Best Western Royal Victoria Hotel

Best Western Royal Victoria Hotel descritpion

With a fine position on the seafront in St. Leonards-on-Sea, this hotel offers traditional hospitality and a friendly atmosphere
Built in 1828, Best Western Royal Victoria has seen many guests, including the Queen.
A fine marble staircase leads up from the lobby to the Piano Bar and Sea Terrace Restaurant.

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Facilities of Best Western Royal Victoria Hotel

Pets ：Pets are allowed. Charges may apply.

Activities ：Beachfront

Food & Drink ：Restaurant | Bar | Breakfast in the Room | Special Diet Meals (upon request)

Internet ：Free!Wireless Internet Hotspot is available in all areas and is free of charge.

Parking ：Free!Free public parking is available at a location nearby (reservation is not possible).

Reviews for Best Western Royal Victoria Hotel

Review 1：The next day of my string all the Milk in the room was off and it wasn't very bright at night in my room because I enjoy the sea and I drunk it and had very bad bely

Review 2：The canopy over the bed was dirty and very fragile, so we're the curtains, many years old. It would be a shame if these were left like this for much longer, there has been some effort to improve, it just means going that little bit more.

Review 3：Beautiful building with history built in 1837, commanding a perfect position on the seafront, the second floor front bedroom we had was spacious and decoration was good and clean. Victorian features were lovely.

Review 4：The hotel is old, it has character, but unfortunately also a bit chilly in parts of the hotel as it is on the seafront

Review 5：The hotel is value for money, the staff were very friendly and booked us into a room near the lift which was requested as we were travelling with elderly relatives

Review 6：WiFi

Review 7：Fantastic receptionist and welcome, Cayleigh. Beautiful old building right on the ocean. Warm and comfortable. Excellent breakfast. Terrible WiFi. On street parking.

Review 8：Everything else. The hotel is in a poor state of repair, looks very tired and old, the rooms are the same. We paid for a delux double with sea room and it was awful. Furniture was tired and old and covered in dust, the bed was cheap and sunken in the middle and the en suit had a shower that was so small neither me or my husband could stand up in it further more lots of the enamel was flaked off and the cold tap chose to work as and when which meant I got scolded at one point. The stairs didn't feel too safe, very creaky underfoot. The hairdryer provided was very old and last pat tested in 1993. Overall a bed for the night but not the deluxe room we expected. Had we have been staying longer there would have been a long list of complaints.

Review 9：The staff we spoke to were all very friendly.

Review 10：Affordable and lovely view of the sea. Nice old world atmosphere. If upgrading please don't try and make it glitzy but keep the character of the place.

Review 11：Although the staff very friendly they did not have much common sense when it came to customer service. Also breakfast was very misleading, no fresh fruit, no yoghurts on the first day, no menus to see what alternative options were available i.e poached eggs or porridge. Coffee like treacle, no Earl Grey or other tea options just bog standard English tea.

Review 12：Communal areas i.e. Restaurant and Piano bar really nicely furnished and comfortable. Staff friendly room comfortable.

Review 13：Small things only. Parking is mildly problematic - a fairly cheap beachside car park opposite the hotel. We would like to have seen the exterior lit at night.

Review 14：A Regency hotel that has kept the best of its traditional features. The second floor rooms (where we stayed) are pleasant, high-ceilinged. The distant sound of the surf and of the strong December wind at night was agreeable.

Review 15：We stayed in one of the cheaper rooms at the back of the hotel. There was a party going on in the Masonic Hall across the road at the back which went on until 2.30 in the morning.

Review 16：Stunning position and wonderful architecture.

Review 17：No bad experience.I think the restaurant food has improved.

Review 18：The front desk staff were friendly & welcoming & went out of their way to be of assistance. This set the whole tone for the visit.

Review 19：Trying to get back in to hotel at 11.45pm Sat night. The night porter not answering bell and I didn't have a phone to call! Stood outside in rain for 15 minutes?

Review 20：No porage for breakfast

Review 21：Juan the waiter. The bloke at reception on Saturday morning The flower displays The view from our window The proximity to the new theatre Shower facilities Breakfast with black pudding Car parking facilities

Review 22：No shower pressure Friday night! Saturday morning hot water from cold tap!!! Breakfast was carnage no food left staff out of control no cups on our table! Cancelled breakfast in the end it was appalling.

