A quiet Victorian corner of Stoneygate
Pull off the busy A6 into Stoneygate and the noise drops away almost at once: this is one of Leicester's leafiest Victorian suburbs, a conservation area of tall red-brick villas and tree-lined pavements, and the Regency Hotel sits right on it. The big draw is the simplest thing in the world here, a free private parking space of your own on site, CCTV-watched and yours without a reservation, in a part of the city where kerbside space is fought over. Leave the car and you are a short walk from Victoria Park and the University of Leicester Botanic Garden, with buses into the centre stopping right outside the door on London Road.
What you get is honest and budget-priced: a characterful Victorian townhouse with free Wi-Fi throughout, simple rooms and a handy base for the university, the racing and a Tigers or City match. It does not pretend to be more than that, and that plain-dealing is the point. If you want somewhere quiet to park the car and sleep cheaply near the university and the parks, rather than a polished hotel with a restaurant and round-the-clock service, the Regency does that one job well.
Character in the building, plain in the rooms
Step inside and the building still has real Victorian character. A glazed conservatory entrance runs along the front under a domed glass roof strung with fairy lights, with armchairs by a fireplace and a 'Welcome to the Regency Hotel' rug on the dark boards. A panelled sitting room off reception keeps its ornate gilded ceiling, stained-glass bay window and wing-back chairs, and a few bedrooms hold on to period touches such as stained glass, canopy beds and four-poster beds.
The rooms themselves are simple and vary as a partial refurbishment works its way through the hotel, so decor changes from one to the next and some remain frankly dated. Be clear-eyed about it: rooms list a flat-screen TV, though some guests have reported reception problems during the works, and there is no working restaurant or breakfast on site at the moment, just a coffee machine at reception. We would rather tell you that now than have you find out at check-in. For the price, in this location, it is a fair trade for free parking and a quiet night near the parks.
A building with a Titanic-era past
The Regency has more history than its budget rates suggest. It began as two separate houses on London Road built around 1901, and one of them, 'The Crest', was the home of John Denzil Jarvis, a Wadkin engineering partner who boarded the Titanic at Southampton in April 1912 and was lost when she sank. The two houses were later joined together, served for a time after the war as a convent, and only then became the hotel you see today.
That past is part of the appeal of staying somewhere with a story rather than a chain by the ring road. Practical things matter more for most guests, though, so a few to plan around: reception is not staffed around the clock, payment is by cash, and there is a Co-op a minute's walk away for breakfast supplies, with cafes and takeaways close by on London Road. Come for the free parking, the quiet Stoneygate streets and a budget bed near the university, and the Regency makes good sense.
Why book the Regency Hotel
A few honest reasons this budget Victorian townhouse works for price-led travellers in Leicester.
Free parking on site
Your own free private parking space, CCTV-monitored and with no need to reserve, in a part of Leicester where kerbside space is scarce.
Quiet, leafy Stoneygate
A tree-lined conservation-area setting on London Road, a short walk from Victoria Park and the University of Leicester Botanic Garden.
Honest budget value
Simple rooms in a characterful Victorian townhouse at a low price, with free Wi-Fi throughout and buses to the centre right outside.
Handy for the university
An easy base for university visits and graduations, racegoers and Tigers or City fans, with the city centre a short bus ride away.
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Interesting Points About Regency Hotel
- Set in a pair of red-brick Victorian houses on London Road built around 1901; one, 'The Crest', was the home of a Wadkin engineering partner lost on the Titanic in 1912, and the combined houses later served as a convent before becoming a hotel.
- Free private on-site parking, CCTV-monitored and with no need to reserve, is the standout feature in a part of Leicester where street parking is tight.
- It is a genuinely no-frills stay: there is no working restaurant or breakfast service on site right now (a coffee machine sits at reception), reception is not staffed around the clock, and payment is by cash.
- Parts of the hotel are being refurbished, so decor varies from room to room and some rooms remain dated; older listings still advertise a working restaurant, full breakfast and SKY TV that the current stay does not include.
Rooms & Accommodation at Regency Hotel
Single Room with Shower
Sleeps 1 · 1 single bed · Private shower
A compact, non-smoking single with its own private shower room, this is the simplest, lowest-cost pick for one traveller. It keeps things basic with a flat-screen TV, telephone, radio, heating and an electric kettle, plus free Wi-Fi. Best for solo guests visiting the university or passing through, who want a quiet, budget bed and free parking rather than space to spread out.
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Double Room
Sleeps 2 · 1 double bed · Private bathroom
A simple double with a private bathroom that has both a bath and a shower, plus a flat-screen TV, telephone, radio, heating and an electric kettle. Choose this if you want the lowest double rate and plan to spend your days at the university, the parks or in the city rather than in the room. Decor varies as the hotel is refurbished, so it is plain but comfortable for the price.
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Superior Room
Sleeps 2 · 1 double bed · Largest room
The largest room at the Regency, with a desk, a seating area, a wardrobe and a private bathroom with a bath. Some Superior rooms keep characterful period touches such as a canopy or four-poster bed. It comes with a flat-screen TV, telephone, radio, heating and an electric kettle, plus free Wi-Fi. Best for couples who want the most space and a little extra character.
