Appalling Experience (AVOID THIS HOTEL!! - Verbal Abuse, Undisclosed Restrictions, Poor Service, and Management Failure
I stayed at Cricklade Hotel & Spa from 28-30 October 2025 during school half-term with my family, hoping for a relaxing break. Instead, I experienced one of the worst hotel stays of my life.
Undisclosed Pool Restrictions: I booked specifically for family pool access during school holidays. However, children are prohibited from using the pool from 6–9 am and 12–3 pm daily. (Possibly other times too, but we were affected at these times). This was NEVER disclosed during booking or in my confirmation email (despite the hotel's claims otherwise). I have the confirmation email to prove it. We were turned away twice after getting ready to swim. For families paying premium school holiday rates, these significant restrictions must be disclosed upfront.
Verbal Abuse & Dismissive Management: Another hotel patron verbally abused me for approximately 5-10 minutes. This individual stood over me in an intimidating manner while I was seated, swore at me, and made obscene gestures. The incident was entirely unprovoked.
When I reported this to hotel management, I received a dismissive response from the General Manager, rather than an apology. Hotel staff said the CCTV showed nothing, despite a camera positioned directly above the incident.
Maintenance Issues: Our room had a non-functioning kettle requiring multiple follow-ups.
Complete Communication Failure and GDPR violations: After my stay, I sent a detailed formal complaint. Despite several follow-up emails, I received ZERO responses from hotel management. Complete silence.
Instead of responding to me, they emailed someone else in our group who was staying at the venue. This was a clear violation of GDPR. I never authorised them to share my complaint with anyone else. I booked and paid for my own room for my own family; this person had no involvement in my booking whatsoever. Yet the hotel disclosed my personal complaint and my details to him. To date, they have responded only to this person, never to me directly.
I eventually escalated to the CEO of the parent company (Purico Limited). The CEO referred it to his legal counsel. Three weeks later, after a couple of interactions with their legal counsel, he (legal counsel) responded, not to apologise or offer a resolution, but to deny everything and refuse a refund.
What Could Have Made a Difference: If management had simply apologised, acknowledged the issues, and shown any empathy, I would have felt differently. Instead, they were defensive, dismissive, and completely unresponsive.
The Property vs. The Management: It's frustrating because the hotel and grounds are genuinely beautiful with great potential. The property deserves better management and policies.
Bottom Line: I came for relaxation and left feeling stressed, disrespected, and disappointed. My holiday was ruined. When problems occur at this hotel, expect dismissive responses and complete silence rather than professional customer service. I cannot recommend this hotel to families or anyone expecting basic hospitality standards.