Champneys Reviews

My husband & I have just returned from Forest Mere & our experience was exactly as per the reviews below. I wish I would have seen them before I booked! I tried to find a complaints or feedback section on Champneys website, but there isn’t one & no search option available & nothing even on their FAQ’s. I came across this website when I googled ‘Champneys complaints’. As well as the comments below, you also need to careful about supplement charges in the restaurant (evening meal). It is a very limited menu but they have a supplement charge to at least a third of it. For example an addition charge of £7 for cheese & biscuits - but what you get is 3 tiny slivers of cheese (basic cheddar, Brie & Stilton) and 2 very small crackers split in half to look like you got 4 - Definitely not deserving of a supplement charge. We ordered a bottle of Chablis which was £58 & we asked for a wine cooler when it was just plonked on our table, which we were told they would try & find one, but they never came back to us & it never arrived - this was on one of the hottest days of the year. Oh by the way - they don’t have air conditioning. The cafe was closed & the outside areas were scattered with litter. Trying to get a sunbed next to the pool was interesting - it was like being on holiday, certain guests put towels & bags etc down on the sunbeds at 7.30 in the morning, then disappeared for hours, so no one else could get one. I completely agree with the comments below about rude staff & the fact they were discussing other guests behind their back. The experience was so bad, we left early - at no stage did reception ask us if we enjoyed our stay, which is normal practice when you check out - they had received several complaints already (as we heard several) We wanted to get out as soon as possible & forgot to pick up our suitcase from luggage hold, so had to go back! My words to reception were, we were in such a hurry to leave that I forgot our luggage’ this again should have prompted a response from staff - but no just a ‘what is your name’ - they retrieved my bag & handed it to me - that was that!

I recently purchased 2 bottles of awake hard soap and 1 bottle of hand lotion for a present for my mother. The shipment had missing items. I have emailed 5 different addresses, with no response spoke to various staff over a week now with no progress. No effort to replace the missing items to which my mother's event has now passed. Totally disgusting service with no customer support...reluctant to escalate to management to resolve the issue, total disregard for my experience, and no action plan to resolve. Phone calls are never returned and they have my money....nextvmove is trading standards, media and the bank to chase my money....do not use, completely unprofessional and unsympathetic to thier customers.....AVOID

I had a HORRIBLE stay recently. Filthy room, rude and dishonest staff, thoroughly unpleasant all round apart from nice other guests. Particularly unpleasant were Saskia in the Gym area and the very unpleasant Reception team.
Arrival involved having to listen to departing guests being slagged off behind their back as they left by the Reception team! Not a good welcome!
I then had various false charges added to my account when I left. No wonder guests checking out were not happy!
I spoke to General Manager Mark, he promised me that I could just use 'express checkout' and a copy of any charges would be emailed to me for approval before I paid. OF COURSE this was absolutely NOT what happened! Mark perhaps didn't realise just how VILE, unpleasant and unprofessional Renata's Reception team are!
I was just billed for various false charges after leaving without any communication, email or authorization! Yoga classes for £8 I knew nothing about and certainly didn't attend, pre booking costs for classes I knew nothing about etc. I would consider this basic Fraud personally! The lack of any communication and immense difficulty even finding what the false charges were supposed to be for rather supports this.

Other members say Stephen Purdew is getting divorced and staff have been told to bill for anything they can. When this crosses the line into Fake charges, it crosses into potential Fraud unfortunately!

I would suggest you are they careful as an organisation and anyone staying is very careful with their bill.

My last visit to Tring left me very disappointed considering the return voucher price rose by £50 . Lots of services were slack . Firstly I didn't get a welcome drink like I used to. Only had half a loo roll .
No buffet lunch like we used to enjoy . The menu was only the light menu. And no chicken only one choice of fish . And ordinary streamed no Tate veg which I can easily do at home . So didn't feel like a treat .
I needed high protein but there wasn't enough !!! Dinner the meat option was £10 additional price
The info-red room was broken which I really needed for my bad back . Then the lockers didn't lock or you had to get a member of staff to open them .just go back to coin lock with key !!! Plus the stream room was dirty and just wasn't steamy so what's the point . So felt very underwhelmed by my stay .Also I couldn't get any WiFi
In the gym so I couldn't put my music on or watch tv while I was hill walking on the running machine which really helps me do longer on it . The staff were lovely and did there very best so the owners need to sort all this out

Just back from our stay at Champneys Forest Mere and we had a fantastic time. It was everything we wanted from a relaxing break . Surroundings were stunning and the facilities excellent . Would like to particularly praise the staff who were attentive and friendly throughout our stay . Met some really nice guests all of whom were full of praise as well .

