Bannatyne Durham

2/10

Poor

02 Mar 2026

Jason

You cant use the spa facilities as a guest of the hotel!

10/10

Exceptional

01 Mar 2026

Alex

Nice hotel. Clean room and a comfy bed with a spar just opposite. Rooms recently refurbed

4/10

Poor

01 Mar 2026

Sean

This hotel is on par with a travel lodge.

Partner

2/10

Poor

28 Feb 2026

Guy

Room tired & advertised as having a pool which, was significant additional cost in the small print

10/10

Exceptional

28 Feb 2026

Lucy

Lovely as always thank you. I love staying here.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

22 Feb 2026

Wai Lan

Overall experience ok, staff friendly but only one staff at the morning breakfast and have to wait for 20 mins just to order.
Room was basic for Bannatyne standard. The standard double bed was very uncomfortable as it was combination of 2 beds joined together leaving the gap in the middle. Shower was flooded and toilet flush buttons not working properly. A bit dissappointed.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Feb 2026

Jon

Good stay

10/10

Exceptional

15 Feb 2026

Kerri

Room clean and comfortable. Staff very friendly and helpful.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

14 Feb 2026

Jason

Budget hotel, clean enough and the staff were really nice people. Very helpful. About a £10 Uber ride from the train station.

Friends_and_family Friends

6/10

Pleasant

09 Feb 2026

Natalie

Staff are fantastic
The room was new, clean etc but poorly designed. No reading lamp. The lighting in the bedroom is awful. Whoever designed the room needs to go back to school! I couldn’t make the room cosy. It was all or nothing for lighting. I couldn’t read my book in bed.

Business

6/10

Pleasant

05 Feb 2026

Mark

Deluxe room it was not
Small and tired

Business

10/10

Exceptional

03 Feb 2026

Tracey

Nice, clean hotel

Business

10/10

Exceptional

01 Feb 2026

Lucy

Thanks for the special room. It was lovely.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Jan 2026

Michael

really clean room and helpful staff

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

11 Jan 2026

Lucy

Love it here thank you

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Dec 2025

carole

No breakfast offered

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

05 Dec 2025

Iain

Fine, if a bit \"Partridge\"

8/10

Excellent

02 Nov 2025

John Terence

The food service in the Spa cafe and bar was poor. The staff seemed to be unfamiliar with areas of the job, attendance to potential customers poor at times, i.e, serving staff not behind the counter but in the kitchen area no means of calling them, e.g. a bell, ordered food detail wrong more than once, long waiting time for drinks and food. Observed servive staff handling unwrapped baked goods items with bare hands, not using tongs. Overall cafe service was poor.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

01 Nov 2025

Steve

Room was clean and comfortable

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

22 Oct 2025

Neil

Did not have breakfast we were up and away early
Bed was comfy, used a local pub for food at night 5 mins walk, The Sportsman.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

12 Oct 2025

Natalie

Comfortable clean friendly. The reception staff were delightful and so very helpful

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

02 Oct 2025

Martynas

Check-in was good, but the toilet was a bit of a problem. The flush buttons didn’t work; you needed both hands and pressed both buttons to flush. I had to take a shower before going to sleep, and the water drained so slowly that I had to switch it off to wait for it to drain, afraid it would overflow. Standing in water was unpleasant, but the worst part was that I went to the receptionist to complain, and she explained that the flushes would be gradually changed throughout the hotel (I won’t comment on that). She also said someone would look into the water issue. After a long day at work, I returned and asked a new receptionist if the problem had been fixed. She didn’t know anything; no one had mentioned it before, and nothing was written in the book. She said she would speak with the manager tomorrow. (I was there for three nights, and no one came to fix or talk to me. I can’t understand how a hotel like this, without breakfast (I know I had to go to the spa), can have three stars. Unfortunately, it was the worst stay of the year for me.)

Business

8/10

Excellent

02 Oct 2025

Steve

Pleasant spacious room with comfortable bed. Dated decor. Restaurant is across the car park in the health club not in the hotel itself.