Review 23：Reception staff very friendly

Review 24：Unfortunately, in the morning there was no hot water in the room so we could not shower. We reported it on the way out as we were leaving for home after a one night stay. Also, the heated towel rail was not working. (Room 408)

Review 25：Not sure about ticking clock most of night . My husband could not find it .as was above mane door . Told girl on recpition .but was not interested . Did not sleep well .

Review 26：Just a nice place. Lovely rooms . Chilled people .

Review 27：Bathroom could do with a bit of a makeover with more modern facilities. Coffee at breakfast tasted like instant and we only drink fresh espresso or filtered so was a little disappointing.

Review 28：A clean and comfortable hotel with very friendly staff. Excellent location. Breakfast (with the exception of the coffee) and dinner were excellent; well cooked and beautifully presented. All public areas were furnished and decorated beautifully with a definite air of grandeur. A very enjoyable stay.

Review 29：- sea view through dirty, mouldy windows - black net curtains (black from dirt) - ladies black, pop sock on a chair as a nice, welcoming surprise from the hotel - greasy armchairs potentially sourced from a dump - the fact that all the above comes with a relatively high price for a room and 3 stars (maybe they meant "-3")

Review 30：great level of patience and positivity we managed it with

Review 31：Hair dryer was terriable, couple of sockets in room didn't work, would of been nice touch for some bottled water in room and biscuits with tea making facilities.

Review 32：Beautiful building, very comthy bed, really hot water, spacious room, ladies at reception really friendly and talkative.

Review 33：Noise from Masonic Hall opposite our room was very loud and the sash single glazed windows were hopeless in shutting that out.

Review 34：The staff treated our dog very well, made a fuss of her and she settled in very quickly.

Review 35：I requested no stairs as travelling with a disabled person. However, the bedroom had winding stairs down to another part of the room to large wardrobes (this did not matter too much as we were only staying one night) but there were a couple of steps up to the bathroom. Not too bothered but just a little forethought by hotel staff to read the booking form to ensure there aren't any special need requirements. Also parking a bit hit and miss!!

Review 36：The beds were comfortable. The view was lovely.

Review 37：Only that we were told bar would be open until late. We got back to hotel 11.15pm on a Friday night and all was locked up ! Had to find a night porter to get a drink. Other than that a good stay

Review 38：We have stayed at The Royal Victoria before and found it to be a comfortable old style Hotel . Large bedrooms , with breakfast room overlooking the promenade .

Review 39：Nothing to do with the hotel but there seemed to be a private party going on in the hall opposite. The only improvement I think the hotel could make would be to include breakfast in the price.

Review 40：We really liked it here - a nice traditional Victorian seaside hotel. The room was a good size and so was the bathroom. Really comfortable and a great place to stay.

Review 41：Nothing I was very happy with my visit.

Review 42：I was a little concerned about eating in from various reviews, but I have to say I had one of the best steaks ever. Cooked exactly I requested, well done to the chef.

Review 43：street noise - broken catch on window didn't help, but would have been noisy anyway because of single glazed sash windows

Review 44：Spacious, comfortable room with sea view

Review 45：Beds were really uncomfortable. Could feel all the springs through the mattress. I have stayed here before and the beds were lovely. Might just have been the room we had.

Review 46：Location, staff, beautiful hotel

Review 47：NOTHING !!

Review 48：We've stayed at this hotel before and cannot fault it. The staff and amenities are excellent . So would stay and recommend friends and family to do so also .

Review 49：Spiral staircase in our room. I slipped down the last few stairs. Duvet was not wide enough for the bed. Low ceiling and low basin and mirror and not enough light in the bathroom.

Review 50：Excellent position and sea views. Good food and nice ambience in the Dining Room. Beautiful furniture in the Piano Room and Dining Room. Pleasant and helpful staff. Easy parking just outside front door.

Review 51：only problem was we didn't realise how far away it was from the shops and arcades but other then that everything was perfect

Review 52：We had a lovely big room, beautiful sea view. Facilities were good aswell, everything was clean we were very happy

Review 53：The hotel has a grand staircase it was just a pity you couldn't see it as the internal lights were not lit, making the stairwell and corridors dark. The room itself was OK, but too hot on the mezzanine bedroom level, and the lighting in the bathroom was atrocious (you could barely see your hand in front of your face). The Wifi connection wasn't good and the choice of TV channels was dreadful. Wouldn't stay again

Review 54：The sea view and the food were absolutely fine. The staff were obliging

Review 55：really great bedroom spacious with good sea view, had evening meal two nights and they were excellent in quality and value. Public rooms very comfortable.

