The Regency, Clifton Bristol by Belvilla in Bristol

Well, this was an odd stay. Check in was confusing; apparently we should have received a text message and email with codes to access the hotel and room. The lady at the reception desk was able to provide us with the codes but this process was a bit of palaver and involved having my phone’s text message inbox scrutinised, which I have to admit made me feel a little uncomfortable.

When we arrived in the room the toilet had been dismantled; the lid of the cistern was on the floor and the cistern itself was empty. When my friend went downstairs to enquire about this it transpired that a handyman had already been called (Mike, who was absolutely fantastic and fixed the problem quickly and with a smile) but it would have been better to have been told about the issue at check in.

The room itself was comfortable and mainly clean, other than a few stains on the carpet which weren’t a deal-breaker. Coffee and tea making facilities in the room were a bonus.
We chose the hotel over others at a similar price point because it advertised breakfast included in the price; it looks like they have stopped providing this service however, and again we were only told this when we enquired.

All in all, the OYO idea (self check in with a minimum of faff) could work, but it needs to be executed with much more care and attention to detail than it currently is at the Regency to be worth the £116 we paid for the night.

No lift. No food provided. The location is a bit far from temple mead station but close to the university. The room is small and quite old.