Villare Hitchin Town Centre

Location was central with parking Not what I expected for a 4 star hotel. The staff were lovely and upgraded me to a room with a four poster bed - with fridge, which was good as ice was not readily available I tend to choose local hotels when away on business and it was better than a chain hotel remote from the town

Where do I start! I’m of the view that if you can’t say something nice then say nothing. However I will make an exception to forewarn other guests as I equally rely on reviews but am wary of those overly critical people. Hospitality is in crisis and the staff here tried their best. The hotel is falsely described as 4 star, take at least one away. Website states there is a fine dining restaurant and bar. Check-in was at a Taco bar, there is no guest reception which is a basic requirement for a 4* No fine dining or Italian restaurant as per website- unless tacos are now considered Italian! When I asked for ice for the room it was a drama! I was advised “We are not a bar” contrary to hotel description. To be fair the guy understood my frustration and eventually sourced two glasses of ice. (This is where US hotel chains win, by having ice machines. UK needs to catch on.) Finally breakfast was a disaster- room wasn’t open at time advised. When I was eventually seated I was asked if I would like a Full English. I queried as to what it included. I was then told their supplier hadn’t arrived so it was only eggs or sausages. I settled for eggs on toast. Very disappointed, I always look forward to a good hotel breakfast. I generally filter 4*+ hotels and as this was a last minute work booking I didn’t have time to check reviews. Quick check suggested a lovely old Tudor building and I expected a cozy pub/restaurant. Booking.com need to reevaluate the Star rating system which is based on what the hotel claims to be their status without any verification. I was also concerned that the fire door on the first floor was propped open with an old laptop which is a serious H&S/Fire issue and should be investigated. On the plus side I did find the room comfortable and clean albeit dated and more consistent with a 3*star hotel Praise to the lovely staff who must find working there challenging

Everything was excellent. The property was very clean, comfortable and well maintained. The location was convenient, and everything was exactly as described. The whole experience was smooth and enjoyable. I couldn’t have asked for more.

Nothing at all. I genuinely had no complaints during my stay.

I had reception calling at 10pm asking if I was checking in. I had checked in at 5pm. At 5pm there were issues checking in

The location in Hitchin town centre served our needs and was within 5 minutes of shops cafe and restaurants .Having off street parking was very convenient. The room was large and well decorated . The Four poster bed not only looked impressive but was very comfortable. Air conditioning quiet and effective, Bathroom large and clean.

The entrance was tatty and there was unpleasant drain smell.

Good location, some…helpful staff. Parking adequate. Breakfast was O.K.

Had the bedding changes TWICE before sleeping in the bed. The replacements were horribly stained. Fire doors propped open with fire extinguishers. Staffing very patchy. Room was a breeding ground for moths. Lots of blown bulbs. Memory Foam mattress uncomfortable.

Great location, could have been cleaner. The poor guy was running all over trying to see to the take away and book people in!

Cleanliness could be better. No shower curtain

was pretty central

Room had no window view, bed was hard. toilet seat was very loose. No staff about

D'avoir un toit pour dormir la nuit.

Le check in se fait dans un restaurant de tacos...... C'est l'un des cuisiniers qui s'occupe du check in et qui montre la chambre. La porte ne ferme pas, les charnières à moitié arrachées. Il y avait du sang sur la couette et elle était tachée ..... Une porte à moitié vitrée qui donne sur des combles, là où des individus ont grimpé sur le toit la nuit pour s'y introduire, je ne peux que vous laisser imaginer le stress d'avoir l'impression que quelqu'un va entrer dans la chambre. Et une grosse lumière verte pour la sortie de secours reste allumée toute la nuit face au lit. À éviter. Pour votre propre sécurité. Un scam.

On centre of hitchin

Toilet seat wobbly

Location & free parking

The bed was very uncomfortable and no hot water. No one to tell in the shop in the morning as it was closed

Location great

Couldn't connect WiFi Tv not plugged in & when we did no signal, tv remote not working, no batteries Sink plug stuck & not draining Shower door wouldn't shut so water on floor Mirror not easy to use, behind a lamp Had to ask for 2nd set of hand & bath towel given it was a double room, surprising

Très bon emplacement en centre ville.. Cet hôtel est situé dans la zone médiévale. On y accède par une cour intérieure. Le rdc est en travaux. Au 2eme étage la chambre donnait sur les toits pas de vis à vis. Bon accueil par le resto situé à côté. Dame pour l'entretien, sympathique. Serviettes de bain très bien.

