Hotel Family-friendly a Brockenhurst

A Second Edition Review since it upset the owners. I called in for a drink and a bite of lunch with the intention of booking a stay. I wandered into the lounge/bar which was unattended and remained so for further 10 mins until a staff member appeared and who registered that I was not a guest, I had not come from the Spar, and that I wanted lunch. 5 mins after that a waitress appeared, who also registered that I wanted lunch so she took my name and drinks order. Drinks arrived and waited another 40 mins for someone to take a food order. I searched the area for staff and found two semi naked women in dressing gowns wandering the lounge floor also looking for staff and a bite to eat. So I told them of my experience thus far, wished them luck, poured my drink into a pot plant and walked out. This “luxury” hotel has just undergone a major refurb, charges £265 a night, and if I was a paying guest I’d have been livid. This establishment is simply NOT geared up for lunch, its staff are spread too thin and required to cover too many public rooms. I have stayed here before, and the old habits keep reoccurring with guests having to locate staff for service. Clearly, the manageress, who was on duty, needs to walk her rounds and check on guests, and there also needs to be a bell or call service in the bar and lounge, so guests can call for service instead of waiting around, or worse having to find staff. My message to the owner/manger, is the same message I put to ALL the New Forest Hotels, and that is to take a look at the dismantled ruins of the Lyndhurst Park Hotel, which I regard as a monument to Hotels that get it wrong. This Hotel used to tick all boxes as a great winter retreat, with Mulled Wine in the Lounge, A local game menu that complimented the main menu, an extensive wine list, and an open fire in the Lounge. It’s now a retreat to cater for Londoners at London prices and has lost its charm and atmosphere as a Country Hunting Manor.