The Esplanade Hotel by Compass Hospitality

The hotel was in a good location, very near to the harbour. The price was very reasonable. Most of the staff were good.

Breakfast was ok, not exceptional. Not quality ingredients.

excellent value

The sea view was good but that will disappear with all the noisy building work taking place between the hotel and the sea.

Checked out a day early. Shower took 10 minutes to get hot(ish) water and was only a dribble anyway. But this wasn't the issue. We parked near the entrance where other people had parked previously. This was because all the parking spaces had been taken. The receptionist asked me to move my car. I'm awaiting a knee replacement and there were no signs to say no parking. I did move my car as requested but when i raised the issue with the manager she was rude and lied that the spaces in the car park are well painted so I apparently should have known it was not a space. Actually, there are no spaces marked. Maybe in 1970 there were but all have worn away. Whilst discussing this with her she decided to warn me that by disagreeing with her it could force her to ask me to leave the hotel. After being threatened with this, having not sworn or caused any public order offences or the like, I chose to check out a day early. To her credit Kim, the manageress, agreed to refund the money once I contacted booking.com. I was pleased to see that she did do this. I would not recommend this hotel. It does have many ne'er-do-wells staying here on council money too and these unpleasant individuals did not have respect for others in the bar on the night I stayed. Pushing past, noisy. Like staying with a bunch of chavs. Three-star hotel? You wish. Not even a hotel. One star hostel possibly. I expect the manager to make many accusations about me filming there. I filmed the interaction of when we left for evidence reasons.

Good choice for breakfast. En-suite was a bit cramped. Location was good.

Didn’t expect to pay for car park.

Location

Grounds were not kept clean

Location

Shower didn’t work unless the head was taken out of the wall bracket and brought down to shoulder level. Breakfast not hot enough.

Location, Shaun the bar man

Dated and smelt of cannabis coming out of a room in first floor. Needed to be sorted, but didn’t. Our room on floor 2 was fine, water flow in shower was slow, but good for the money paid.

breakfast room and location was fine

bathroom needed hand rail ,hot water took along time to run hot,a coffee machine was missing in dinning room and aplug that kept the water in the sink and the sound proofing between rooms,

The location

Bathroom was disgustingly, not enough room between sink and toilet. Shower cubicle was pure manky, thick dirt on walls, made me feel sick

Location is excellent! Right on the seafront. Room was clean, large shower with a great rain style shower in there. Bed was comfy. Staff could not have been more friendly and very helpful if you needed anything. I saw some negative reviews before so was a little worried, but they must have had a bad day s was excellent throughout.

It's a shame there is construction going on in front of but that is no fault of the hotel and it'll be finished by summer 2027 I believe. There was a brrrruuuuur noise every 20 mins or so in my room? Wondering if that's pipes or something? And other guests haven't heard of the concept of being quiet when walking around when it's late, again no fault of the hotel.

Reception and other staff members.

Tv didn't work properly and shower had no power.

The whole experience was fantastic

Location, typical Torbay 3star hotel 🙂

Room size, Shower water pressure really poor.

Staff friendly and helpful. Hotel and room clean and tidy. Breakfast was good though not everything available as listed on the menu.

Room very small and awkward to manoeuvre around. En suite was small, nowhere to put your towels, not even a towel rail.

Location and staff

Room very small i couldn't have a shower the first morning as there was no cold water in our room

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ What a fantastic find! We had such a lovely stay at the Esplanade Hotel in Paignton, and I honestly couldn't recommend it highly enough. From the moment we arrived, Zoe on reception was absolutely brilliant. She was incredibly helpful to both myself and my elderly companion, who can't walk very far, and she went out of her way to make sure we were both comfortable. My room was ready early, so she kindly let me check in ahead of time, which was a real bonus. She also upgraded my companion to a sea view room because he's staying for a week, which was such a lovely gesture. The hotel itself was scrupulously clean, beautifully redecorated, and exceptionally well kept. My room was fantastic, with lovely decor, fresh carpeting, and bedding that made it feel really comfortable and welcoming. Zoe even showed me the family room in case my daughter ever wants to stay, and the twin room because I'm coming back in October with my friend. Both were exceptional for the area. I've stayed in other hotels where there's barely room between the two beds, but these rooms were spacious, beautifully presented, and really well thought out. The bar area was another highlight. Lovely, comfortable seating, a great atmosphere, and the sort of place you could happily sit and have a drink and a chat. Everything felt fresh, clean, and inviting. My companion had breakfast and said it was absolutely lovely. I didn't get to try it myself as I had to leave, but he was very pleased with it. All the staff we encountered were really friendly, chatty, and welcoming, and there was such a nice community spirit among the guests too. It just had a lovely, happy atmosphere. For Paignton, I thought it was exceptional value for money. It's clear that a lot of care has gone into the refurbishment, and every single room we saw was fantastic. We had a really enjoyable experience and will definitely be staying again.