Le mobilier est très daté, rustique : La chambre double était spacieuse, avec bouilloire thé/café/lait. La salle de bain-propre- était assez récente mais petite avec douche, petit lavabo et toilettes. Bon éclairage. Manquait une corbeille, le séchoir à cheveux ne fonctionnait pas. Il faut savoir que des pubs/restaurants sont ds cette même rue et que leurs visiteurs peuvent être bruyants le week-end en été. Cet établissement mérite une rénovation esthétique...

Location.

Check in took around 40mins due to being short staffed. Checking in at the burrito shop next doors was strange. The entire establishment was tired/exhausted, grubby and smelly. My room had a smashed window and an over bath shower tall enough for someone standing no taller than five foot. I could go on but can’t be bothered…

Great location. Friendly staff. Great parking.

Staff was good.

Think there may have been a sewage breakdown or something like that as the entire Hotel smelt like S*** during the entire stay.

Great service and friendly staff

All was great

It was clean and the staff were absolutely amazing, specially Shubham, he was of great help, welcoming and answered any queries I had. I could reach the staff easily on the phone and Shubham answered no matter the time!

Nothing

Lovely location and the bed was comfortable

Staff very disorganised and not great to be fair! Got given a key to our room that didn’t work, hard to get in contact with someone out of hours! Got put into a room initially which had the most awful smell I can’t believe they would try and put someone in that room we got moved luckily

Loved the location & parking availability. The room was nice & comfortable too 🙂

The drain smell was unpleasant but on the whole we had a comfortable and enjoyable stay 😀

In the heart of Hutchin

The carpet was old , otherwise it was clean

It's in a great location. Check in was really easy. The room was large with a fridge and air conditioning. The bed was a kingsize and very comfortable.

I could have done with a hair dryer. The decor was very tired and lots of little things which made it look shabby such as missing curtain hooks and drooping hems of bed fringe, rust on the toilet roll holder and limescale on the shower door. All things that could be fixed in minutes.

Location very central, bed very comfy

Bathroom very small. The ceiling was curved over the toilet so you kept banging your head. Room needs updating.

The room was clean and comfortable. The town centre location was perfect and relatively quiet and on-site parking was available too.

When booking, I checked there were be disabled parking on site. There is parking, but no dedicated disabled parking, so if it's full, you'd be stuck. I asked for step free access into the shower, and whilst there was indeed no step into the shower, there was a step down into the bathroom. To be clear, I hadn't booked an accessible room. However, I do feel this should have been picked up by the staff. I had one opening window, which opened onto a litter filled foot wide gap between the buildings. All the other windows were unopenable. None of the blinds could be raised or left up without wedging them in the window frame, just to let natural light in. The room lighting was poor, especially given the fact there was little natural light. Having said that, who wants a view out of their window of the skip full of rubbish, pallets, and rubbish, all piled up under the bedroom window. Being disturbed by late night additions to the rubbish pile was also not appreciated. Check-in was also odd - you go into the Burrito cafe on the street by the carpark entrance. There's no obvious place to get staff attention. You just have to wait for someone to appear. A complaint will be made.

The location was great. Bed was very comfortable. Staff were very friendly and polite.

The check-in process was slow; we waited 20 minutes at the burrito bar. The keys did not work when we arrived or when a substitute was provided, and we were locked out of the room at 11pm. I rang the number provided and got no answer. Only when I messaged through the Booking.com app did I reach someone who, to his credit, came quickly and let us in. The bathroom door did not close, let alone lock. There was no shower curtain or even mat so the bathroom floor gets very wet. WiFi is patchy and kept cutting out.

I liked the historic style of the room and the fact that it had a four poster bed! Spacious room with all the furniture bits one would need; also, good sound proofing. Also, the bathroom was modern and spacious with a big bath. Lastly, I liked how centrally located this hotel was.