Will definitely be returning and would recommend to anyone wanting a spa break

I was going to write to Champneys but after seeing these reviews, I'd obviously be wasting my time. In the hope that someone with authority will read this, here goes:

I've been going to Champneys for 20 years, either Tring or Henlow, sometimes for a stay, sometimes just for the day. It's always been a really lovely experience. The food, especially, was just superb.

A friend and I visited Henlow last week. It's always been so welcoming with the gorgeous gardens, flower beds and colourful pots. However, it's all gone! The flower beds are bare, the pots are empty and there are masses of dead leaves around the place. It was such a shame.

Secondly we'd always had a lovely breakfast on arrival, smoked salmon mini bagels, that type of thing. Alas the breakfast table has been moved to take up half the previous space, therefore half the previous selection. The salmon etc. has gone with a few croissants in its place. The lunch was no better, not bad but not very good compared to before. Only one meat dish (chicken), obviously cutting corners here too.

The jacuzzi is now COLD (with a new sign saying it's the same temperature as the pool). Really?!?!?!

And £90 for a 50-minute massage. Daylight robbery.

The orangery was full of dead flies and the place is just generally tired.

And when we left I noticed the return day voucher has increased by a whopping 30%.

I could go on......

To be fair the staff were all really pleasant and helpful, it's not their fault that the standards have slipped so much.

It's blatantly obvious that Champneys are literally saving every last penny but it's so noticeable and a real shame. I get that covid hit them hard but surely if they maintained a certain standard, people wouldn't be deserting in their droves. Champneys unfortunately now seem to be the Ryanair of spas.

After being a loyal customer for 20 years I will not be returning.

The attitude here is very much 'You get what you're given.'
I echo the other reviewers here - all businesses have to make money but the attitude here is 'let's squeeze extra out of penny out of the guests at every opportunit.' - not conducive to relaxation.
I went to the Tring branch, and I'd say it stems from the top, given the snippy stock departure letter you get pushed through the door on your last night.
Not enough staff all around, so from the outset, you could be standing in the lobby for 20 mins before anyone so much as says "I'll be with you in a moment.'
When we did get in there, the room wasn't ready for half an hour.
The bathrooms are horrible, there's no where to put towels, the loos don't flush, there are cobwebs in the windows - which the cleaners just ignore - and my daughter's school has nice stairwells and less stained carpets.
Despite the expense, they slap charges on everything like booking a basis gym class, 'forget' about the special offers they advertise and try and charge full price - and put hardly anything on the set menu so you have to buy anything extra.
We requested a vegan salad and got one with a lump of dairy mozarella in the middle. They serve dry bits of sausage and when you are ask for ketchup, you are told 'it's not a healthy food. We need it for the cooking.' Like what? The grounds are pleasant but probably because they were already there.
When I googled them again today., wasn't surprised to see Wikipedia report that the Observer awarded Champneys 'worst customer service' for not refunding anyone during Covid - and then turning off the phone lines. (it's difficult to get through at the best of times)
This sums them up completely. But I am probably wasting my breathe. Their whole attitude is 'couldn't care less.'

Tring, Champneys, England July 2022
Pluses:
Some of the spa treatments are worth the price (Million Dollar Facial), some are not,
Pool, sauna, Jacuzzis, rest rooms lovely. Bring is clearly very understaffed but staff tries very hard, very courteous. Rooms and grounds lovely. Food very good overall . Gym offer very good.
Minuses
-not enough water available in key spots (it was very hot)
Annoying problems at restaurant :
- surprisingly, cooked breakfast of eggs required extra payment
- Coffee selection very poor , only one type
- Tea only served at breakfast, not offered at lunch or dinner
- Staff cannot keep up at breakfast : by 9 o'clock each morning no plates left, or glasses, fruit salad, Greek yoghurt, etc left at breakfast buffet , it took 15 mins to serve tea/coffee in cafe every morning
- Same green soup for menu 2 days in a row, none of the waiters even knew what was in it.
- Left over broccoli for lunch side dish two days in a row
- Spelling mistakes ( i.e. “moose” instead of mousse on menu)
General:
- Reception didn't answer phone: I called 6 times in two days!
- Toilets in room don’t flush well
- Not enough towels in changing room and by hydro pool