I like that it was so close to the sea and how convenient it was to get to and from the place, i found it easy to find there is a lift inside that makes it alot easier to get to your room. I was only there for 4 nights but found the front of house staff and the cleaners i spoke to very friendly and welcoming even towards my pet dog.The room was resonable size with a view of the street, it was well presented as walking in for the first time even the toilet roll had been folded at the end to look more presentable, there was a good size smart tv in the room and i had a really good wifi connection with no issues. Also the on suite toilet, sink and shower was quite clean with good lighting in there and in the main room. The rooms are opened with a key card which i found more convenient than having to carry a key around. The rooms are as pictured on the site.

The things i did not like was some things in the room did not seem like they were cleaned to a good enough standard, the bedside table had a small drink spill on it, there was a spill stain on the leg of the chair and a few specs here an there on the desk the plug in the toilet sink pushed down but didnt pop back up and the plug hole cover on the shower wasnt clipped on properly and the wardrobe door didnt always want to stay shut. Oh and there was a greasy stain on the tv screen i could see when the tv was off.

Great location. Cheap parking per day compared to other places. The hotel is dog friendly and also has a room you can dine in with your pet. It’s so handy.

The only issue I had was the extremely low water pressure. We found showers took quite a while. BUT it is an older hotel plus we got a very good deal with breakfast included in the room we booked. So, it was an ok comprise.

Location

Noisy lift

The bed was comfortable, so experianced a good nights sleep

Overall the hotel was very tired and dated with very narrow hallways. Mould around the shower enclosure Cheap bu furniture most of which had edging missing. The website advertised food in the restaurant and cabret entertainment, however we were informed on arrival that the restaurant only runs when they had coach parties and there is no cabaret. We could however order breakfast for the next morning. The lady at reception was quite brusque and wasnt particularlly friendly to be first point of contact front of house, we did find out later that evening that she had worked a 14hr day when she and the barman were having a shouting conversation between the bar and lounge/ reception. A number of staff were drinking in the lounge the first night and were rowdy and drunk shouting across the two rooms with the barman in the bar. The barman kept disappearing but there was a bell on the bar to ring for attention. The barman let us know that the bar was closing at 10 because it was quiet even though as he said it should be 11.00, on our first night (friday) but also said the same on the Sunday night. We were also privvy to indiscreet volume levels of conversation between staff at the bar that staff are able to have a room at the hotel for £200 a month, something that paying patrons dont need to know or the reasons why, something to do with baby mama and time away from their kids, anyway! There were also 2 vagrant looking men wondering around the hotel and bar, from what I could tell they werent working there but definately had a room there Overall the the hotel although needing some very general upgrades (eg replace silicone around showers etc) was comfortable and functional, the housekeeping staff were great, couldnt fault them at all. The barman was friendly but absent quite often & unproffessional in many ways. The front of house lady well unfortunately she seems quite unhappy in her job and couldnt really hide her frustration when dealing with paying guests.

Nothing

Unsafe!

The staff are very friendly and helpful. Well kept and professional.

Would be nice if the kitchen was open later but it’s not an issue

Comfy bed, clean and tidy, the staff were absolutely lovely and its a great location.

The other customers... One was shouting loudly till gone 1am when the police came and dealt with it. Sadly you can't change this, it just kept us awake on an otherwise great stay.

I loved the hotel ,and the closeness to everything.

Just the shower, there were spots of mould around edge of shower base and soap holder, and dirty in and around the glass sliding door Area.

The room was nothing like the photos Stains on floor tiny room had to book somewhere else and couldn’t get my money back

Not clean

Well organised

Room had window at one end up on a separate part so little light and air flow

the room was a small double OK for me used as a single with a big bed! Being with a sea view and was there to convalesce it was quite suitable with a large lounge bar facility. and the beach only 50 yards away!