Unfortunately the mattress was rather hard and, as a result, was not very comfortable. The pillows were okay but could have been more supportive. There were no hand towels provided (just bath towels and a mat for the floor) so I had to request some more. The curtains didn’t shut properly so I had to stand up on a chair and pin them together. The key card was a bit unreliable and got wiped so we were unable to enter our room with it and had to get a replacement key card. Lastly, there was no phone signal in our room both days we were there in the daytime but, strangely, the signal returned late at night.

Discussed it was last year how can you get this so wrong how dare you message me we had no hotel the avent was last year we was left with no hotel you should be ashamed

Good location and parking for an event

Smelly room. Dated and not very clean. Automatic light in the bathroom didn’t stay on long enough to be of any help hell

Location and price

Room was dated and needed some maintenance. Toilet seat wasn't attached, shower head wasn't attached to wall so you had to hold it and sink plug didn't work. Nothing major and could be sorted very quickly

Excellent location Friendly staff

Mattress was filthy Bedding was stained Fire call point was broken No keys to patio doors Broken window and blinds Stained carpets Generally grubby Very noisy from both upstairs and the car park

The only positive was it’s position within the town

On arrival we had a 15 minute wait in the burrito shop next door before we were checked in & shown to our room. In the room, the door didn’t lock, the bathroom door jammed. The bathroom floor hadn’t been cleaned (muck & old blobs of toothpaste). No plug in the sink, no shelves or anywhere to put anything. The soap dispenser didn’t work. In the bedroom the carpet was grubby and the double bed was sagging in the middle with stains down the side of the divan. We had paid for breakfast but just wanted to get away the next morning, I didn’t want to think what the kitchen might be like. The prices for the bank holiday had been bumped up due to a big concert happening in the town. £165 was, frankly, ridiculous.

The room was pleasant enough . The beds & pillows were uncomfortable . There was no shower screen on the over head shower so the water sprays everywhere. No bath mat provided had to be careful not to slip coming out of the bath with water everywhere. No reception at the hotel- this was next door at the burrito restaurant, so no security at the hotel and outside door was open giving anyone access to enter. Good location in the city centre

Proximity to the gig at the manor

Check in process

Close to advent

Room was clean but bathroom sewage stunk out the room

It is a great location and the staff were lovely. It's an interesting building , good size room with air con. It definitely has great potential and free parking.

Not many people work there. It took a long time to check in as there was a queue and only one person checking in. There was also no reception so we were just hanging around the restaurant waiting for someone to appear. The room was somewhat clean. However the carpet was not, our socks were black and there was something sticky next to the bed. Cobwebs in the window,.dusty in places and generally poorly maintained. Wall paper peeling off the walls and very worn bedding. All the carpet is patchy and floors very creeky, so you can hear everyone else moving in other rooms. I do think this is over priced.

The location for the Priory. It was close to shops and restaurants. WiFi was good.

This is nowhere near a 4*. I knew before arriving (but not when booking) there was no reception and check in was at burrito counter, odd but fine. Staff were friendly, and it was quick and efficient. The room (11) smelt of damp and drains coming from the bathroom (smell was extremely strong in there, but even in room with door shut). The bathroom had a sensor light set to 30 seconds, and no windows, meaning having to move about when using the room and being constantly plunged into darkness. Not ideal when the toilet seat did not fit the bowl and slipped/moved. The sink is tiny, with no plug, so hole so straight into drain, and a tap with a strong flow leaving you and everything else soaked. The kettle is too big to fit and fill from it. The bed was comfy but slanted, with the head lower than the foot. Only two pillows. The room is ground floor, with visible damp/salts across large areas of wall. The window is directly onto the carpark and main door where other guests congregate and come past. The door is flimsy and key lock temperamental, seems to be a common issue in rooms (could hear others trying for ages to get into their rooms late at night). The main door was propped open to anyone to access corridors. There were lamps and a main light in the room, but the switch options were light and lamps, or light. It was not possible to only have a lamp. The TV was large, but stuck on a fire upgrade screen with no fire remote or way to click the upgrade button. Even using fire app remote wouldn't work, assuming it's on a different WiFi or not set up. All in all, was hoping for a quaint stay in a traditional room, but the experience was poor. Am glad we were only staying overnight for event at Hitchin priory. Didn't bother requesting switch as I knew all were booked up, so sucked it up, and stuck it out till morning. Sadly, I wouldn't recommend this room.

