The Relais Henley

Confirmation number MD41529850 Expedia itinerary 72067973454753 I had booked and prepaid a two-night stay at The Relais Henley through Expedia as part of an 18-day itinerary that included all flights, hotels, and activities. I did not have insurance on the hotel stay. The Relais Henley itself was charming, and my modern king river-view room with half-board was excellent, though guests should be aware of the step coming out of the shower. The issue arose because my travel dates coincided with the US government shutdown. Following the shutdown, the head of the FAA announced the cancellation of approximately 10 percent of flights across the United States, creating what was effectively a national emergency in US airspace. My American Airlines flight to London Heathrow was one of those canceled. Fortunately, American Airlines rebooked my otherwise non-refundable flight for the following day at no charge because the disruption was directly tied to that emergency. Immediately after the cancellation, I called Expedia to alert them that I would arrive in the UK a full day late and would not be able to use the first night of my prepaid reservation at The Relais Henley. I requested an exception or refund for that missed night given the extraordinary circumstances. After lengthy explanations and time on hold, the Expedia agent told me that the decision rested with the hotel’s manager. He said he had already contacted the hotel, that the manager would not be in until the next morning, a

Great comfortable room with nice amenities

Lovely friendly staff, fab comfy room and bed. Great location. Great breakfast too.

Staff made us feel welcome.

Super comfy bed, great service, didnt feel like an anonymous chain

Great room.

An excellent hotel, with comfortable, well proportioned rooms. Parking is obviously an issue, but you just have to factor in the extra cost of this (not too expensive in the station car park). The staff were excellent and very helpful, with the exception of one rather officious lady at breakfast who loudly informed me that I wasn't allowed to have porridge followed by scrambled egg on toast, as it counted as two cooked breakfasts! I have stayed in a multitude of hotels throughout the UK, and this is the first time I have encountered such an issue. Also, bear in mind that the breakfast is priced at £22! Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay.

The welcome at the hotel for check in was very good. Sadly we were advised there was no parking when in fact there is several spaces in front of the hotel free from 6pm - 9am. They recommended the train station parking but there is convenient on street just around the corner. The location was very central with a great pub opposite. The barman in the hotel bar was also very knowledgable about the drinks and pleasant. The room itself was quirky - not the best design, and more a 3* than 4* based on my experience. The views were of a church wall from the room - for £150 we expected a bit more. The bed was comfy, and the drinks provided plentiful - however there was only one breakfast teabag and 4 green tea! Not what I would call balance. We were looking forward to breakfast following reading the reviews - but what a let down! There was a human hair in my spinach (not popeyes may I add!), and the waitress offered to replace the spinach!! In the end my plate was left with me and some new spinach, veggie sausage and beans brought to me half an hour later!!!! By which point the tomato, mushroom and scrambled egg was cold. This really should have been dealt with a lot better as it’s completely unacceptable from a hygiene standpoint and for the price paid the hotel wasn’t value for money. The room was pretty noisy - but this was due to one guests music and chesty cough, so not the hotels fault. Toiletries so old the description had rubbed off, wouldn’t return sadly.

We booked a room with a river view, but we didn’t get it. My husband’s breakfast took half an hour to come. Wrong breakfast brought the first time. I asked for ham, was told there wasn’t any. Asked someone else and got some. I’d finished my breakfast before his came.

Great history, lovely staff, cool place

No parking available onsite which was rubbish but apart from that all good

Idyllic and everything you want from a traditional English hotel.

The room was very nice, bed and pillows very comfortable. The staff were very good and service was excellent. I was very disappointed with the breakfast. I was expecting a fresh cooked breakfast, full English or eggs Benedict etc that the on line menu gave. It was a buffet breakfast that was cold and poor quality sausage and bacon.

Could not fault our stay at the Relais. Super attentive staff, comfortable room, and close to local amenties. Would definitely visit again!

Miserable unhelpful staff. Awful breakfast experience- uncleared dirty tables meagre food

Great place to stay in the middle of Henley. Close to the river and shops. Staff really nice and friendly. Will definitely be back

The room we were offered should NEVER have been rented. There is an extremely low beam running through the room. You need a ladder to see out of one of the windows, the other one is useless. The hotel has a lift that only services some rooms. The rest of the hotel rooms require navigating several flights of stairs. So if you have heavy luggage, you are in trouble. They do not really have anyone to help you, so you are on your own. When we complained the person on duty said she couldn't do anything about it unless we upgraded to a much more expensive room, which we were forced to do for our own safety. Luckily we found Patrick, who was the only one who understood customer service at the hotel. He upgraded our room without a 2X change in price! I would not recommend this hotel.

Staff were excellent Breakfast & Dinner superb but the room was very disappointing and not value for money.we had chosen a premium room with a river view, the river view was a very, very tiny dorma window only viewed if your were 6 foot. There was a beam across the access for one side of bed so we had to leave the bathroom light on all night in order not to crack your head.The TV was to the side of bed so impossible to watch this was not a premium room with a river view

Very nice hotel within walking distance to the station and shops. Room was on the small side but comfortable bed and very clean and quiet. Staff were all helpful and very polite. Would definitely stay here again if I needed a hotel for a night.

Great hotel, great people. We were looked after. A really nice stay.

We were in the room I asked not to be in it was tatty looked out on a wall I booked a few months ago so was shocked when given that room The service and general feeling of the whole place has gone down hill

Lovely hotel no issues great breakfast!

Beautifully decorated rooms with very high quality bedding. Quiet and effective AC. Very nice breakfast.

Very lovely hotel and convenient

Very good hotel in a great location Nice breakfast and courtyard. Main improvement is their breakfast coffee, it’s weak and needs a proper expresso option

Stylish and comfortable. Friendly staff and resolved an issue we had with bedroom selection to our satisfaction. Ideal location

we have just returned from a weekend stay and can highly recommend the hotel. Very clean and well kept staff ultra friendly and helpful and a really great experience.

The fairly recent renovation has transformed this lovely building and offers considerable comfort and facilities. Elegant lounge and bars. Pretty coffee shop serving good coffee and good 'home made' snacks. Our bedroom was very comfortable and as our stay 'fell' in the middle of a very hot period the air conditioning was really appreciated. The hotel is managed very professionally by the affable, Andrew Oxley who has a very friendly, helpful team The position within the town and overlooking the river make this an excellent place to relax and enjoy Henley and its beautiful surrounding countryside. We will return!

Not terribly easy to drop luggage at the entrance, due to limited parking area.

Outstanding location. Superb staff. Great for a long weekend stay.

A good spot for Henley - lovely breakfast and helpful reception.

Great location , friendly staff