Review 56：Couldn't get disabled husband into bath to take a shower. Suggest improvement by upgrading at least one room to a walk in shower.

Review 57：Friendly staff, wonderful location nothing too much trouble.

Review 58：Owing to a function on Saturday night, no bar menu was available, yet no notice was given. After remonstrating, I was told that they would cook us something but that tha Chefs were extremely busy preparing the function meal. We went out to eat.

Review 59：A beautifully preserved and spacious building, friendly staff and a relaxed atmosphere. Bar food excellent in quality and value.

Review 60：the television was very old but worked fine

Review 61：the hotel was brilliant , the room was large and clean the view was breath taking the staff could not be more helpful, will go back

Review 62：Noise from outside(traffic)desperately needs double glazing to front sea view rooms Bed needs replacing very uncomfortable not much sleep due to above

Review 63：View from breakfast room and breakfast

Review 64：Some of the dining tables are a bit shoogly and the dining room in general could do with some new furniture. Is a bit of a walk to get into the middle of old Hastings itself. Not really much of its own parking but always managed to get a spot quite close round the back.

Review 65：Desk staff brilliant. First night we arrived about 9pm looking for food and though restaurant supposed to serve until 9.30 they tried to turn us away [new chef] but desk staff involved management and we were then treated like royalty. Beautiful public areas. Bracing seaside location. Room (one of the "basic" ones) huge and luxurious.

Review 66：Food was not that good - horrible coffee - the room tho large was not that comfortable. The whole place needs a refurbish

Review 67：I like the location and the Victorian grandeur of the hotel. Great staircase and dining room.

Review 68：We loved the delicious breakfast served in a very pleasant environment with attentive staff. Our suite was spacious, clean and well equipped. The view of the sea was perfect. It was an easy walk into Hastings Old Town.

Review 69：Large rooms under furnished. Bathroom needed some talc. Some staff dressed untidily - clothes need ironing.

Review 70：Traditional hotel. Dining room staff very helpful.

Review 71：Parking a little difficult at times.

Review 72：The character within the old building Staff and food good. Good size room. Piped music was very enjoyable and appropriate for this hotel.

Review 73：Bar was extremely pricey. 3 Drinks came to £17!! You don't get that in London Parking was terrible Wi-fi was terrible. As a frequent commuter I was unable to even get Netflix to work on the lowest settings.

Review 74：Staff were friendly, and had a great nights kip

Review 75：I'm afraid the Managing Director needs to visit the hotel. It has so much potential. The staff I'm sure are making the best of a place which has not had any investment put into it. The entire hotel (rooms,restaurant, bar, bathrooms and foyer) needs a complete refurb which still encompasses the feel of the hotel.It looks very 'tired' The room we stayed in was clean 'on the surface' . But I suspect the carpet had not been vacuumed for a long time. The bathroom may have been fitted in the 1970's/80's. The electric's/heating needs updating (We had a fuse board in our wardrobe). Despite all of this we enjoyed our stay, mostly because of the staff and views!

Review 76：The staff were very friendly. The room was big. Lovely view of the sea.

Review 77：Lack of basic maintenance - building structure (difficult with a 200 year-old listed building), windowframes neglected, windowcurtains dirty, furniture could do with a springclean

Review 78：Overall classic ambiance Day to day cleaning good Staff very pleasant except the rude and fearsome lady who ran the bar - a separate enterprise I understand

Review 79：Service in restaurant not brilliant. Jug of water but no glasses. Not offered bread rolls although other guests were.

Review 80：Very spacious accommodation with a good sea view. Very quiet so good nights sleep. Excellent carvery and breakfast.

Review 81：I think the hotel is beautiful, grand and full of history. I could imagine Queen Victoria sweeping down the corridors! I loved the space, the character and your staff were all lovely, polite and interesting - especially the spanish waitor from Barcelona!

Review 82：The service in the restaurant was excellent but the food was from the 70's. The duck was swimmming in oily orange water and the lamb was covered in an 'unusual' suave. The whole menu and presentation needs updating and improving . The dining experience was great, the table was beautifully set and the staff were friendly and attentive .

Review 83：Hotel was beautiful and rooms were massive.

Review 84：On our first night we told reception that we could not receive BBC 1 on our TV a member of staff tried to fix the problem and then said he would report it to maintenance in the morning. Next day the TV was no better despite my wife asking for progress on the issue.

Review 85：Good location and fabulous dining room overlooking the sea. A great place to have breakfast.