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Twin Room
Sleeps 2 · 2 single beds · Private bathroom
Two separate single beds and a private bathroom with a bath and a shower, plus a flat-screen TV, telephone, radio, heating and an electric kettle. Best for friends, colleagues or family members travelling together who would rather not share a double. It is a straightforward, good-value room with free parking and a quiet Stoneygate setting.
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Family Room with Private Bathroom
Family room · Sleeps 3 · Private bathroom
A larger room set up for families, with a double bed and a single bed, a private bathroom and a flat-screen TV, heating and an electric kettle, plus free Wi-Fi. Best for a small family or a group of three who want to stay together near the university and the parks. Cots and extra beds are not available, so it suits children who are happy in a standard bed.
Check PricesIs the Regency Hotel right for you?
Best Suited For
- Drivers who want a free private parking space near the university and the parks
- University visitors and families coming for graduations or open days
- Racegoers and Leicester Tigers or City fans on a budget
- Solo travellers who want a quiet, low-cost bed in a Victorian building
- Guests who value location and price over modern comforts
Worth Considering Alternatives If
- You want breakfast or an evening meal on site, as there is no working restaurant right now
- You need a polished, fully refurbished room rather than a simple, sometimes dated one
- You want a 24-hour staffed reception and to pay by card, as reception is not always staffed and payment is by cash
Facilities at the Regency Hotel
Rooms & comfort
- Private bathrooms in every room
- Free Wi-Fi throughout
- Flat-screen TV (some reception issues reported during refurbishment)
- Electric kettle
- Telephone, radio and satellite
- Heating
- Hairdryer
- Non-smoking throughout
Food & drink
- Coffee machine at reception
- Cafes, takeaways and a Co-op a short walk away
- Not available: On-site restaurant
- Not available: Breakfast service
- Not available: Bar
Property & services
- Shared lounge and seating area
- Glazed conservatory entrance
- Terrace and outdoor seating
- Family rooms
- Not available: 24-hour reception
- Not available: Lift
- Not available: Swimming pool
- Not available: Spa
Parking, transport & policies
- Free private on-site parking, no reservation needed
- CCTV-monitored car park
- Buses 31, 31A and X3 stop directly outside
- Payment by cash
- Not available: Pets allowed
Location: leafy Stoneygate on London Road
The Regency Hotel sits in Stoneygate, one of Leicester's most desirable Victorian suburbs and a designated conservation area of red-brick villas along the tree-lined A6 London Road, about two miles south-east of the city centre. It is a quiet, leafy base with the city's most attractive walking routes close by: Victoria Park, framed by Lutyens' Arch of Remembrance, is about a fifteen-minute walk away, and the University of Leicester Botanic Garden in Oadby is under a mile. The University of Leicester and Welford Road Cemetery, an 1849 garden cemetery with fine Victorian monuments and elevated city views, are both within a short distance. For the centre, the King Richard III Visitor Centre, the cathedral and the medieval Leicester Guildhall are about two miles away, with buses stopping right outside the hotel on London Road.
- University of Leicester Botanic Garden: 0.8 mi · a 16-acre garden across the grounds of four houses, free entry
- Victoria Park: 1.1 mi · a large green oval framed by Lutyens' Arch of Remembrance, about a 15-minute walk
- Welford Road Cemetery: 1.4 mi · an 1849 Grade II garden cemetery with Victorian monuments and city views
- King Richard III Visitor Centre: 2 mi · the story of the king's remains, opposite the cathedral
- Leicester Guildhall: 2.1 mi · one of Britain's best-preserved timber-framed medieval guildhalls
- Leicester Castle & Castle Gardens: 2.2 mi · medieval great-hall remains and riverside gardens
- Abbey Park: 2.9 mi · a Victorian park with the ruins of Leicester Abbey
- National Space Centre: 3.5 mi · a 42-metre Rocket Tower and the UK's largest planetarium
Getting to Key Locations
Photo: P L Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0
Victoria Park
15 min walk
Leicester's grand Edwardian park, framed by the Lutyens Arch of Remembrance and a host to De Montfort Hall summer concerts, is about a 15-minute walk from the hotel.
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Photo: RobinLeicester, CC BY-SA 4.0
King Richard III Visitor Centre
The award-winning centre tells the story of the king's remains found beneath a city-centre car park, opposite the cathedral and about two miles from the hotel.
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Photo: Ned Trifle, CC BY-SA 2.0
National Space Centre
The UK's largest space attraction, with six galleries and a 42-metre Rocket Tower, sits about 3.5 miles north of the hotel.
View on MapGetting to the Regency Hotel
- Arrive at Leicester railway station: Leicester station is about 1.5 miles from the hotel on the city's London Road corridor, with fast trains from London St Pancras in around an hour.
- By bus or taxi: Take the Arriva 31, 31A or X3 bus south-east along London Road and alight at the Stoneygate stop near the hotel; a single fare is around £2.50. By taxi it is roughly a 5-minute ride.