So so disappointed with our experience with Champneys. After an extremely poor spa day, I sent an email informing the team of our experience.
It took a while for a reply from the spa manager, but it initially seemed there was some genuine apology, but I should of known better.
Constant poor communication and unfulfilled promises seems to be all they do at every interaction.
I have sent 3 emails chasing for a reply on our refund and what a surprise…Nothing!
I gave the team the courtesy of not jumping online straight away, but it’s now been over a month since their last email and almost 2 months since our visit and our issues are still totally unresolved.
The prices they charge are absolutely crazy for what you actually receive in a below average environment.
So disappointed and so annoyed at being ignored.
DO NOT Waste your money! You’ll only be disappointed just like us!

My girlfriend bought me a special treat voucher for Christmas so we could go to the Chichester Champneys together. It closed Not to worry, we thought we could get on the train and go to Guildford. I wanted to keep my voucher for the wedding I was due to go to in July and wanted threading. Guildford closed.
So we are left with Forest Mere. We have to drive so no drinking, I called the main number, eventually after a moan (I don't want lots of their treatments, under no circumstances do I want a Spa day, my idea of hell, and that that price its a hell I can't afford) I got a number. It rings and you get cut off. I have to choose from what's on offer, they do my treatment but only if I have a spa day. I can of course have it as another Champneys, if I drive for 3 hours!
We can't get a refund as it was a voucher.
So forced to have something I don't want, they don't even offer the full range of treatments and by the sound of other reviews its hardly a treat.
Remember you are a luxury, people don't have to spend money with you!

Visited Champneys Spring midweek with 2 girlfriends for 2 nights. Weather was very good. Place was not busy.
Entrance impressive, friendly check-in staff. Given robe and flip-flops. Room large - one single toilet with a handbasin and another large bathroom with 2 side-by-side sinks, a shower and a bath with low shower. Main shower was very hard to turn on, which we reported - but not fixed for us. NO aircon and NO fridge in room. Small wardrobe with mirror, kettle with but not enough tea, coffee and milk. 3 chairs, telly. Wi-fi which was difficult to connect. Vanity table with large mirror and hairdryer. Bed was good; couple of cheap pillows. Safe in wardrobe. Overall looked clean.
Patio outside our room was overgrown with shrubs so had to move the table & chairs onto the grass. Windows dirty. Paths by lake disgusting - thanks to family of geese.
Plenty of places to sit both inside and out. Deckchairs and sunbeds.
Food was good, but for some options you needed to pay a surcharge. Wine a total rip-off: £9 a glass for the cheapest rose. Waiting staff friendly. Coffee at breakfast not good.
Pool good; had a (free) aqua aerobics lesson which was fun. Sauna and steam rooms small.
Facial was excellent.
Elemis & Clarins shops which reminded me of airside airport shopping.
We paid around £170 each for this 2-night stay (friend bought a return voucher) which was all-inclusive apart from the treatments.
Resort looking tired and accommodation was probably not really up to a new Premier Inn standard.
Would I go again? Probably not.

Had it not been for that hidden gem, Lloyd, his shower tool and the never ending attention to detail which he possesses (and the rest of the staff does not) we never would have survived the “Chapped-Knees” (Champneys Forest Mere) experience.

Hats off to Lloyd, who went above and beyond the call of duty and saved us from slipping in the watery swamp which was our bathroom floor and from repeatedly getting locked out of our bedroom by making new card keys for us 3 times a day! Sometimes 4!

Visit “Chapped-Knees” (Champneys Forest Mere) at your own risk, but do make sure Lloyd is still employed when you courageously book your visit, it’s well worth the extra effort and you will survive your stay without achieving a nervous breakdown which is the end result if you don’t.

Caveat Emptor ?

Went to Eastwell Manor and treated myself to a gel pedicure. Had to have it redone on the day because the gel was lumpy and over the next few weeks the gels literally fell off. Didn’t even chip.
There wasn’t enough places round the pool for people to sit either because they allow guests to block beds like a holiday in Spain.
I complained and was told gel pedicures are only guaranteed for 10 days but I wasn’t told that when I booked. I wouldn’t have wasted over £60 if I had known they would fall off.
Don’t waste your money going here.