The bathroom was small as was the shower cubicle which was minimum size and I have a weight training 50in chest! a larger facility would be preferred But it was acceptable.

Lovely service from the concierge especially Ian who was personable showed discretion to guest. Making you feel welcomed!

Carpet in the room was worn out and could be cleaner.

Hotel is in a very good location. Short distance to the seafront, harbour and restaurants/bar areas. Good amount of parking Staff were friendly and helpful

The shower lacked a fair bit of water pressure. The bathroom was quite small in size, it didn’t matter to much to us but can imagine taller/larger people or people with mobility problems having a few issues. To sit down on the toilet, you have to manoeuvre your legs in and under the sink. Again we didn’t see a massive issue but I see there could be a problem for other people

BREAKFAST WAS WELL ORGANISED AND THE STAFF WERE FRIENDLY AND POLITE. THE BREAKFAST WAS NICE.

SHOWER WAS NOT GREAT AS THE SHOWER HOSE WAS OLD AND NEEDED REPLACING.

Excellent location with very comfortable beds. All the staff are amazing especially Zoe who goes above and beyond!

Location.

Lack of air conditioning.

Breakfast

The room was very dirty and very dated the bathroom... got a bigger cupboard at home i think the cost of my holiday was over priced for what we received 😳

Location, nice bar area

our room was very hot and above the kitchen so no sleep as they were banging around at 5am so get any room thats not 121 or around that number 😂

The area the hotel was the staff was nice and friendly

The room needed updated, there was only one chair in the room there was no soap in the shower and above the sink. And the worst thing is there was a flight of steps outside to walk up and my husband is disabled which was very painful for him. The smell in the corridor there was smell of someone smoking canibis which was disgusted.

Location is great.

The room is not very well planned out. Nowhere to use hairdryer and a mirror. Barely any room to make coffee. Absolutely no space to put anything in the bathroom, not even a shelf. The shower had barely any water coming out of it and o took three times as long to wash. Having said all this it is a nice hotel it just needs a bit of tweaking. It was also quite dusty and dirty tissue on the window sill.

Friendly staff.. didn't use restaurant, but the smell of a cooked breakfast was very tempting...

Reception staff were very pleasant and helpful. The breakfast was excellent. Enjoyed the evening entertainment on the Monday night.

Would have liked more entertainment as was on the Monday night.

Position, communal area, bar and reception staff

Smelly, stained carpets around gents toilet. Stale smelling, stained carpets in lower floor corridors. Pokey bedroom with view of a piled high skip with old hotel furniture and fittings from our window. Our window and bathroom door were in great need of a fix. Minuscule bathroom, which I just about managed in, but was not really suitable for me as a disabled person (which hotel was pre informed about) which contained a rather mouldy shower cubicle in need of a bleaching and a bifolding door with a detached seal that really needs a fix to prevent flooding the bathroom. Badly stained chair in our room. All in all we thought that the house keeping person might need to pay more attention to detail. We say all this as critical friends, not a moaning, picky B’s!

Location.

Beds & safety. Legs got cut & bruised No fans

Location good

Could have small fridge rooms Fan in room Windows dirty paid sea veiw could not see due to dirty windows Stain on matress The shower was dirty The shower was huge step to get in it dangerous no plastic mat in shower Accident waiting to happen Quilts were old worn

Screaming drunk people, people running around this all at 2am. Needs better security.

Location

Breakfast

The room. Very old and too warm at night. Bathroom too small.

Great location, staff helpful,

There was a funny smell in the room, I didn't want to stay long in the room, Asked for a fan which I kindly got to help with the smell in the room.

Close to all the facilites.

No push chair or wheel chair access.had to go up 6 steeps to get in the hotel. Rooms need air conditiong . They ran out of portable fans. £12 for breakfast a bit steep. Lack of staff on duty. Wait ages to be surfed. No travel cotts had to bring our own Hard to get into the bathroom door nearrly touches the sink

Property was well kept, very clean and well presented.

There was no air con so the rooms were hot but I did go to reception to request a fan which was provided immediately.

The staff were very lovely and welcoming!

