The Goodwood Hotel

Stayed here for my wife's birthday celebration. Beautiful setting in the Goodwood estate. Dog friendly with treats available. We were fortunate to be upgraded to a suite which was amazing. Walking around the estate was great despite the weather. We ate in the neighboring restaurant which was fantastic both with food and service.(See separate review). Very highly recommended.

We stayed there last night, it was lovely. Room clean and fab. Pool lovely, although it was a bit busy and would have been better if it had been a bit warmer. The food and service in the restaurant was lovely. The lovely young waitress in the restaurant arranged for a special little extra for our wedding anniversary. All the staff were friendly and helpfull. Will def. Go back. We could take the grandkids if they had interconnecting rooms.

Sadly, a really disappointing stay. I booked this hotel for our first night away without kids in 5 years, and as a Christmas gift. I specially chose it because I wanted a hotel where we could spend the afternoon using the pool/spa facilities, to unwind and relax. ||We arrived at 2pm, and got access to our room. We went to make a drink to find one mug and no milk, a problem quickly resolved but nevertheless. ||We went to use the spa and we were told it had child inflatables in until 330. We went back at 340 and were told it was full and to come back in 30 mins. 20 mins later we were told the same. At 4.40 we were told it was still full and there were three families ahead of us in the queue. They said we could try after 6 when kids weren’t allowed. We had a table booked for 7 and that’s not really the point of having an afternoon in a hotel with a spa!||I went to complain and whilst the staff were polite, I was told that my fee paid was just for my room and not part of a spa package. This despite the fact that the website very clearly lists use of the pool/spa under the ‘what’s included’ section. ||I suggested that a discount on my room felt appropriate but was told that this was not going to happen because I had received what I paid for. ||This was supposed to be a really special 24 hours away but has been completely ruined. ||I feel that this was mis sold. The spa is open to non residents and clearly is very popular in school holidays. But there is no way to book a slot and we were not advised that the spa was likely to be unavailable to us. I feel strongly that I was mis sold to. ||So my relaxing 24 hours in a spa hotel was reduced to spending the afternoon watching TV in our room. ||I would not wish to return. Such a shame as it has the potential to be a nice place. ||Bed and Breakfast was around £250. Worth it for a hotel with a spa, but not worth bit for a fairly run of the mill room with no spa access.

Last minute New Year break with family. Charitably, I’d describe this as a health club/convention centre with rooms attached. The spa/health club is pretty nice. Lovely spacious pool which, on our visit, was not overly busy and was well suited to our needs. |The hotel on the other hand was decidedly average. A very friendly welcome was quickly undercut as we were informed that the only restaurant onsite was fully booked and that the alternative was a “very nice panini available up until 6.30pm”. Apparently the hotel policy is that hotel guests are not prioritised and so with external bookings filling up the few available tables we were left to our own devices if we wanted to eat at a reasonable time. (We did sample room service the next day and the cold, minimal menu was not an option we’d wish on anyone). The only other realistic alternative being a pub some 25 minutes walk away. |Aside from the food “offering”, the rooms were clean, adequately if not luxuriously furnished and broadly serviceable - if pretty unremarkable. |Breakfast is almost impressive though let down by reliance on a peculiar hot water machine that dispenses slow moving and minimally hot water for tea. Perhaps the owners should look at other hotels that have taken the bold step of investing in decent coffee machines that can also provide boiling water???|In conclusion not a terrible experience but unlikely we’ll be rushing back anytime soon.

Mixed bag. Pretty let down as I booked this for a romantic spa weekend away. There is a clear lack of flexibility from the staff to accommodate guest requirements. Wanted to go to the spa when we got there, told it was busy and advised returning the next day. Did just that - same story but worse - we weren’t allowed in because it was at capacity. The same girl on health club reception then preceded to let another woman into the facilities in the queue behind us. Couldn’t quite believe it. The girl then said she shouldn’t have done it. Literally bizarre. An hour after that fuss they let us go into the pool area which was half empty. women in the changing areas gossiping about hotel guests and the staff getting involved too. Totally unprofessional and put a sour taste in my mouth for the weekend. Can’t advertise to potential guests as having spa facilities when half the time you can’t get in and they pick and choose as they wish. Would spend £250+ / night elsewhere tbh. Also need older/more experienced staff as most are extremely young.

Stayed for 4 days to celebrate my wife's birthday. The service from the front desk, the chambermaids, the restaurant and the spa was excellent. The staff never failed to be polite and attentive even when the breakfast service was somewhat overwhelmed on Sunday morning. Bed and breakfast rates are good value for money for the quality delivered. Dining at Farmer, Butcher Chef easily runs to £100 a head ( service and drinks included) but the quality of the food is extremely good. A great stay.