Business

6/10

Pleasant

29 Sep 2025

Suzanne

The spa is in a different building and closes at 8pm at the weekend. Breakfast took 40 minutes from the spa restaurant, allow plenty of time. Fire alarm went off at 1.15am, no reason given when checked out. Rooms are clean with usual tea/coffee facilities. Large walk in shower. 7-8minute drive away from Durham City Centre.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 Sep 2025

anil

Polite staff and clean room.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

24 Sep 2025

richard

Very clean hotel with helpful staff

10/10

Exceptional

24 Sep 2025

Steve

Good hotel for uni visit

All as described/expected

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

10 Sep 2025

Joyce

The bed and pillows were extremely comfortable. Nice big room which was well furnished with everything you need.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

08 Sep 2025

Caroline

Staff were very welcoming and also helpful over the phone.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

17 Aug 2025

Clare

Comfortable bed, decent size room but for the price it feels very tired , a bit worn as a hotel , tea and coffee provided but again for the price it is missing some finer details, better room decor, need biscuits with drinks . And maybe bottled water? , just a bit basic and defo not worth the price unfortunately.

4/10

Poor

16 Aug 2025

Neil

Vomit stains on the carpets. Hadn't been cleaned up properly.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

07 Aug 2025

Paul

Tired & Soulless Hotel

The hotel was quite tired and soulless. All the amenities (even restaurant )were across the car park at the adjacent heath club. Hotels.com gave the impression that use of the health club facilities were free, but there was a £15 charge. The reception admitted that this was well hidden on the Hotels.com site.
The WiFi was non-existent. I could connect with the server, but it said that the server wasn’t connected to the internet. All in all, pretty below average.
Also, after asking for my invoice, I found out that I could have saved £15 by booking direct with the hotel rather than using Hotels.com

Business

6/10

Pleasant

05 Aug 2025

Verified traveler

Very clean room, overall the hotel needs a refresh

Very clean room, very professional staff, good price. The paintwork throughout the hotel needs to be refreshed, and possibly the carpets. There was also a sporadic smell of drains from the bathroom

Business

6/10

Pleasant

04 Aug 2025

Mark

The property was easily accessible and conveniently located for the purpose of the trip. The staff were very helpful and friendly. The only issue I encountered was the bin men came to collect the industrial bins at 04.00 am. This was very noisy and woke me up. I spoke to management regarding the matter who did email the procurement team however I was told this could not be changed and they had no control over what time the bin men came. I find this poor control of contractors where the main purpose of the hotel is to provide a peaceful nights sleep.

Business Self

4/10

Poor

03 Aug 2025

Alane Vicki

Hotel sited in a retail park.
Premium room at back very dark & cold, grey walls, no colour, curtains permanently closed, very depressing. Bathroom excessively hot, no thermostat on heated towel rail.
Food options poor, dining room in another building.
Poor value for money. Wouldn’t stay at a Bannatyne’s again.
Disappointing for my partner’s birthday weekend.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

28 Jul 2025

scott

Pretty basic

6/10

Pleasant

24 Jul 2025

Susan

OK but noisy

Hotel was clean. Nice shower gel and shampoo.
Room was spacious. No air conditioning. With window open for air the room was noisy from the traffic until around midnight! Not ideal. Our room 39 had a very musty smell in bathroom. Imagine had had water issues in past.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

22 Jul 2025

Martin

Happy enough

Very pleasant stay. Good location for Durham. Reasonably priced with the option of leisure facilities.

Friends_and_family Friends

6/10

Pleasant

17 Jul 2025

TIMOTHY

Not really what I’d call a spa hotel. All the facilities are on the far side of a large carpark. You can’t even pay just to use the swimming pool, you have to pay the full spa fee. The staff are friendly enough but the building and rooms are pretty charmless.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

14 Jul 2025

Andrew

A few issues

No sign showing where reception is. Smell of drains in room. Toilet flush not very effective. Untidy wires hanging from tv.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

12 Jul 2025

Kerry

Nice stay

Pleasant one night stay in the area seeing friends. Hotel nice clean and comfortable bed

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

12 Jul 2025

Andrew

A bit worn out and expensive

The hotel is a touch worn down. I booked mainly to use the Gym. If you book through a 3rd party there is a charge of £15 per session to use the gym. A small charge would be acceptable but that’s ridiculous.

Business

8/10

Excellent

23 Jun 2025

Mary

Clean and comfortable

Room and everything in it was clean. There was a smell of stale smoke in the room when we arrived. We mentioned it at reception on our way out and receptionist said she'd get some airfreshioner. Smell wasn't so noticeable when we came back in later. Bed was comfortable

Partner

8/10

Excellent

20 Jun 2025

Anthony

Not too far from the city centre. Friendly staff, decent room, clean, absolutely fine for a budget hotel.