Location

Room was in poor condition, unable to open the windows Air conditioning didn’t work and there was no hot water for the duration of our stay. The entry key didn’t work properly so was hard to enter the room.

There is nothing to like about the hotel.

Room needs a deep clean, no hot water and no one to contact about facilities.

Bed was comfortable Was close to the venue I was going to

Key card didn’t work when I tried to get in late at night The carpet was wet from the bathroom The tv was broken when we turned it on

Location is perfect. Parking good. Staff very nice and room comfortable but it is an old building so smells abit damp

Damp smell. Carpets are worn but we had a good value deal.

The location was ideal for the event we were attending.

Whilst the location was ideal, the room we had faced the main road and the secondary glazing was not functional meaning noise was loud until the early hours. The bathroom seemed unfinished. The door did not close, there was no screen or curtain for when using the shower. The toilet did not flush properly. The kettle was too big to fill up from the bathroom sink. A bottle of water in the room would have been helpful. The room felt damp. We could not lock our room door when inside as the lock did not fully engage.

The location is perfect.

The owners are young and inexperienced, they need to give the property some TLC, and a desk would be great where you serve breakfast to greet the guests. Also answer your phone when there is an issue. Having to wait until you open your restaurant to discuss is not great. We missed out on a breakfast due to not having enough guests however the friendly staff made us a free burrito.

I loved the shower and the smart tv was nice.

Location Booking in staff were friendly and helpful Bed was very comfortable

Very musty smelling room Had to sleep with window open to help make the smell less noticeable. No wardrobe, but slow sloping ceiling would make it difficult to have a full height wardrobe. Dust all over bedside lamp stand and shade Green fire exit light on all night, so as it was bright it was difficult to get to sleep.

The staff are lovely, and go out of their way to help.

You check in in a burrito shop. There is no reception. There is no security, as the doors to the hotel are not locked. There's no one to contact out of hours. The shower head hadn't been cleaned or changed for years! The grouting is dirty. The floors all creak so everyone can be heard walking around. The mattress protector was dirty. The entire place needs new curtains, carpets, furniture and a total revamp! Its certainly not a 4 star and 3 would be generous!

Staff were nice and tried to be helpful. Good location. Cheapish

It’s gross. Window smashed. Carpet all ripped up. Dirty. Very loud air con type thing just outside the window. All pretty horrible!!

Great location, friendly staff and get a great nights sleep

No hot water for for 4 nights there only told us it was off after I had paid said it was being fixed day after Rooms unclean silver fish in bed

Nothing it’s a Kip that should be closed down

No housekeeping towels not changed in 3days no toilet paper so called breakfast discusting tea cold food not properly cooked and on Monday morning what they call breakfast room closed at 10 mins to 9 What a sad and sorry experience for my wife and I

I liked the location.

It was hard to find, no reception, had to go to buritto place next door to get key. No one cleaned the room or replaced teabags, milk etc. Breakfast was very basic. A fry and no other option. Tea/Coffee in flasks and both were cold. Some guests opted to go elsewhere for breakfast.

Air con in room. Not needed as not too hot

No hot water, TV remote did not work properly, it was moody

Cute English accommodation. Appreciated the air con!

Nice modern bathroom. Comfy Bed

Air con was not very good A kitchen with no plates cutlery etc.... Could not open windows apart from the kitchen. Blinds on the windows you could not open, basically just a piece of cloth - no natural light

Nothing !

Everything, the manager was quite rude to me, the reception in the taco shop is awful, the building and the car park is like a dumping ground there is rubbish everywhere old mattresses, old furniture just bags of rubbish there is no fine dinning Resturant only a run down room open for 2 hrs per day for breakfast, there is no bar what so ever this hotel is absolutely NOT 4 stars it is 2 stars on a good day ! Do not recommend !

Clean and tidy

Very strange checking in at a burrito counter

The gentleman responsible for the hotel was extremely helpful and kind. Amazing location; we couldn't ask for more or better.

Was everything lovely

Where it was and that is it!

It was absolutely filthy disgusting. How you can sell this as a hotel is beyond me. We left after about 13 hours on a 2 day booking!