Our bedroom wasn’t the cleanest. There was sand in the shower, a dirty towel left on the bathroom door, nail clippings and other materials on the carpet, a chocolate bar in the bedside table and a lot of dust. The room didn’t smell particularly clean either.

Great position staff friendly

The room was dated sink in bathroom was cracked in 2 places shower curtain very stained dirt and dust behind sink

Close to all the amenities that I needed.

Nothing at all

The staff at the hotel are exceptional they can't do enough for you they made up for other faults which the hotel has. I was pleased that we could take our elderly dog with us for breakfast which we had in the adjoining conservatory,

The bedrooms are small and very basic and don't think you will have a shower as there is just enough water pressure to brush your teeth. My main criticism is the car parking, the hotel doesn't own the attached parking area and is controlled by a private company who allow anyone to park there, leaving very limited space for hotel guests and as the cost of parking is just £6 per day it fills up very quick.

The way out of it

The whole place is filthy. Photos on this portal do not mirror what this hotel has on offer

All good view ,and comfy bed

The shower and toilet room was very small .not much room in the shower itself .

Room was small. Beds were uncomfortable Could not believe the size of the bathroom absolutely ridiculous could not move in there. Shower door didn’t even close properly Noise from the road with cars and motor bikes was horrendous and could not get a proper nights sleep

Good value for money. Friendly staff. Clean room. Good breakfast. Convenient location.

Need instructions on how to use TV. It was complicated but once I figured it out, there were no issues. Low water pressure in bathroom.

Staff very friendly and helpfull

Friendly,clean place.

Needed more plugs in the room

Breakfast was ok didnt have butter on the second day due to a guest taking hand fulls and putting in his bag along with teabags and Nutella 😡 On the last day there was no fresh fruit no pastries on the second and last day this was advertised on the menu

The bathroom in the room was too small and very cramped only one double electric socket no blinds on the windows had to close the curtains when dressing so it was very dark The weather was very hot no fans supplied in the room as the window didn’t open enough The hotel corridors smelt of cigarette smoke and Weed

Staff ( Zoe) was extremely helpful and friendly, close to my family I was visiting , would rebook another time to stay , another room though.

I was a bit stressed about Parking but Zoe put my mind at ease and I got a space, car park unkempt/ litter also appeared to have someone sleeping overnight in a car as there the following morning at 7.30 am. Room a little small , twin room it only X1 chair which I had to have for a bad back . Had to leave by ,7.30 and a takeaway coffee and croissant would of been nice .

breakfast was very good as were all the staff. generally the hotel was kept clean and tidy but like all victorian buildings could do with redecoration.

bathroom was very small and with no extraction became like a sauna. bed was quite uncomfortable

It was close to amenities, we had sea view room.

Lovely location next to the harbour, with engaging and welcoming staff. The room was very clean with everything needed for a lovely stopover.

The bed was comfy and clean

Check in was very poor experience. Tiny bathroom with hopeless poor flow shower and black mould. View from room Images on website did not reflect what we stayed in

Proximity to the beach and town, decent price

No fan in the room made it feel a little stuffy

Breakfast very good rooms we'll serviced

Had an issue at breakfast no staff at counter asked young lady dark curly hair didn't get her name who was passing for some service please the answer I got was I'm busy at the moment I offered to serve myself if it would help she developed quite an attitude saying it was against the rules then asked for our room number in a not very friendly manor not very professional perhaps further training in customer service would be helpful

there was a bed, a desk and a wardrobe kinda unit.

Breakfast was not good (it was actually terrible; I love breakfast, but this I had to leave on the plate); it looked and tasted like microwave meals, and there was only instant coffee, which was extremely bitter. The room was okay, but the building had settled over time, and the floor was a slope, and the water pressure in the shower was nearly nonexistent. All signs at the hotel were clearly done in Word printed on site and just plastered up, which gave the whole place an extremely unprofessional vibe. The lift doors no longer closed by themselves, and the lift could therefore sometimes not be called to other floors. Considering it was peak season, there was no option for dinner at the hotel except for the coach clients, which may have been a blessing considering the breakfast.