I thought the hotel standards were fantastic - staff, cleanliness, facilities etc. Little details in the room didn’t go unnoticed & super child-friendly / accommodating. Would definitely stay here again - felt very much at home! Well done to the team / management!

My wife and I, with our large German Shepherd dog, took a short break here recently for some much-needed R&R. The hotel, and the overall experience, was exceptionally good (I'm wondering where some of the people leaving 1-star reviews actually stayed?). The staff were, without exception, incredibly friendly and helpful, and having our dog welcome in all parts of the hotel (except the spa, understandably) was perfect for us. The room was large and comfortable, and having the garden area outside for the dog was great. There were so many little touches which just make all the difference (at breakfast: "would your dog like a sausage?"). If I had any observations at all, I would say that the Farmer Butcher Chef restaurant is on the pricey side, particularly for drinks, and that having a slightly wider range of evening dining options, for example having the Grill open later, with some different/extra menu choices, would be welcome. We'll definitely be back.

I booked here for my partner's birthday this summer...a stay over and a table at the best restaurant I have stayed here before - very nice, had meals here, ditto (fabulous breakfast) and was a member of the Kennels for quite a number of years - very enjoyable I have to say, disappointing on both hotel & food fronts - though the staff were great, friendly, helpful...and we were, unasked, upgraded to a suite...nice On the way up to the room there was a cardboard box lying around - it was there the whole stay; outside the room on arriving, was a tray complete with all of our predecessor's left over food & crockery, glasses, utensils just lying on the floor; the cleaning room door nearby was always left open - none a pretty sight As for the meal...hmm...seems we have a chef with a big ego - he wants to impose on us what he wants to present, rather than allow us the freedom of choice and he doesn't consider leaving a safe get out option like the Ramsay or Caring restaurants all do - we didn't want black pudding nor lamb's liver, which didn't leave much out of a choice of 4 or 5 possibilities. At the table behind us, neither diner was impressed and made quite a fuss, saying that he just wanted the beef (he wanted a steak actually) with none of this other stuff and certainly not liver Very difficult and already upfront ruins the evening when you can't find something that even seems appetising or to our taste...if we hadn't been staying there, my normal reaction would be to look at my partner, get the nod, and simply get up and leave and go somewhere else. You could say we should have known...but clearly, looking around the room, none of us did and we were all seemingly making an effort to find a reason to stay and eat Afterwards we ordered ice cream and a rum...both turned up in dish / glass, hot, straight from the dishwasher...not clever (or inexperienced staff?)...they were returned & replaced A final minor point - you would have thought that such a hotel could find a shoehorn (Ok I could have remembered to bring one, but I forgot)...apparently they used to provide them in the rooms but not anymore, and they didn't have a spare on hand Shame Let's see what The Pig at the South Downs can offer next time we want a local stay

The hotel is OK as a standard mass-market 4-star place. Nothing wrong, good rooms, decent pool, and proper service as you'd expect in a hotel of that class. But, and here's our main issue: The entire appearance of its web site and its other marketing materials tries to pretend that Goodwood Hotel is a charming estate. It features only photos of the Goodwood house estate, implicitly making people believe that that's the charming place (or at least in viewable distance) in which they'll stay. It seemed that any depiction of the reality (see our photo) of the not particularly unique hotel were deliberately avoided. This lack of charm unfortunately is part of the entire "experience", including for example a breakfast in the very functional health club (where most people are dressed in sports gear, or, as seen, even in bathrobe).

Friendly service and some of the most comfortable beds I have ever slept in. Unfortunately the hotel feels a little dated, and was clearly built by a master maze maker!

Beautiful property, immaculate gardens and golf course. I have stayed here 4 times and it just gets better and better. The restaurant staff remember us each time and even provide us with a basket of fruit on our day of departure as they know we have a very long journey ahead of us. The rooms are huge and have lovely views out on to the grounds. The beds are biggest I have even seen and I have stayed in many hotels! The pool area is so relaxing. Heaven on Earth is the only way to describe this place. My husband plays golf and he says it is a beautiful course and the golf staff are fantastic if you require any help like lessons etc.

Continues to be excellent this bank holiday weekend was particularly great, they even had the room number we ask for ready for us,as it is a quite room, the serviced was brilliant and relaxed, even though there was a wedding reception we did not hear a thing! The spa was excellent and the hospitality team were great nothing was any trouble. We stayed an add night!