Business Family

8/10

Excellent

19 Jun 2025

Jennifer

Nice, clean room with everything that we needed

Business Partner

6/10

Pleasant

12 Jun 2025

Ian James

Hotel presentation did not live up to expectations comparing website vs reality, no mention of charges for the gym, until you receive the confirmation email

Self

8/10

Excellent

08 Jun 2025

Tom

Good hotel,just very disappointed in terms of having to pay an additional £15 to use the gym facilities as when I booked it I always use the gym included filter for my bookings,not sure who’s at fault here the hotel or hotels.com,the hotel told me it was because I didn’t book directly with them ☹️☹️☹️

Business

8/10

Excellent

24 May 2025

Philip

Receptionist very friendly and helpful. Local buses regular and easy to use. Powerful shower.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 May 2025

Bev

A great experience

Great positive experience. The room was every thing I needed and the staff were very helpful. It was great to have the spa next door which is why I came to this hotel

Business

10/10

Exceptional

24 May 2025

Virginia

A very comfortable, clean, and quiet room.Staff brilliant. Plenty of car parking. Our only suggestion would be to review the breakfast arrangements - for example - a buffet breakfast in the hotel rather than the current system at the adjacent spa.

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

22 May 2025

Verified traveler

Not worth the money

Uncomfortable bed, noisy room upstairs when they walked around my light shade was constantly rattling

Business

8/10

Excellent

19 May 2025

Anthony

Good basic stay

Simple overnight stay. Clean room. Breakfast is quite limited but fine. EV charging was excellent

Business

6/10

Pleasant

05 May 2025

Craig

Not as expected

A little run down, dated. Double bed was two singles pushed together and you could feel it. Windows only opened a couple of inches and it was a warm night, no ac or fan. Cars racing on streets outside so not quiet. Ok at a push but unlikely to return

Business

10/10

Exceptional

28 Apr 2025

Abigail

Staff was very friendly and helpful. The hotel was clean and in a quiet location.

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

11 Apr 2025

Peter

Basic

Very standard accommodation. Food in other building.

Self

8/10

Excellent

09 Apr 2025

Mayra

Misleading to charge extra to use the pool

Not impressed. It is very misleading that they charge an extra fee per day to use the health club facilities, but the hotel picture is of the pool! They want you to book direct by all means.
I did not notice the surcharge coming up in the description as you have to scroll all the way down to see it. Room was OK, both shower and sink starting to clog.
Staff at the entrance was not friendly at all, she said they have nothing to do with the pictures Hotels.com choose to promote the hotel.
Not a full restaurant on-site, if you want to use the cafe you need to go to the health club which is a different building and they make you sign in to enter.
Will not be coming here again.
It is a pity as the Darlington branch is beautiful, staff is super friendly but this one misses the mark.

Business

8/10

Excellent

29 Mar 2025

Lesley

Staff were very friendly and helpful. Breakfast in the health club was decent. No frills but basics done well.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

28 Mar 2025

David

A comfortable stay, clean, good size room , great for a one night stay.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

11 Mar 2025

Gareth

The staff were excellent.
Really friendly and professional.

However, after booking, you find out the gym is an extra £15; per visit!

Had a filthy hand towel in my room. The tap came off the sink and the toilet didn’t really flush.

Mixed bag.

Business Self

6/10

Pleasant

26 Feb 2025

Kathy

Working Away

Receptionist very friendly and helpful, breakfast and snacks served in the leisure suite - separate building. The rooms were RED hot, too warm. I had very noisy guests above me, the hotel couldn’t change that. But it did sound like a heard of elephants were above me - all night. Shower rather than a bath, shower is a power shower and was good, Elemis body wash and hair wash in rooms
Hotel very central for North East and easy access to A1/major routes

Business

10/10

Exceptional

26 Feb 2025

Samantha

Staff were really friendly and helpful.

Business_and_leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

20 Feb 2025

Nathan

Hotel was okay itself, the spa may as well be completely separate business. 1 mins walk from hotel. Lots of paperwork to do on computer if you want to utilise day pass of spa facilities at £15 a go. Facilities were okay. Breakfast and cafe wasn’t great in truth. Close by was a Dunelm cafe much better.