Staff very friendly help full

Nothing

Beds were comfortable, great location

Room was not the same as advertised- when reported this to reception was told this is what all hotels do they advertise their best rooms but they only have limited ones like this. The only way I would get the room shown as advertised if I stayed in a more modern hotel this is a very old hotel Room had horrible smell Stains on the bottom of the beds and on bed sheets. Bird poo and feathers on windowsill inside- when told reception they just said oh yeah birds do fly in someone must of left the window open. Was to hot in the rooms-no air conditioning couldnt open windows far enough due to birds coming in the room. Very small bathroom - not the same as on picture-water ran very slow in the shower and was a nail sticking up on the floor.

Staff were really friendly, room nice and clean and the breakfast was lovely. This was my second visit, I’ll definitely be back again.

Nothing

Easy to get to. Good breakfast.

No complaints.

It was fairly close to where we wanted to be.

The rooms are terribly designed, especially the bathroom, it was worse than Harry Potters room under the stairs, literally unusable to anyone over 6 stone wet through without causing bodily injury of some kind. The bathroom was less than a meter wide and about 2 meters long with a very small shower at one end (water pressure was abysmal), a hand sink in the middle and the toilet tucked at the back of that. You could not sit square on the toilet because of the sink, you had to sit on the diagonal, if you wanted to wipe your bum, you had to leave the toilet door open just to accomplish the task! No air con anywhere in the hotel and not enough portable fans to go around all the rooms, so it was like a sweat box during a heatwave. The mattress was that old, it had a dip in the middle, despite it being like sleeping on a brick ... Never again. Despite being a hotel guest, we still had to pay £6 to park at the hotel. The creepy man that was knocking on the bedroom door at 9am asking if i wanted extra coffee sachets... absolutely no need.

Clean bedding., towels clean., it’s right in front of the sea

We arrived with our family full of excitement, but from the very first moment the experience was far from what we expected. The reception staff did not smile, greet us, or make any effort to be welcoming at all. What upset us most was an incident during our stay: we had bought chips from a local chippy and had not even opened the sealed bag, when the same staff member told us we could only eat them in the dining area — despite the fact that when we arrived and brought in Chinese takeaway, we were told it was fine to eat our food there as long as we cleared up afterwards. We agreed immediately and apologised, but she then went to get air freshener and sprayed it all around us, in the air and into corners, while we were the only family present in the room. This felt extremely unnecessary, disrespectful and hurtful, and left us feeling very uncomfortable and singled out. We also found the room situation very difficult. Although the family room was a good size and appeared clean, there was no air conditioning at all. The room was extremely hot from Friday through to Monday — my 2‑year‑old could not sleep properly the first night, and even though I asked for a fan I only received one on Saturday evening, which unfortunately made almost no difference at all. When we checked out today, there was still no basic courtesy — no one asked how our stay had been, or even offered a polite greeting or gesture. I would still visit Paignton in future, but I would not choose to stay at this hotel again. This experience fell well short of what should be expected, and the behaviour of staff in particular was not acceptable.

Breakfast was great .

The heat in the room was so hot it made us feel ill and there were no fans left.

On the sea front. Near to town centre. Train station near by.

As its an old building not air conditioned. And window locks, so so unable to open window. Shower cubicles small.

Staff very helpfull

No air con No water pressure in shower No pressure flushing toilette Pigeone getting into room and pooing Pigeons in passage cooing all night

Room and bathroom clean and comfortable. Good choice of food for breakfast and staff all friendly and helpful

The staff were very friendly, seemed happy to help and very accommodating at our requests. For the money it was very reasonable that's the location was great, the view was spectacular from our sea view room. Despite what we didn't like we would go back. Thankyou. Room 120.

The size of the room was quite a small twin, and we only had a 2ft space around each bed to maneuver in. The shower cubicle was very small as well. Out of three lights in the L shaped bathroom only one worked (the mirror and the sink side of the room) didn't work. There was one bedroom lamp to share and one chair at the dressing table in the room, and if someone sat there you couldn't pass them. We were also told we had to pay for parking even though on the booking.com website it said it was complimentary, but when we said we had disabled pass she said she would give it to us bring, but the later there was a sign on reception saying parking was complimentary so I don't know what the parking situation was all about. The whole place could do with a serious spruce up to make it absolutely lovely.

