s not worth it even if you can make a booking!

Idyllic location. Attended two classes taught by Georgie. Georgie was great and offered lots of alternatives and made sure everyone was all good. Fab! Good gym facility. Large indoor pool, hydro pool and jacuzzi plus steam room. However, the sauna was out of action as well as the new outdoor hydro pool.

Champneys Tring
Appalling from start to finish!
We visited for my birthday this weekend just gone. Before we even got into our room we had to trek back to reception to get our key card working properly.
The room was run down and below average for the price we paid. Mouldy tiles, no shower gel in the shower, rotten door, no iron. No charging next to the bed.
My partner was refused a hot drink (additional purchases of £4.25) in the Terrace cafe. Staff allowed him to stand there, looked at him and then their phone, had a conversation with colleague before saying they were no longer serving due to closing 5.55pm. When I arrived at 5.30 the cakes were already removed from display and it took 15 minutes to receive my coffee. Extremely rude.
The hotel did not inform guests that they were filming on Sunday 23rd March so we were woken up by a film crew outside our bedroom window popping champagne. Spa facilities were not accessible until 10am due to this which was frustrating as we had paid to use the facilities from 6.30am.
Hotel staff said this had been booked last minute and we had to explain this is unethical as guests were not given information to consent to being captured in robes by the film crew who were everywhere-- no information about if or how images of guests will be used provided.
At breakfast we were seated and then told off for taking pastries (apparently only for day guests) when there was no clear sign or instruction given. These were also not available on the overnight guest breakfast however mackerel, onion and chillies were? Hotel staff said they were changing to a healthier menu, despite serving cakes etc in the café?
After discussing this with the female manager in the dining area, I was told that it was receptions job to inform me of what area of the buffet I could eat from. Very rude and uncaring manner and being chastised in front of fellow guests at breakfast was not the start to my birthday I had hoped for.
By the time we could access the spa due to overcrowding at 1pm the lockers in female changing were all broken despite us having to checkout at 11am and needing to store valuables. Had to visit reception twice to get support for this which was incredibly frustrating.
I left here feeling more stressed than when I arrived.
Absolutely appalling service and facitilies with guests being short changed out of their package to prioritise filming for a dating show.
Avoid and spend your money elsewhere.