Royal Hotel Ventnor: Miserable shadow of what *was*; if you've been in last 10+yrs, BEWARE they now charge in advance, even if you've booked WELL IN ADVANCE! :/
The dedicated staff, the beautifully maintained gardens & the (sometimes) heated pool were the Saving Grace of an otherwise miserable experience.
A noticeable patina of grime in the bathroom was our initial welcome, followed by sweltering heat in all the public spaces (apparently heating was running, even during the 5th heatwave); poor communications & an attempt to sidestep the fact that the head-chef & sous-chef had departed end June; plus obvious lack of investment in structural issues & critical utility maintenance (only public 'disabled' toilet was reported as not flushing adequately - an easy 5minute fix - yet it was still not fit for purpose 3 working days later)..
I have huge respect & admiration for the staff who frankly deserve medals for holding their position under such conditions, yet it seems that the Grand Old Lady of Ventnor has fallen into irrevocable decrepitude, which is a truly tragic state of affairs, for Ventnor & IOW more broadly.
To any potential guests I would say 'Move on, traveller, and don't look back..'.
To the owner(s), who have sorely neglected their responsibility of Custodianship (and are apparently looking to put the old girl up for sale in the foreseeable future), I would say: 'Shame on you! Your greed & tangible lack of interest in the Royal, which you once called 'iconic' have brought her to the edge of ruin..'
But! It's not too late.. Working with the Ventnor Conservation Area officers, with a good architect/site-manager, and some hard cash investment, the old girl could yet be afforded a Stay of Execution, and could yet have another 10-20 years life left in her.
So, as my final word, to the owner(s): A Little Less Conversation, a Bit More Action.. :/
August 15, 2026
Unprompted review
