My wife booked the hotel and reserved a premier room (room 103) as it was our wedding anniversary. I could not determine why it was a premier room, it overlooked the front of the reception and the view from the window was the flat roof full of cigarette butts. Looking at the other reviews its been said before, the hotel needs a lick of paint, new carpets and furniture. Carpet on the stairs was threadbare and in places taped down to stop you catching your feet a real safety hazard. There were tea and coffee making facilities but when I looked for a plug for the kettle by moving the tablethere was no plug just loads of tissues and paper behind the table needs a good clean. Also glass on the carpet from a broken fire exit sign on the inside of the door. We could have complained but things like this should have been picked up at least by the room staff. The hotel does have two car parks but when we arrived at 14:00 all were full, the reason being even though you check out in the morning the car park pass does not expire until midnight on your departure date so everyone leaves the car in the car park and goes into town. Surely better if the car park pass expires at midday on your departure date and this would free up spaces. On a positive note the hotel is very central to Winchester, I would stay again but only if it is refurbished.

On the face of it, this hotel was great. There wasn't anything you'd want to write and complain about. If they asked you: "did you enjoy your stay" you'd say "yes". The problem is, they didn't ask me that. That was the final one of the many, many little things that were wrong that made what could be a fabulous hotel into an average one...and the 3 stars is only there because the customer service was good.

Don't get me wrong here. I'm not a hotel snob. I don't require the absolute lap of luxury, nor do I expect anything extravagant in terms of customer service. However, for the price that was paid (especially as it was on a business account) this hotel really needs to make a bit more effort.

The location is great, the customer service professional, the bed comfortable and the food warm. Really, that's what matters. However, little things always niggle and, as they start piling up, they become a giant niggle.

- The quality of the rooms
The wallpaper, which would have been out of date 10 years ago, in my room was peeling in at least four places
I only shower, thank god, as the bath was chipped in many places
Chipped tiles in the bathroom had been clumsily filled with grout/pollyfilla
The toilet roll holder came off everytime you pulled a sheet
The extractor fan, that was a bit dirty, didn't clear the steam. In fact, when I had finished my shower, shaved, gone for breakfast and come back, it still hadn't cleared it
The soap dispenser in the bath looked like it had been dispensing for longer that I've been alive
The room was heated by one electric heater in an obscure corner. This made it difficuilt to control the temperature. I like my room colder rather than warmer, so I was fine, but many would not have been

- Houskeeping
There was no decaffeinated or herbal drinks in the rooms.
There were no plugs other than one to plug in a kettle. Thank god I carry a multi socket
The welcome guide looked like it had been typed on an electric typewriter at some point in the late 80s. The fire instructions the same.
The bath, toilet and sink themselves were clean, but there was hair on the floor and the side by the washbasin

-Breakfast
There was no butter on my table, or a number of tables around me. As I (and another gentleman) got up to look for some, no one seemed to notice
The vegetarian cooked breakfast items are limited. This doesn't matter, as the wider choice is so good, but it's worth noting.

There were some good points:

Everything was accessible - I didn't have to spend ages on flights of stairs, or confusing landings. It was easy to find places.
The staff were all really friendly. They were never grumpy and always happy to help (though sometimes you had to ask, rather than being asked)
The cold breakfast choice was probably the largest I've seen at a hotel. the quality of the food was excellent.

So, would I stay here again? Yes. Would I reccomend it? Depends on the price. Would I say it is anything other than a bed for the night? Probably not.

We had read mixed reviews for this hotel, but decided to give it a go as it was just for one night and was central. On arrival we were allocated a room in the new wing. We had reserved a Premier room and so were surprised by the tired decor, scuffed furniture, stained bathroom units, peeling paintwork and ripped bedspread. We went straight back to reception and were told that it was a premier room because of the view of the garden... fair enough?! We were then moved to room 104, which was much bigger, in the main building and had been re-decorated more recently. The view wasn't our priority! This room was much better. The receptionist was very helpful and arranged for the bags to be taken to the new room when it was ready. Shower was powerful, tv had lots of channels. No noise from the road below. The lobby area of the hotel was really welcoming and festive.
We couldn't fault the location or the free parking. We had pre-paid an additional £10 each for the full breakfast and went down at 915am. Unfortunately this still appeared to be too late as most of the hot buffet was empty and juices weren't replenished. We made do with what was there. A waitress came round to ask if we had finished with the buffet as they were clearing it away. This was at just 930am and there were still a few other tables with diners in the restaurant. We weren't offered a menu and didn't realise that there was one until we checked out and saw it displayed at reception. We were a bit disappointed by this and expected more for the additional £20.
Overall a fairly average hotel that needs some updating in the 'new' wing. They should definitely rethink the room descriptions... 'premier' is misleading and not worth paying extra for. Great for a central Winchester base if you just need a bed for the night.

We stayed at The Royal last weekend, for the fourteenth year on the run, as we do our Christmas shopping in Winchester, the staff are very friendly as always, however the rooms are very tired now, but we understand a refurbishment programme is begining in March, food is excellent and good value for money. I do however feel maybe certain guests need to be a lot less demanding, whilst having our dinner, on Saturday night,we overheard a dreadful woman screaming at a member of staff as there were not enough seats in the lounge, it was a party night and all members of staff were rushed of their feet, the member of staff in question was visably distressed, the guest should hang her head in shame.