Sleeping Bear Hotel Dorchester

3.0 star property
your current months are December, 2024 and January, 2025.
December 2024
January 2025

Photo gallery for Sleeping Bear Hotel Dorchester

Serves breakfast, lunch and dinner
32-inch flat-screen TV with digital channels, TV
Superior Double Room
Serves breakfast, lunch and dinner
Front of property

Reviews

8.8 out of 10

Excellent

Popular amenities

  • Bar
  • Parking available
  • Housekeeping
  • Pet-friendly
  • Free WiFi
  • Business services

Explore the area

Map
32 High West Street, 32, Dorchester, England, DT1 1UP
  • Tutankhamun: The Exhibition
    1 min walk
  • Dinosaur Museum
    7 min walk
  • Terracotta Warriors Museum
    8 min walk
  • Bournemouth (BOH-Bournemouth Intl.)
    58 min drive

Room options

Standard Twin Room

  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Twin Beds

Standard Double Room

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

Standard Single Room

  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Large Twin Bed

Superior Double Room

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

Similar properties

About the area

Dorchester

A stay at Sleeping Bear Hotel Dorchester places you in the heart of Dorchester, steps from Tutankhamun: The Exhibition and Borough Gardens. .This eco-certified hotel is 0.1 mi (0.2 km) from The Keep Military Museum and 0.3 mi (0.5 km) from Dinosaur Museum.

What's nearby

  • Tutankhamun: The Exhibition - 1 min walk
  • Dinosaur Museum - 7 min walk
  • Kingston Maurward Park and Gardens - 4 min drive
  • Maiden Castle - 5 min drive
  • Weymouth Beach - 12 min drive

Getting around

  • Dorchester West Station - 8 min walk
  • Bristol International Airport (BRS) - 103 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪The Royal Oak - ‬1 min walk
  • ‪Coffee 1 - ‬7 min walk
  • ‪The King's Arms - ‬4 min walk
  • ‪Costa Coffee - ‬5 min walk
  • ‪Old Ship Inn - ‬1 min walk

About this property

Sleeping Bear Hotel Dorchester

Georgian hotel in Dorchester with a bar
Sleeping Bear Hotel Dorchester offers 27 accommodations with complimentary bottled water and coffee/tea makers. Each accommodation is individually furnished and decorated. Pillowtop beds feature premium bedding. 32-inch flat-screen televisions come with digital channels. Bathrooms include bathtubs or showers, complimentary toiletries, and hair dryers.

Guests can surf the web using the complimentary wireless Internet access. Business-friendly amenities include desks and phones. Additionally, rooms include irons/ironing boards and blackout drapes/curtains. Housekeeping is offered daily and hypo-allergenic bedding can be requested.

The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
Stay in one of 27 guestrooms featuring flat-screen televisions. Your pillowtop bed comes with premium bedding. Complimentary wireless internet access keeps you connected, and digital programming is available for your entertainment. Private bathrooms with bathtubs or showers feature complimentary toiletries and hair dryers.
Make use of convenient amenities, which include complimentary wireless internet access and a banquet hall.
Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at the bar/lounge.
Featured amenities include luggage storage, a safe deposit box at the front desk, and coffee/tea in a common area. Planning an event in Dorchester? This hotel has 818 square feet (76 square meters) of space consisting of conference space and a meeting room. Self parking (subject to charges) is available onsite.
Thomas Hardy Bar - This bar specializes in international cuisine and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Awards and affiliations

Eco-Certified Property
This property participates in Green Tourism Program, a program that measures the property's impact on one or more of the following: environment, community, cultural-heritage, the local economy.

Languages

English, French

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and public transport

  • Self parking on site (GBP 15 per day)
  • Limited on-site parking

Food and drink

  • 1 bar
  • Coffee/tea in a common area

Restaurants on site

  • Thomas Hardy Bar

Conveniences

  • Banquet hall
  • Front-desk safe

Guest services

  • Daily housekeeping
  • Front desk (limited hours)
  • Luggage storage

Business services

  • Conference space (818 square feet)
  • A meeting room

Accessibility

  • If you have any requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • This property does not have any lifts
  • Handrails in stairwells
  • Stairwell handrail height (centimetres): 80
  • Wheelchair-accessible lounge
  • Wheelchair-accessible registration desk
  • Wheelchair-accessible registration desk height (centimetres): 180
  • Wheelchair-accessible (may have limits)

More

  • Smoke-free property

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bed sheets
  • Blackout drapes/curtains
  • Heating
  • Hypo-allergenic bedding
  • Pillow-top mattress
  • Premium bedding

Bathroom

  • Bath or shower
  • Free toiletries
  • Hairdryer
  • Private bathroom
  • Towels

Entertainment

  • 32-inch flat-screen TV
  • Digital channels

Food and drink

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Free bottled water

More

  • Desk
  • Individually decorated
  • Individually furnished
  • Iron/ironing board
  • Laptop-friendly workspace
  • Phone

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 3:00 PM; Check-in end time: 11:00 PM
Contactless check-in available
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 11 AM
Contactless check-out available

Special check-in instructions

The front desk is open daily from 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Front desk staffed during limited hours

Access methods

Front desk (limited hours)

Pets

Pets allowed for an extra charge of GBP 30 per pet, per stay
Service animals are welcome, and are exempt from fees

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
Children can stay for free if using existing beds when occupying the parent or guardian's room
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Cribs (infant beds) are not available

Payment types

Important information

Optional extras

  • Self parking fee: GBP 15 per day
  • Pet fee: GBP 30 per pet, per stay
  • Service animals are exempt from fees

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards, debit cards, and cash
This property reserves the right to pre-authorize the guest's credit card prior to arrival.
Cashless transactions are available

We should mention

This property does not have elevators
Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms

National rating

This establishment has received its official star rating from VisitEngland, the National Tourist Board for England.