Review 86：The shower was very difficult to use, just pointed downwards and flooded the bathroom floor

Review 87：The staff were very pleasant and helpful The food was excellent

Review 88：Breakfast was ok but a free for all at buffet having to ask for butter, knives and forks .not offered alternative i.e. fish untill i asked for it, reception concierge area very dark day and night would have been more welcoming had they put the light's on'. reception staff a little off hand.not helpful when prompted for eating outside. room could have been cleaned better lot's of dust and a cheap bed.

Review 89：very nice building, Decor

Review 90：Dodgy door handle, couldn't get into the room. No free parking had to pay to get into the car park across the road and down a bit. Shower bath very old fashioned and difficult to get in and out. Didn't provide accurate address info on booking.com. Poor quality toilet paper.

Review 91：Helpful Staff. Good fixed price dinner. View of the English Channel.Large room once we could get in.

Review 92：The fire alarms went off at 4 am! The firemen said that it was dust. Simply not acceptable as maintenance checks would have detected this. When I discussed this at reception, the young lady apologised and said that my 'comment' would be passed on. I therefore feel that compensation should be awarded for my disrupted night. At breakfast time at 8am there was only one member of staff, the waitor was genuinely flustered and couldn't cope so my group of seven people helped set the table properly to ease the situation. So, obviously a staffing level issue. I do hope theses points will be rectified for future occupants.

Review 93：The family accomadation

Review 94：3am fire alarm ...stood on the street in the cold waiting for fire brigade! No fire brigade said probably dust!!!!! Couldn't get back to sleep. Tired for wedding the day after. Musty smell,tired looking hotel stressed staff at breakfast !!

Review 95：Comfy bed

Review 96：rooms looked great but furniture was a bit worn (sit on sofa and difficult get out of the hole at the back. we had a sea-front apartment and windows desperately need up-dating we hardly slept all night due to traffic noise. old gent serving breakfast was a bit scruffy (tie undone and shirt not tucked in properly).

Review 97：hotel was amazing, the staff fantastic, food was excellent, location was great as far as it was fairly close to the main high street and places of interest.

Review 98：Fantastic spacious room with sea views. You could hear sea waves crashing from open window whilst lying on bed....so very relaxing. Bathroom was spotlessly clean & loads of hot water for bath & power shower. It was great.

Review 99：Nothing I didn't like. Parking facilities limited, but nothing can be done about that. Breakfast very average and a little dull when compared with other facilities throughout and the magnificence of the restaurant itself.

Review 100：General decor fitting with age and status of building. Helpfulness of staff.

Review 101：Hotel is now very tired and in need of some decorating care and attention, especially the bathrooms which are tired, with black mold and poor lighting

Review 102：Location is superb

Review 103：Need to upgrade TV to digital as aerial was being worked on and poor TV reception. Usual dust spots not cleaned above skirting and door frames . Bathroom requires some modernisation

Review 104：Friendly staff , comfy bedding , breakfast selection vast , good location , big rooms with nice retro feel.

Review 105：mattress was very hard so difficult to sleep food was nothing special but OK poor and limited TV channels

Review 106：upgrade to suite room polite helpful staff

Review 107：The double bed was really uncomfortable, it squeaked and was hard. Also even though it was facing the main road it was really noisy, could even hear people talking when they walked past even though Windows were closed.

Review 108：The room was a good size for a family of four and ideally located to where we needed to bd

Review 109：Nothing we didn't like about the hotel. Thought an earlier review was very unfair - said there were not enough electrical sockets for the "modern traveller". We counted - why would anyone want more than five sockets (eight, if you unplugged the lamps and tv because you were so desperate!)?

Review 110：Lovely building and nice location - right on the sea front but a walk from the busiest/noisiest part of town. Helpful, friendly staff (especially the Spanish waiter at breakfast!) and great view of the sea from the dining room.

Review 111：Unfortunatly our room door was left open after house keeping cleaned the room. So it was left open all day while we were out. This was highlighted to management the moment we got back to the hotel, and they were very appologetic about the issue. Paid extra for an upgraded suite room, the TV was actually in a different room to the bedroom. Now this probably wouldnt bother everyone, but I like to watch abit of TV before bed, and so found it abit of an inconvenience.

Review 112：Nice Hotel, on the seafront, good views when you have the weather. The Terrace Resturant is a hidden gem, food is absolutely lovely and well worth a look. Management are very friendly, and staff are well trained.

Review 113：Excellent throughly clean hotel, with friendly helpful staff. We would like to thank Kayleigh on the front desk for all her kindness. She was very walm, welcoming and always had a smile. We will definately be coming back and highly recommend the family room.

