Relais & Chateaux - accommodation in Chipping Campden

Breakfast was good. Parking excellent. Rooms large

We paid £160 for a Friday night stay in March, even after a discount, so this was not a cheap booking. We chose Cotswold House Hotel & Spa specifically because it is marketed as a spa hotel. However, when we tried to use the spa, we were told it was fully booked. At no point during booking via Hotels.com, or in any communication, were we told that spa access requires advance reservation, is subject to availability, or incurs an extra charge. The only reference was to booking treatments. I reviewed all correspondence, including with reception, and this information simply was not provided. This feels like a clear misrepresentation. The response at reception was also poor, dismissive, and offered no real solution beyond “maybe” checking later, with no guarantee and no lounger access. The room itself was also disappointing for the price: very small, uncomfortably hot, tiny shower, peeling paint, and we had to prop the window open for ventilation. To make matters worse, the hotel blamed Hotels.com/Expedia for both communication and refunds, while Hotels.com said they couldn’t get through to the hotel, leaving us stuck in the middle. Overall, a frustrating experience and not what you expect from a hotel positioned as a premium spa stay.

I last stayed here in 2016 and sadly it has since got a bit tired. Public areas, stair wells etc could do with some TLC and like so many hotels staffing seems stretched. Room 8 was uncomfortably warm even with the windows open and floor fan on. The Spa facility is at another establishment and attracts a £10pp fee so photos are rather misleading. Restaurant was very good with excellent staff. On site parking was limited and pretty tight but managed to find a space. Overall I enjoyed my stay, staff were friendly and did their best but some investment is needed to lift the Noel Arms back to its former glory