Property is also known as

Wessex Royale
Wessex Royale Dorchester
Sleeping Bear Dorchester
Wessex Royale Hotel Dorchester
Dorchester Minotel
Minotel Dorchester
Minotel Hotel Wessex Royale
Minotel Wessex Royale Hotel Dorchester
Wessex Royale Hotel Dorchester, Dorset
Sleeping Bear Hotel Dorchester Hotel
Sleeping Bear Hotel Dorchester Dorchester
Best Western Wessex Royale Hotel Dorchester
Wessex Royale Hotel
Sleeping Bear Hotel Dorchester Hotel Dorchester

Sleeping Bear Hotel Dorchester Reviews

Reviews

8.8

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 240 out of 461 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 167 out of 461 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 37 out of 461 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 13 out of 461 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 4 out of 461 reviews" "

9.2/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

7.8/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.4/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Friendly staff in a lovely hotel.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2024

10/10 Excellent

Adrian

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place to stay
Room beautifully appointed and comfortable. Bathroom really spacious and well designed. Well lit
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2024

8/10 Good

angela

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Hotel was in a good location and i was lucky enough to get a parking space at the rear of the hotel. Room was clean, spacious and comfortable. Will stay again next time i visit Dorchester.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2024

8/10 Good

Stephen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2024

10/10 Excellent

Robert

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2024

10/10 Excellent

Andrew

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2024

10/10 Excellent

Sylvia

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2024

10/10 Excellent

massimo

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
business trip
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2024

8/10 Good

David

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good Business Hotel
Business trip to the area and stayed for two nights. Nice hotel with a comfortable bar/lounge and a great breakfast.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2024

6/10 Okay

M

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Checkin was not great. I had booked 4 rooms. Three of the guests were named but the fourth was not specified. I made an assumption that all four rooms would be booked under my name but on arrival the receptionist said there were only two rooms under my name. The other two were booked under the named guests which the receptionist found difficult to locate. Also, there was very scant parking and the bar was expensive.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Jeanne

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel!
Great hotel in the center of the town. Late arrival but warmly welcomed by Graham. Excellent breakfast, very attractive contemporary decor and lovely staff.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

massimo

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
returning customer
business frequent stay
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Kevin

Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2024

8/10 Good

Patrick

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Hotel is an old building that was renovated to modern standards. The room was nice. As it didn't have air conditioning the downside was only one window in our room could be opened as the other didn't work. Alsothe floor was uneven as it probably was not leveled but just covered with new carpet. The renovated bathroom was first class though.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location
Great location. Comfortable room. Friendly staff. Nice breakfast. Will be back.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2024

8/10 Good

David

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice Hotel
Nice hotel on the high street, good breakfast and nice lounge/bar area. Only downsides were the bed wasn’t very comfortable and a lot of road noise. I would stay again but facing away from the road.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Robert

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
All the staff were top notch
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

David

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A very nice hotel to stay whilst in the area. Would definitely recommend and come back.
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2024

8/10 Good

John

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Some constructive criticisms but we will come back
Disappointed that when rooms are serviced each day the bed is no longer made--simply "pulled up" was the reply when we queried this at reception. On previous visits to your and other hotels the bed has always been made properly by the hotel staff. If the policy has been changed guests should be made aware of it. Disappointed also that there is no longer a folder of information about he hotel in the room. Guests now have to scan the clever pattern thing. O K for young "with it technos" but my wife and I are of an age where a piece of paper is what we need--but we survived and found out everything we needed to know by asking-- a bit old fashioned I know but it works. We spoke to about a dozen members of staff during our three night stay. To a man/woman they were all very pleasant, helpful, prepared to chat, give advice about the local area etc. They came across as being very happy at their work and are obviously working together as a good team. If the bed in Room 108 had been set a few more inches away from the window the chair with arms would not be in the way. However it is good to have two comfortable chairs in the room. We found the library area was an excellent place to sit and read or do crosswords. Breakfast was very good. Good to be offered open mushrooms instead of small button mushrooms. Breakfast menu was good and offered a good variety of choices. Food was cooked freshly and was hot. Good to have toast from an interesting not bog standard sliced .loaf
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

scott

Liked: Staff & service
i was struggling to get a taxi for sunday morning and the receptionist got one straight away excellent service
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2024

8/10 Good

Paul, Lindenhurst

Travelled with group
Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Very convenient location in downtown Dorchester, good for walking trips around the town. Several museums and historical sites nearby. Very friendly, helpful staff. Nice restaurant for breakfast (no lunch or dinner service). Several restaurant very nearby, easy walk. HOWEVER, very tiny parking lot (accessible from a side street) which can accomodate a maximum of 9 small UK sized cars, so it is easy to find ot full. A large public parking lot is a couple blocks away, and it is possible to find nearby street parking.
Stayed 5 nights in May 2024

8/10 Good

Sue

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Emma

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A good all round hotel :)
Friendly polite staff, areas all look very up to date and clean. Room was clean with extras and shower was really good.
Stayed 1 night in May 2024

8/10 Good

massimo

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

8/10 Good

Alison

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good stay
Good stay. The room and bathroom were clean and the linen nice. However the room was compact and the limited storage was full of blankets and pillows. There was a portable suitcase stand but literally no where to put it. The biggest problem was being woken on the first morning by noise in the car park and the second morning by the noice from the shower in the next room, it was extremely loud. The staff were fantastic. Very friendly and helpful.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2024