Very disappointing experience. Purchased a £600 voucher prior to COVID. Was unable to use for 2 years due to lockdowns and personal health precautions. The voucher was due to expire and they honoured a 12-month extension, a little short really (should have been at least 18 months). I reached out to try and get this extended, given some additional circumstances that have changed and they were reluctant to do so. Feeling very short-changed. Customer service has been very poor. Lifetime value of a client, anybody? - short-minded. Would not recommend.

Please Don’t Waste Your Money (Part 2 of 2)

I wasn’t told anything about my ‘status’ when booking or at check in. The treatment desk lady told me that I had access to a nicer dining room, I could park in the car park closest to the hotel, I would get a complimentary amuse bouche and glass of Prosecco with dinner, a daily fruit platter and juices in my room and of course access to the VIP treatment waiting room. If she hadn’t told me this I would have never known! I finally got my treatment; a head massage, which wasn’t very relaxing. The room lights weren’t dimmed, there was no music and I just sat in a chair. Not worth the £80. After my treatment I went to use the pool area and managed to find a bed easily. It wasn’t crowded which was nice. Perhaps as my break was mid-week there wasn’t many day guests as some reviewers have experienced. The pool however, was pretty disgusting. Lots of sand-type grit collecting in the corners and the tiles were very grubby. The jacuzzi was nice as were the sauna and steam room. The changing rooms smelt of sewage and most of the soap dispensers were empty. I really didn’t enjoy wearing my dressing gown as it was poor quality and the security tag was so uncomfortable. I had made sure at lunch that I booked a table for dinner after the earlier debacle and was given the only time left; 6:30. I arrived at the ‘nicer’ restaurant and was told that they weren’t expecting me. The staff member advised that I might be able to get a seat in the regular restaurant (which has no atmosphere and looks like a cheap canteen). By this point I was getting a bit fed up so said that I’d like to eat in the nicer restaurant and if there wasn’t room for me now, I would wait until there was! They finally agreed to let me stay and ‘found’ me a table (the restaurant was empty apart from two other tables and no others turned up by the time I left). I was brought an amuse bouche of beetroot hummus which was nice and a complimentary glass of Prosecco. I ordered the beetroot and goats cheese for starter and the fillet steak for main. The starter arrived with no dressing or pine nuts (which were in the description) the dish was replaced. I ordered sweet potato wedges (at £3.50 extra) to go with the steak (they arrived without the described tahini, they were also replaced) the steak smelt really strange. I tasted it and it was clearly off. I told the staff member who took it away. I told her I would like the £9 supplement I paid for it, removed. She agreed but didn’t offer an alternative meal or a replacement. Dessert was Eton Mess which was nice. I slept well in my room. Breakfast the next morning was cheap looking and miserable; a decimated fruit platter which had one piece of kiwi left and some apple slices, yogurt, cereals, bread and some cheeses, I asked for the fruit to be replenished, it wasn’t. The second morning I decided to pay extra for an omelette which was ok, but I was very disappointed to have to pay out again for something decent. The subsequent lunches/dinners were equally as poor as the first. The second evening at dinner I wasn’t brought an amuse bouche, when I asked for it, the waiter said they’d run out. I also heard a loud ruckus in the kitchen between staff and the F word was used more than once! For lunch on the third day I had the bruschetta again and the mushrooms were raw. My room was not serviced ONCE during my stay despite me hanging the ‘please clean my room’ hanger out every day. I had to take toilet roll and teabags from the trolley, which was always in the corridor but I never saw a maid, not once. I also didn’t get the daily fruit platter/juices. The rest of my treatments were ok, definitely not worth the price paid. Before one of my treatments I popped to the loo and my phone started ringing (it was 5 mins prior to the start of the massage) it was the girl on the desk, I answered and said I was on my way. When I came out the loo, the girls fell about laughing in my face, one of them screeching; ‘she was on the toilet when you phoned her!!!’ So unprofessional. On check out I was disappointed but not surprised to find that I’d been charged each night for the ‘free’ glass of Prosecco and the rotten steak charge hadn’t been removed. The check out lady said she’d have to check that manager was happy to remove them! Lucky for me, I guess, he was. All in all, it was a terrible experience and I left hungry and annoyed by the amount spent. I would absolutely NOT recommend.