8/10

Excellent

10 Feb 2025

Abubaker

Excellent place to stay in

Business_and_leisure

8/10

Excellent

09 Feb 2025

Andrew

staff were very friendly and welcoming

Leisure

4/10

Poor

07 Feb 2025

Steve

Bathroom problems

Room was clean bed comfortable.
Bathroom was terrible.
Toilet wouldn't flush. Reported to reception immediately, told to push both buttons, this made it work, but obviously a known problem.
Sink tap hjad no handle and was very loose in the sink. Reported on feedback form. Reception came to room at 1030pm when we were already in bed.
We reported the problem the next morning, reception said it would be sorted or we would be moved to another room.
On returning the evening reception did not know anything about it. Offered a room change, but as we had a long day we just put up with it as we needed to go out immediately. Very disappointed as we had paid £75 a night for a poor experience.

Partner

2/10

Poor

05 Feb 2025

Daniel

Jan 2025

ceiling caved in within reception, booking promised access to gym, upon arrival i was informed access would be £15. Hotel and room very tired. will not be staying again

Business

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jan 2025

Mary A

Bathroom sounds travel throughout from other rooms.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

24 Dec 2024

Andrew

Friendly staff

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

11 Dec 2024

stuart

Decent hotel for an economy price

Surprisingly good accommodation here at this hotel.. on the same site as a Bannatynes gym and pool which also serves some food and close to other restaurants and bars .. it actually has a bar and the room was pretty decent overall for a very good price .. would recommend

Business

10/10

Exceptional

04 Dec 2024

David

Lovely staff / very welcoming.

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

04 Dec 2024

Kirstie

Lil stay in Durham

The bed was lovely, comfortable and big.
The shower was superb, defo a highlight.
Was gutted that our tea/coffee wasnt replenished so we could have a cuppa before we left (stayed for 2 nights).
Room was a great size.
Would have liked some more spa essentials in the bathroom such as moisturiser, thought that would have been a nice accompaniment for the stay. There was shampoo/conditioner and body wash in the shower.
Overall was a good stay, in a good location for a wedding we were attending.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Dec 2024

Kay

Great for an odd night or two

Staff were very polite and welcoming. Only downside, if you wanted breakfast you had to walk across the carpark to the next building for dining.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Nov 2024

Howard

Ok for the price

Caught out by the fact that the spa was 100yds from the hotel. Very basic serivce and breakfast at the spa. No complaint given the price

Self

8/10

Excellent

22 Nov 2024

Dale

Two night stay rooms were very nice clean.food in the health spa wasn’t great so ate out rather than on site

Business

2/10

Poor

21 Nov 2024

Mark

Freezing!

Stayed when there was snow and sub zero temperatures, electric heater in the room did not work, advised reception after first night, this was still not repaired after my 3rd night. Checked out voiced how terrible service was, got an apology but no discount for the premium room I’d booked and paid for. Will definitely not visit again and will steer clear of all Bannatyne hotels in the future.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

18 Nov 2024

IAN

Good hotel.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

02 Nov 2024

Kerry

It’s ok

Showers need updating. I turned the tap on when I arrived late at night and got soaked. The pillows are old & need replacing

Business

8/10

Excellent

27 Oct 2024

Liz

Good hotel

Good hotel, upmarket travel lodge type hotel but bigger rooms. Decent price too.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

14 Oct 2024

Jason

Weekend stay

Room good size bed bit soft. Light position all wrong bed side light directly above your head frlt like being interrogated.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

05 Oct 2024

Gareth

Lovely rooms in excellent decorative condition and friendly front desk staff. Quiet location but close to city. Downside is the dining option. The only walking distance option is the restaurant in the adjoining leisure centre. More cafe than restaurant and everything from the microwave. It was ok but no more than that. We would stay again but as the room was so lovely but eat elsewhere

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

03 Oct 2024

Mark

Tired building

Business Self

6/10

Pleasant

28 Sep 2024

Dharmista

It is like a premier inn clean and tidy. No frill but does have great shower gels and towels