Posizione perfetta

Non c era acqua calda e il piano superiore era veramente troppo caldo senza possibilità di raffreddamento

Some of the spot lights where hanging down from their holders

The room was spacious and comfortable, the bathroom was decent and the shower was quite powerful, great location in the heart of the town.

location we had booked the junior suite for the space

our suite wasnt available & we were shown a smaller room - we moved to a family room that had no blind over bedroom window, Tv in bedroom not working, the shampoo & handwash dispensers didnt work - the containers couldnt be used in the stand, it needed a good hoover The bedroom needs air conditioning

Excellent location in the middle of beautiful Hitchin town centre. Only 1 minute walk to main square. Only 16 minutes walk to train station. Loads of cafes, pubs & restaurants very close. Old listed buildings so decor in keeping with that period in time. I do not like modern characterless hotels. Room had original fire place. Huge old wooden 4 poster bed, mattress you just sink into, feather pillows - VERY comfortable. Air conditioning. Large screen TV. Tea/coffee, kettle. Modern large bathroom - double bath & shower. Everywhere SPOTLESSLY clean.

Only problem was no hot water one morning (+- 9am, 12/8) but luckily it was during a heatwave so I survived a cold shower !! My iPhone could not pick up hotel's WiFi. Bathroom window very dirty due to pigeons but there is no way it can be cleaned because not accessible from outside due to adjoining roof so would have to climb on adjoining roof to reach it !!!!

Location

Bathroom tap loose

Location and parking Got upgraded room !

Check in at Plan burrito restaurant a bit odd althought staff friendly .main entrance to accommodation always open so anyone could walk into building Room was functional but needs tlc and some atrention r bath shower controls not working properly but we managed .

Nothing

Everything, it was dirty, bins not emptied, hair in the bath, cups not clean

Cheap, good location and friendly staff (but still not worth it)

We had booked another hotel but changed to this one as this one has air con and it was due to be a hot weekend. We didnt expect much as it is clear from the photos it is dated. We stayed for two nights for a wedding nearby. It was one of the cheapest places in the area and just somewhere to sleep so we didn’t expect much. Rooms were dated as expected but fine. The first room we were given smelled strongly of damp. Staff were very friendly and kindly changed us to another room which was much better however AC barely worked in the middle of summer which made it hard to sleep. Disappointing when we picked the hotel purely for air con. Bedding was clean but bathroom could’ve been cleaner and room a bit dusty. Our friends room seemed cleaner and AC worked perfectly however she realised the door didn’t lock at all. The hotel is off a Main Street with no secure doors between the street and the bedrooms. Again she got to change rooms however the only room available had no AC at all, during a hot summers evening. Overall not worth the bargain price

Great location and a four poster bed

The location

The facilities were not good and lacked maintenance. Some areas were dusty and not cleaned Very old amenities not upgraded

We liked the fact that the manager on duty when we checked in was kind enough to switch the air conditioning on before we went into the room. The hotel was very pleasant and very clean.

The toilet seat didn't fit the toilet and the bed was a bit hard, but other than that, it was a brief stay, and we enjoyed our time in Hitchin. The hotel was good for the price we paid. We wish that we had rather had a breakfast at the hotel rather than up the road at another hotel that charged a lot for breakfast that was very average and the service slow,

Comfy beds clean linen shower clean

The room was on the main street is very noisy until about 2 with the pubs and clubs closing

Some rooms in this hotel are nice but beware they have opened another lot of rooms on the left of the entrance which do not meet the normal high standards.

In particular you want to avoid the downstairs room without ventilatiion or windows. Just be specific when booking and check that you don't end up with this one. It's the cheapest I think.

Good location. Bed comfortable. Good shower.

Moths everywhere. Some squashed on the walls and cobwebs . Needs clothes moth traps and a good clean .

Location for event was great

Bed was a bit hard for me but that was it really would stay again though

Very kind helpful staff. Nice welcome . Comfortable air conditioned room . Good facilities and really good location

It was all acceptable thank you

The location was excellent, the room was lovely with a 4 poster bed. Air conditioning was lovely. Huge bathroom with walk in shower. big TV. Quiet room even though on main street.

The shower didn't turn to cold we could only have hot showers which were sometime too hot.

Nice place to stay if on business trip. Makes a nice change from the usual chain hotels usually used for business trips.

Excellent location

A bit dated but okay