Review 114：The evening meal was expensive and wasn't a big variety Me and my husband both burnt our hands on steam on the hotplate The TV wasn't working in the room. Also came back at lunch time to eat something in the bar restaurant and they had no power in the kitchen so we had to go out and wait to evening .

Review 115：shower screen came loose and hit me on the lower leg causing some pain and horriable bruising. Manager emailed me later and apologised, but it did ruin my stay for my birthday trip.

Review 116：location is good, exotic decoration.

Review 117：Minor gripe, tv not working!

Review 118：Great sea front location. We had a third floor suite with sea views. Friendly and helpful staff. Good breakfast. Exceeded our expectations.

Review 119：Friendly, helpful staff who were very approachable. We were running late for a wedding across the road, they had us booked in and in our room within minutes. The lovely lady on the front desk was extremely kind, and allowed us to park the motorbike under the archway, which meant we freed up a parking space for other guests. The staff were knowledgeable about the area and provided exceedingly good customer service.

Review 120：The hotel is very tired and all areas should be completely refurbished, the reception area is dingy and smelly, not welcoming and quite seedy.

Review 121：Breakfast and location

Review 122：The window had dropped a bit in the bedroom so we couldn't fully shut the window but it didn't effect the temperature of the room

Review 123：Room was beautiful very spacious and well decorated

Review 124：Staff in the breakfast room...inappropriate conversations within earshot of clients...hotel is tired looking and could stand to be rejuvenated. A bit to far walking from the centre.

Review 125：Nice view of the channel, room was big and bed was comfortable. Relatively quiet for a busy street.

Review 126：Unfortunately the rooms are slightly dated in decoration. The beds are very hard, the pillows like slabs and the duvets not big enough and uncomfortable. The wifi is slow and very often wouldn't connect. Staff in the restaurant in the evening were poorly dressed and lacked good waitressing skills. The table cloth had stains and there were crumbs all over the chair and table which clearly hadn't been cleaned away from breakfast. The lift was the slowest in all of Hastings. The positioning of the hotel is so far out, making trips into main town Hastings feel like a hike.

Review 127：When walking into the hotel the grand stair case has the wow factor with beautiful ornate decoration. The rooms were spacious and bathroom clean. A stunning seaview from our double room. Breakfast was well organised and delicious. Dinner in the restaurant was also very tasty.

Review 128：The lift smelt badly of body odour. The fecor of the rooms was very dated. The shower was far too small for a guy of 6ft2 i easily towered above the shower head. And a couple of guests seemed to have dogs, i like dogs but not at 7.30 barking in the room next door! I was quite surprised at this!

Review 129：The staff were very friendly and helpful. I liked the split level living of the room.

Review 130：The hotel needs general refurnishment. We stayed in a suit with was nice but the bathroom wasn't that great at all!

Review 131：The staff way extremely good , welcoming and useful . They booked for us a nice restaurant , taxis and gave us really good tips of the location.

Review 132：Parking difficult to find although free around hotel very difficult to find on a weekend on a very sunny day!!!!! Lift slow and very antiquated. Hotel generally "tired" particularly decoration.

Review 133：Seaview, dining room entrance; state of cleanliness very good.

Review 134：The beds: it felt as if we were sleeping directly on the springs. The other family traveling with us mentioned the same discomfort. The location was so-so. It was too far to walk to any of Hastings' attractions and seemed to be a run-down section of town (but a beautiful exterior to the hotel, and great location for just walking the pebbly beach).

Review 135：Our room was very large and decorated with old-world charm. There was a beautiful view of the sea. The cost was very reasonable.

Review 136：Nothing.

Review 137：We had a triple family room for 2 adults and 2 kids. We had a sea view which was amazing and found the location of this hotel perfect for us as we don't drive. The beach is on your doorstep and a few little shops or places to eat. Hastings town is about 15mins walk along the beach. The room was clean and comfy with tea and coffee making facilities which was nice. The staff were really helpful and friendly. We liked it so much we have booked another night stay in a few weeks.

Review 138：The double bed was small and short, struggled to get comfortable sharing. could have done with asking for an extra single made up. We are used to a king size bed.

Review 139：Quiet room, and you could hear the sea with the window open, room had great view of sea. Extremely friendly and attentive restaurant staff, restaurant had great view of the sea. Plenty of free on street car parking behind the hotel. The hotel has retained all original architecture period aesthetics. The foyer is most impressive, and would be a wonderful back drop for wedding photographs.