A couple who booked a luxury one-night stay at a world-famous Champneys spa resort were horrified to find filthy conditions which ruined their stay.
Claire Goodwin-Hill and husband James booked the night away expecting to be relaxing in the lap of luxury and surrounded by sumptuous decor for the restorative break.
The couple booked the luxury accommodation after an emotionally charged Christmas period where 34-year-old Mrs Goodwin-Hill’s grandfather died, and her pet dog was put to sleep.
Claire Goodwin-Hill and husband James (pictured left), booked the night away expecting to be relaxing in the lap of luxury at a Champney’s spa in Kent (right), but were left hugely disappointed
The couple were greeted with peeling wallpaper when they got to their room for their £750 getaway at Champneys spa
The pair booked the luxury accommodation after a difficult Christmas period where 34-year-old Mrs Goodwin-Hill’s grandfather died, and her pet dog was put to sleep
Booking a series of treatments and dinner at the Eastwell Manor in Ashford, Kent, the couple arrived on Saturday only to be shown to a room that was not in keeping with the glossy photographs on the spa website.
Mrs Goodwin-Hill said: ‘We decided that this would be our New Year’s Eve as the past few months had been tough and we treated ourselves and booked the treatments that we wanted.
‘But when we got to the room it was really dirty. The sofa, armchair, bed, curtains and carpet were filthy and stained,’ said Mrs Goodwin-Hill.
‘The sofa, armchair, bed, curtains and carpet were filthy and stained’: Mrs Goodwin-Hill and her husband booked the trip after a difficult time when she had lost her grandfather and her dog
The stains on the carpeted floor. Mrs Goodwin-Hill said: ‘We decided that this would be our New Year’s Eve as the past few months had been tough and we treated ourselves’
‘Paintwork was peeling off the ceilings in several places, the grouting around the bath was badly repaired and dirty and the ripped curtains were not hung properly. My husband actually re-hung them so the daylight didn’t come in over the top of them. There was thick dust on the pole.’
Other problems with the room included wallpaper peeling off, a discoloured mattress and light bulbs not working.
Mrs Goodwin-Hill, an account manager in the facilities industry, said she was very aware that older materials could be hard to clean but that it could be done and it appeared the room had not been deep cleaned for a long time.
The curtains in the room were ripped and not hung properly, and there was a ‘thick layer of dust on the pole’
Wallpaper peeling off the wall at the luxury spa getaway at the Eastwell Manor in Ashford, Kent
The bathroom in the couple’s room. Disappointed Mrs Goodwin-Hill said: ‘The grouting around the bath was badly repaired’
Mrs Goodwin-Hill, an account manager in the facilities industry, said she was very aware that older materials could be hard to clean but that it could be done and it appeared the room had not been deep cleaned for a long time
In addition to a cold hydropool and very little seating in the spa area to relax in, there were not enough locker keys to be handed out to guests with male member of staff having to go into a unisex changing room to lock personal items away.
Mrs Goodwin-Hill said: ‘This was fine until we finished our treatments at the end of the day and there was a lady getting changed in there who didn’t want men – my husband or one of the waiters who was needed to unlock the locker in there. We had to get a waiter from the restaurant as there was no-one on reception.
She added that other areas of the spa were not of a high standard she was used to, compared with ones near her home in Wokingham, Berkshire.
Peeling paint on the ceiling. Mrs Goodwin-Hill said that other areas of the spa were not of a high standard she was used to
The 34-year-old admitted that the food was ‘exceptional’ and the treatments were top notch at the manor
‘In total the bill came to £750 pounds – you can get a whole week in Dubai per person for that,’ said Mrs Goodwin-Hill.
She admitted that the food was ‘exceptional’ and the treatments were top notch at the manor but said she did not get a reasonable response when she asked to speak to a manager about the room with an offer of just 10 per cent taken off the total bill.
A spokesman for Champneys said that the couple stayed in one of the rooms which was yet to be updated after the company bought the manor in November 2016.
A spokesperson said: ‘We would like to apologise that we did not meet the expected standards on this occasion’
A stained and grimy shaving socket at the luxury Kent spa, where the couple had booked as a treat after a difficult Christmas period
‘We are sorry that Ms Goodwin-Hill was disappointed with her recent visit to Eastwell Manor,’ said the spokesman.
‘The hotel is currently undergoing a huge renovation programme since Champneys purchased it from the previous owner in November 2016, including the total refurbishment of the bedrooms.
‘Ms Goodwin-Hill was staying in one of the non-refurbished rooms which does display signs of age, but will be updated to Champneys high standards over the coming months, as are all the bedrooms in the hotel.
‘We would like to apologise that we did not meet the expected standards on this occasion.’
WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF CHAMPNEYS LUXURY SPA?
Stanley Lief, a naturopath, opened a health farm called the Nature Cure Resort in 1925, before he bought the Champneys property from the Rothschilds and developed it into a health and wellness destination.
The property was eventually purchased by Stephen Purdew in 2002, who already owned three other spa resorts. They were all rebranded under the Champneys name.
Champneys Tring resort in Hertfordshire
Mr Purdew’s mother, Dorothy, had begun their empire in 1970 with a slimming business named WeightGuard. She had over 70 clubs in the South East of England.
Mrs Purdew and her husband then bought Henlow Grange, a spa resort which is still being run by the Purdew’s today.
Celebrity guests to Champneys include Naomi Campbell, Kylie Minogue, Dames Helen Mirren, Judi Dench, Naomie Harris. Daniel Craig and Brad Pitt have also visited the world famous spa.
Princess Diana was also a fan of the luxury getaway.