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

28 Sep 2024

Claire

The booking had been cancelled due to an error, but they were able to find a room. The hotel was fully booked, really noisy and insulation was poor.
I was blocked in the car park by another resident and the staff were reluctant to help saying it may not be a resident. When i threatened to call the police, they checked and asked the resident to move the car. Given the parking was visible from the desk, i am surprised it was allowed.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

26 Sep 2024

Janet

It was close to where we wanted to visit. Could use the swimming pool, sauna and steam room. The cafe/resturant on site catered for my gluten intolerance. Staff were lovely.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

26 Sep 2024

Derek

We were overnighting in Durham for a university Open Day and the Bannatyne was easy to find, plenty of off street parking and a stream of Uber drivers available within minutes. The hotel was modern and well maintained. Good bed and shower. Excellent breakfast. A good choice.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

22 Sep 2024

Verified traveler

Functional. Property atmosphere was flat . Staff were friendly. Couldn’t get my devices to connect to the TV even with leads. As a travelling businessman little bits at the end of a long day count. Was told there were only bar snacks in the gym. Went out in to Durham. Didn’t need to. Found out they had basic food just wrong info given. Didn’t want the 90 mins messing around finding somewhere.

Business

8/10

Excellent

20 Sep 2024

Michael

rooms were nie and clean though there was a laek in the bathroom. staff couldnt have been more welcoming great for a night out in Durham

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

19 Sep 2024

Arthur

The hotel was very clean a little damage to furnishing [chips on edges]. Staff where very friendly and helpful.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

06 Sep 2024

Helen

Average - did what it said on the tin

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

03 Sep 2024

Peter

The staff were very polite and efficient

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Sep 2024

Lorna

Nice hotel with staff equally as nice. Good good and would recommend the breakfast, so good. The pool, sauna was really great

No negatives from our stay

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

22 Aug 2024

Maria

Lovely welcome. Comfy bed.
Noisy bunch somewhere nearby but not sure what it was middle of night.
Food in cafe great value and quality.

Business Self

4/10

Poor

10 Aug 2024

Adrian

Poor service, wouldn't recommend

Very tired room in need or refurbishment. No services to speak of in hotel, you have to go to the spa for food and drink which we weren't informed of and if yhave an earstarton a weekend the spa isnopen so you can't get anything. We also weren't informed that we had to put a sign on the door for the room to be serviced. Rooms are exceptionally warm and there is no air-conditioning.

Partner

2/10

Poor

04 Aug 2024

Robert

Looking at the property it looks great but it's not !.
If they put you in a back room you won't sleep simply because it backs onto the A1 M.
If your not on the top floor and facing the car park then good luck with sleeping .
If your on the two lower floors people are walking about all the time the walls are thin and I was told by a local the hotel is used as a knocking shop for men seeking extras.
Be careful.
I went to have something to eat at the spar and I was creating by a very ignorant woman with a real attitude problem it was like she really didn't want to be there .
To be honest I was glad I was setting off early the next morning with the noise of the A1M keeping me awake.
Good luck with this hotel.
And with this one it's a wolf in sheep's clothing .

Business Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Aug 2024

Mark

Good for a sleep and hot shower.

Leisure Self

4/10

Poor

31 Jul 2024

Jude

Stay elsewhere if you want nice food and pint

Tired no atmosphere felt more like an Accor chain and European feel

Business

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jul 2024

Peter

No frills but clean and comfortable.

Comfortable, clean, all in good repair. A no frills sort of hotel with more facilities in the spa opposite the hotel. Didn't use the spa facilities so can't comment on those, but did get food there. All I'm going to say on the food is that it was cheap and the quality reflected the price.

The staff were uniformly polite, helpful and friendly, definitely the high point of experience. Overall it was pretty good.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jul 2024

Catrina

Friendly and helpful at check in and throughout stay. Easy parking. Handy to have on-site gym & spa short walk from the hotel. Clean rooms with comfortable beds. Shower room recently renovated to high standard.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jul 2024

David

Nice room clean,comfy bed

Partner

4/10

Poor

02 Jul 2024

Mr M A

Room 20

Stayed here for 1 night.
ROOM 20
Shower room door didn't open so you just mannaged to get through.

Extractor fan in the shower room made a loud buzzing noise when automatically activated, which disrupted our sleep.

Reported these faults to reception desk.

Room was very tired, carpets very flat and stained.

For the price we paid i expected alot better.

Friends_and_family Family