Not a place to go if you want to feel relaxed and pampered (Whittlebury Hall)

Member Name: amazed

Product:	Whittlebury Hall
Date:	19/05/09 (66 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Smart looking

Disadvantages: Appalling customer service. Overcrowded and overpriced.

Hotel looks quite smart and well presented, but customer service is non-existent. It amazes me how they survive the credit crunch with their general attitude.

We arrived for a spa break, but actually missed the day because they had no lockers left due to over-booking. Apparently they have no control over people extending their stay. Having spoken with the Manager we were persuaded to try again the next day and were allowed to stay after the 11am deadline, which was very generous of them considering everybody just stays anyway!

Just to make matters worse, she then suggested we had a good drink to forget our experience! I dont see getting drunk as the solution to such problems and I actually came for a detox/healthy weekend not to get drunk in their overly expensive bar!

Overall the facilities looked good, but ruined by a lack of attention to detail and non existent customer service. There was absolutely no information, no tours of the facilities and no welcome on arrival. You were simply handed one towel, a robe and slippers and left to get on with it. The towel needless to say got wetter and wetter as the day progressed.

Dirty towels were piled up in the changing rooms and litter was strewn across the floor. It looked more like the public swimming pool rather than an expensive health spa. The footbath didnt work and the whirlpool was closed due to maintenance. The chemicals in the pool were so strong people were having coughing fits and the steam room and sauna was packed. The heat and ice experience consisted of different sauna/steam rooms of varying temperature, a couple of cold showers and a colder room with an ice bucket! There were no friendly or any staff around to offer advice or check safety and it was extremely noisy and overcrowded.

It was more like Butlins. Why anyone would chose to spend their money on such a stressful and noisy environment I have no idea. I have been to other spas where you leave feeling as though you have been thoroughly pampered and feel totally relaxed. You do not get this feeling at the Whittlebury. They seem more concerned to pack as many people in as possible to make money, customer satisfaction is not a consideration. No medical history is taken and no supervision of equipment in the gym, so customer well being is also clearly not a consideration.

You can get a similar experience at your local leisure centre - a dip in a pool with hundreds of others, a sauna and a steam room and a workout on some gym equipment. The surroundings might not be as attractive, but you will at least feel safe in the knowledge that all health and safety regulations have been followed. There are plenty of other alternatives, I strongly recommend you try one. You won't feel pampered here.

Summary: Bad service, no attention to detail, a feeling that they just want your money