MERCURE HYTHE IMPERIAL & SPA

A lovely hotel and a great place to stop before catching the Eurotunnel. Comfortable, welcoming, and ideal for a relaxing stay before continuing your journey. Highly recommended!

Hythe Imperial Hotel – Honest Review We stayed at the Hythe Imperial Hotel for £124 per night, with breakfast not included. On arrival, the hotel certainly looks impressive from the outside, with lots of grandeur and history. However, once you enter, it does feel very old-fashioned and tired. The entrance is at the rear, which is a real shame as there is a lovely sea view at the front. The back garden area has artificial grass and a few chairs, but it feels quite tired and doesn’t really make the most of the hotel’s beautiful position. Check-in was friendly and we were upgraded, which was a lovely surprise. Our room was stunning — spacious, beautifully presented and very clean, so we were really impressed with that. We also used the spa, which includes a swimming pool, jacuzzis, steam room and sauna. We used the pool and steam room, both of which were lovely, although the spa was very busy. Unfortunately, the changing rooms let the hotel down. They looked tired, with some rust, and the showers weren’t particularly impressive. There was only shower gel provided, with no shampoo or conditioner. We had a lovely walk around Hythe and stopped for lunch at The Waterfront, which was really nice. In the evening, we drove over to Folkestone, which we found had much more going on, particularly around the beach bars and harbour area. Back at the hotel, we ordered a glass of red wine and a Baileys. The bill came to £25, which we thought was very expensive — so we only had the one! Overall, I’d say the Imperial has a fantastic location, a beautiful room and some lovely facilities, but the hotel itself is in need of some investment and modernisation. At £124 a night, we felt it was reasonable for the room and location, but the tired communal areas, spa changing rooms and expensive drinks stopped it from feeling like the grand hotel it could be.

My family were very excited to being staying at the hotel for a short break, it had been a while since we were last here. The restaurant manager had left and some other managerial staff, so we were looking forward to improvements. Booking System I had an issue with booking. I booked 3 nights, and 2 rooms, saw a better rate and cancelled, it was only on the day of arrival, that I discovered only 1 room had been cancelled. This needs to be clearer on the booking system. I spoke to reservations who said the charge for all 3 nights had to be paid. When I asked if it could be taken higher, I was told I could email them an email to the manager and he would look at it.He agreed to cancel the 2 nights, but I was still liable for that night at £125. On checking in, I did hear a customer being turned away as no rooms, when they could have resold my extra room, which I had to pay for. Reception The reception staff were friendly and efficient. Bar I like how the bar has been refurnished and the snug. It is a much pleasanter environment. On arrival I asked for a prosecco be told we'd run out!! I said to the barman, this was totally unacceptable at 4pm and he would need to go and find some! Which he did. We ordered chips, which took over 25 mins to come out. The addition of a band in the bar on certain nights is a great plus and a real improvement. I must also say Charlie in the bar went above and beyond and deserves recognition. Leisure Centre The pool is great and we used it each morning, I must say the changing rooms are dire and need updating. It is easy enough to get showered in your room. The rooms, were nice and the shower powerful. The staff member on pool entrance duty, was extremely friendly. Breakfast Breakfast was a joke, every time one dish on the buffet emptied, it wasn't refilled for ages, I informed the staff the bacon was empty, waited 10 minutes, got to the scrambled egg, which was then empty, told a staff member and waited 25 mints! The pastries that were out were tiny and ran out regularly. The hot water on the coffee machine, needs descaling and hardly any water was coming out. The breakfast, we once loved has so gone downhill. I think in the future, do room only and go to the lazy shack! For a luxury hotel as The Hythe Imperial, markets itself, there is still a lot of improvement needed. I look forward to this happening.