The Channel View Hotel

Had a wonderful stay here with my husband and 2 children . Was greeted with a smile and a warm welcome from a man sorry didn’t get his name . We stayed in the family room sea view ,2 single beds and a double , we have stayed in many family rooms and they are often cramped but this room was huge and beautiful sea views from Main windows and also a beautiful sea view from one of the single beds. There is no air con in this hotel but a fan was supplied in the room and also a second fan was given on request . We all slept really well which was needed after our adventures around Shanklin and the Isle of Wight . A few things that could be improved on . The WiFi was really poor The shower in the room the pressure was really weak . The pool was nice . Shame the jaccuzai was not working but still we enjoyed the pool would have been even better if it was open until 8pm as it closes as 6pm . The breakfast was cold and not nice on both days we was there .None of us enjoyed it . But overal the location ,the friendliness of the male staff member and the space in the family room and cleanliness of the hotel made it a very enjoyable stay and we will look forward to another holiday here in the future .

2 weeks ago · via Google

Our first visit to Isle of Wight as a family of 6. We had a delightful weekend and the Channel View was ideally situated for our weekend down on the beach. Stunning views, a lovely indoor pool to cool down in the warm weather. Staff were very friendly and helpful too, stopping for a chat everytime we passed by. Is it at the top of a steep hill? Yes, the world isn't flat though. Didn't try any of the food as for a family of 6 was a little pricey. Rooms and decor were what I would call traditional seaside hotel rooms. Would I stay here again? Absolutely, we had a lovely time.

3 weeks ago · via Google

What truly horrific management this hotel has. A very young lady, who we now understand is 23, appeared to have been left in charge of the hotel with very little visible support. She was also brand new to the business and appeared not to have been properly prepared to deal with disputes or refunds, as she told us she did not know how to process one. She was also having to cover both the bar and reception, resulting in customers waiting excessive periods of time on a Saturday. She became visibly distressed and was crying at reception after speaking with management by telephone while trying to deal with a customer issue. We felt extremely sorry for her, as she was clearly doing her best in very difficult circumstances. She remained polite, well mannered and helpful throughout, despite being under significant visible pressure. When serving us, she was fabulous. From what we witnessed, the hotel had placed a young and inexperienced member of staff in a position where she appeared to be dealing with reception, the bar, customer complaints and the general running of the hotel without adequate visible management support. The hotel was subsequently unable to provide the services and facilities that had been promised to us. In my opinion, this raises serious questions about how the hotel is being managed and whether appropriate support, supervision and emergency arrangements are in place for both staff and guests. We are going to report our concerns to Isle of Wight Environmental Health regarding the apparent lack of support, supervision and lone-working arrangements. We will also raise concerns with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service regarding the apparent staffing arrangements and the hotel’s ability to manage risks and emergencies involving residents. We were told that the hotel and bar would be closing early because of staff absences, although the young lady said she could remain longer if required. This raised further concerns about her hours, welfare and the pressure she was being placed under. Shameless management. Anyone considering booking here should understand the type of management and service they may encounter. Best of luck to the young lady. She deserves far better support than she appeared to be receiving. Witnessed on Saturday 12 July. Update following John’s response: John’s response does not reflect what I witnessed. At no point was the young lady on reception spoken to rudely, threatened or challenged aggressively. She became visibly upset after speaking by telephone with management, including John and another member of staff believed to be Amber. The situation escalated because of the way management responded and because they initially refused to resolve the issue. Throughout the incident, we repeatedly stated that the receptionist was polite, helpful and doing her best in extremely difficult circumstances. John attended the hotel and made various statements about resolving the matter. His subsequent public response presents a very different version of events and attempts to place the entire responsibility on us, despite the hotel having advised us which room to book after we fully disclosed that we were travelling as two adults and three children. I was present throughout and strongly dispute the suggestion that my husband’s conduct caused the receptionist’s distress. In my opinion, John’s response is another example of management attempting to rewrite the events rather than acknowledge the failures that occurred. Potential guests should read both recent and historical reviews carefully before deciding whether to book.

a month ago · via Google

I recommend CAUTION before booking here. In my view, what happened was not a simple misunderstanding but a pattern of mis-selling: reassuring us before booking, changing the accommodation after we had travelled, taking additional payment and then attempting to refuse a refund when the promised arrangements did not exist. On Friday, I called the hotel before booking accommodation for Saturday 12 July. I explained that we were two adults three children and asked which room to reserve. I was told to book a family room & assured that an additional bed would be added. The staff member took my name & telephone number & said she would call if any problems. I asked whether the bar would be staffed and whether the England match would be shown, because this was central to our decision to travel. No contact, so we travelled the following morning. At approximately 10.30 am, the hotel called to say that our booking showed two adults and one child and that the room was unsuitable. We were told that we needed a larger “twin” arrangement and would have to pay an additional £120. At that stage, I believed this was a genuine Booking.com error. I agreed to pay because the hotel represented that the revised arrangement would suitably allow our weekend to continue. In hindsight, this felt like a deliberate upsell after we were already committed. We arrived at approximately 3.10 pm, paid the additional balance and were handed keys for rooms 16/18. Only after payment did we discover that the supposed “twin” arrangement meant two separate bedrooms/no adjoining door. This was unsuitable for our children & was never explained before the money was taken. After paying, I again asked about the football. I was then told that the hotel and bar would close at 9.00 pm due to staff absences and that nobody would be available. This directly contradicted the assurance given before booking. The hotel left a lone girl (around teen-age) to run the hotel. At this point, the sequence appeared less like isolated mistakes and more like systematic misrepresentation: inaccurate assurances before booking, a last-minute demand for more money, failure to explain that our family would be split across separate rooms and denial of the promised evening facilities. I returned to reception and explained that the accommodation was unsuitable and that we had been induced to book and pay based on information that was not true. The receptionist said she was new and did not know how to process a refund. She became visibly distressed and appeared to have been left to manage the hotel, reception and bar without support. She remained polite and appeared to be trying her best. My criticism is directed at the management who placed her in that position. I was then handed a telephone and spoke with another staff member, believed to be Amber, who attempted to argue that no refund would be provided. Rather than investigate what had been promised, she was immediately dismissive. The hotel manager, John, later arrived and claimed he had overheard my original telephone conversation. He denied that the hotel would ever have agreed to accommodate five people in one room and attempted to place responsibility on us and Booking.com. This ignored the central fact: we had telephoned the hotel before booking, disclosed every guest and followed their instructions. Only after prolonged argument was the payment made directly at reception refunded. The Booking.com payment remained unresolved. We therefore had to abandon the stay, move our ferry booking from Sunday to Saturday and lose the weekend we had planned. Our ferry costs alone exceeded £200. We have raised a chargeback and will pursue the remaining payment through Booking.com and, if required, legal channels. Based on our experience, I believe this hotel uses misleading verbal assurances to secure bookings, then demands additional money once guests are committed. Do not rely on anything said by telephone. Obtain all confirmation in writing - they misrepresent the truth on responses to booking.com (attached) - dishonest.

a month ago · via Google