Royal Kings Arms

The hotel is close to the Railway Station and sits close to the Castle and City Centre. Ideal for travellers on foot.

Starting with the pro's: This is a hotel in a great location, central to Lancaster in a (potentially) lovely old building which must have been wonderful in its day. There's also a cheap car park round the back which is convenient for getting in and out. Now on to the negatives. Firstly, the hotel was undergoing a huge refurbishment in the ground floor which was not communicated to us whatsoever during booking. On first glance, the room seemed nice, but dated and smelt of damp. An old four-poster bed (covered in dust on the woodwork), but a lovely view of the castle and a nice seating area. The bathroom had mold up the walls and very old. When we got to our room after our night out, the room was leaking badly from the roof above. Water was pouring out from the ceiling on to our bed - management later told us that it was because the shower in the room above had been left on, after speaking to the people in that room, they told us the shower was broken and it couldn't be turned off (they also had to move rooms). The new room was also extremely damp. Wallpaper was peeling off the walls with lots of watermarks. The staff were friendly and apologetic in the morning, and knocked £10 off the bill, but ultimately the hotel was an awful experience in every way.

The staff were very friendly and despite the refurbishment going on the hotel was amazingly clean and tidy.

Really good, the shower jammed on but it was dealt with as soon as I reported it.

I have stayed at the King's Arms for many years in a row, as this is the venue for an annual reunion event which I attend every year. The primary reason for staying at the hotel is its location. It cannot be beaten if on a trip to Lancaster. Town centre location. 2 min walk to the train station. No taxis required to get from A to B. Only hotel in Lancaster with on-site city centre parking. However, for the last 25 years the hotel and décor has not been updated.... until now. New owners came in last August and are pumping a considerable amount of money into revamping the whole place. Although not yet complete, there will be a new brasserie, cocktail bar, restaurant, etc etc. However, they are still in the middle of this refurbishment at the moment and there is still work going on and it will be hit or miss whether you are allocated a newly refurbished room or one of the older rooms (I stayed in one of the 'older' rooms which as I am used to staying at the hotel. I didn't mind but would have preferred one of the refurbed rooms)! Hotel staff all very polite and professional. Had a good chat with the new manager and again very professional and keen to gain our feedback and inform us of the refurbishment programme. Don’t expect luxurious surroundings at the moment…but it should be fantastic when complete.