Convenient location

Old fashioned

Staff were friendly and good breakfast

The bedroom and bathroom were both extremely small, making the room feel cramped. It was also unbearably hot, with no fan provided, so getting a good night's sleep was difficult. The road noise was relentless and so loud that it felt like we were staying beside a motor racing circuit. There was also no milk supplied for the in-room tea and coffee facilities, which was disappointing. Overall, we left feeling tired, and the room itself felt grubby. We even found someone elses dirty sock left on the floor! Given the price we paid (nearly £90 inc breakfast & parking), we didn't feel the accommodation lived up to the standard or value. Wish we'd stayed at a Premier Inn!

The only problem was we had sea view Put could not see out , because window Was so dirty ,

Freindly staff/ good breakfast

Room was small . Room not clean . Tiny shower . Paid for sea veiw but windows dirty . Toilet made loud noise in flush . Hot/ stuffy. Needed good clean

Nice location near beach

Bathroom badly designed. Toilet jammed between wall and shower screen so shoulders literally touched both. Shower pressure very low.

Location

Tatty bathroom

Location was good Breakfast was very good We selected a sea view room but unfortunately, extensive work was taking place between the hotel and the seafront. We recognise that this is outside the control of the hotel

Room was dusty when we arrived and the shower had patches of black mould. the soap/shampoo combination was clearly cheap so we bought our own On our first full day there, despite us putting the sign on the door to 'please service our room' before 10.00am, we returned at around 5pm to find that it had not been serviced. As the cleaners left at 3pm, we were told that nothing could be done but were were offered fresh towels

Location was good. Easy parking outside hotel. Bed comfortable.

Tiny bathroom in Room 106. Couldn’t make the soap dispensers work but prefer to use my own products anyway. Hot water took a long time to come through for the shower which I mentioned on leaving. The weather was hot so a tepid shower was ok. I was alone but room probably a bit tight on space for a couple. No evening restaurant service. I was told they only provide this for coach parties. They said plenty of eateries around so people eat out instead. But the places nearby tend to be cheaper fast food. To be fair Harbour Lights restaurant is nearby serving good quality food.

Location was great

Plumbing left a lot to be desired, had to run around in the shower to get wet.

The breakfast was plentiful and delicious. The room was slightly on the small side but comfortable and clean, The location was perfect being opposite the harbour and close to the town. The staff were very friendly and helpful

The bathroom was very small and the shower was located over the bath rather than a dedicated cubicle also the water pressure was low making showers difficult

Perfect Location and reasonable price for 1 night stay. There is a free parking at the front. Bar open until late night and despite I didn't have the breakfast the range of food and the price looked fair

Room cleanliness not appropriate. Several airs on the bed sheets, several spot in the carpet and also few cobwebs which indicate a not spotless cleaning of the room

On arrival the reception staff were polite and lovely.

I stayed during the heat wave, the fan in the room did not work and the shower pressure was terrible. On 2 separate occasions I went to reception to discuss the issues but no one was around, only bar staff. The room was extremely hot and I couldn’t take a cold shower as the water was just trickling. Not worth £100+ for a night.

Staff were so friendly and the location was perfect!

The room was very warm. even with a fan it was still a bit stuffy.

Nice hotel overlooking the seafront, mostly clean and tidy although the shower room could have been cleaner to be honest. Fantastic value for money though!

The layout of the bedroom could be better though out, if the bed was on the opposite wall we would have been able to see the fantastic sea view from the bed instead of looking out onto houses and a road.

There was not much to dislike at all. Staff so friendly and welcoming. Room was fantastic and bar prices better than expected compared to the area. Hotel location is perfect for any vacation. Such a big beautiful building. Any issues that might pop up the staff are there like the British army. Hard working and ready to get the job done. Will visit again soon!

Due to hit weather the cold taps were warm. But as I said in previous comment box. Chilled water was provided. Fantastic staff.

Absolutely brilliant stay for my wife and me.doubke room with sea view.staff always go above and beyond and were nice and friendly and helpful.hitel superb.sleep soundly in the bed. Will be staying here again and returning in 4 weeks.

Nothing not to like.eveeything was great

Spittle’s clean

Nothing it was perfect for us

Very warm and friendly atmosphere from the entire staff team

Water pressure from the sink and toilet in the bathroom

Staff very helpful and location perfect

We was kept awake but what we believe to be the pipes in the hotel making noise all night long

Staff went above and beyond to help us very friendly

The room was very dusty like it hasn’t been used this year but not properly dusted before Letting it out to us