- On foot: From the station it is about a 25 to 30 minute walk south along London Road towards Oadby; the hotel is on the A6 in Stoneygate.
- By car: The hotel is on the A6 London Road heading south-east out of the centre. Free private parking is on site, CCTV-monitored, with no need to reserve.
A quick guide to Leicester
Leicester pairs deep history with a famously diverse food and festival scene. The city made headlines when the remains of King Richard III were found beneath a car park and reinterred in the cathedral, a story told at the visitor centre opposite. Along Belgrave Road, the Golden Mile holds Europe's leading concentration of Indian gold jewellers and South Asian restaurants, and the city stages what are regarded as the largest Diwali celebrations outside India each autumn. The Leicester Comedy Festival, the oldest in the world, fills more than sixty venues every February, and a Christmas market and ice rink arrive in mid-November. From Stoneygate you are a short bus ride from all of it, with Victoria Park and the Botanic Garden right on the doorstep for quieter days.
A short walk around Leicester
A walking tour of central Leicester and its Christmas market, taking in the city centre, the Guildhall, the cathedral and Town Hall Square.
Is the Regency Hotel worth it?
Yes, if you want a genuinely cheap bed with free private parking in quiet, leafy Stoneygate, a short walk from Victoria Park and the university and a hop from the centre by bus. Guests rate the staff and the location as its relative strengths, and the parking is the real prize. Skip it if you want breakfast or a restaurant on site, a fully refurbished room, a 24-hour staffed reception or to pay by card, because the rooms can be dated and payment is cash.
What guests say about the Regency Hotel
Scores and review counts are aggregated from verified guest bookings on major travel platforms.
Budget basics
Guests are consistent about what the Regency does well and where it falls short. The free on-site parking and the quiet Stoneygate location near the university and Victoria Park are the standouts, and individual staff get warm mentions when they are around. Scores are low and honest, centring on dated, worn rooms, patchy upkeep and missing facilities, with several recent guests noting the ongoing refurbishment and the lack of any food on site. It suits price-led travellers who come for the parking and the setting rather than modern comforts. No recent review is unreservedly glowing, so set expectations to budget basics and most people find it does the job.
Called it a pleasant, basic place to stay, with free parking and a bed that felt big for a single; his only gripes were that the room was not the cleanest and the shower drained so slowly he worried it might flood.
2025-07-03Summed it up as cheap and cheerful, appreciating the free parking and the clean bed linen; she noted the in-room TV was not working and the shower cubicle was ageing with grubby grouting.
2025-09-08Found it fairly calm with a decent location, but felt the room was old-fashioned and the television was not usable.
2025-09-10Rated it passable and singled out the parking as the plus point, while suggesting the broken bits be fixed and the place given a coat of paint.
2025-09-11Felt it was a case of getting what you pay for: check-in went fine and the small room was comfortable enough despite a sagging mattress, but the shower drained slowly with a door that would not shut, the only refreshment was a coffee machine at reception, the TV came on by itself at 5am, and no one was at the desk when he left.
2025-08-30Liked the central location but had a frustrating stay otherwise: there was no milk, a shower panel that would not open and missing bath towels, and a security light shone into the room all night with no fix offered.
2025-08-01Was disappointed to find no breakfast and no evening meal available, and wished she had been told in advance that the hotel was being done up.
2025-10-12Found the building neglected and badly in need of an upgrade, and decided to check out early rather than stay.
2026-05-25Good to Know Before You Book
Free parking, no reservation needed
Free private on-site parking is the standout here and a real plus in this part of Leicester. It is CCTV-monitored, and you can simply turn up and park without booking a space.
Payment is by cash
The hotel takes payment in cash, so bring enough to settle your stay. Cancellation and deposit terms vary by the rate you choose, and the exact policy shows before you confirm.
Reception is not staffed around the clock
Reception is not always staffed, so coordinate your arrival. If no one is at the desk, call the posted number or ask in the bar area to check in.
No breakfast or restaurant on site right now
There is a coffee machine at reception, but no breakfast service or working restaurant at the moment. Plan meals at the nearby cafes and takeaways or the Co-op a minute's walk along London Road.
Photos of Regency Hotel
Regency Hotel Leicester FAQs
Yes. The hotel has free private on-site parking that is CCTV-monitored, with no need to reserve a space. It is the standout feature in this part of Leicester, where street parking is hard to find, and it makes the hotel a handy base for Victoria Park and the University of Leicester.
Not at the moment. The on-site restaurant is currently closed for refurbishment and there is no breakfast service, despite older listings still advertising a Portuguese restaurant, full breakfast and SKY TV. There is a coffee machine at reception, and cafes, takeaways and a Co-op are a short walk away on London Road.
Check-in is from 3:00 pm until midnight, and check-out is by 10:00 am. Reception is not staffed around the clock, so it helps to let the hotel know your arrival time; if no one is at the desk, call the posted number or ask in the bar area.
A partial refurbishment has been under way, with some bathrooms refreshed while other rooms and corridors remain dated, so decor varies from room to room. Guest scores reflect this honestly, with comfort and cleanliness rated around the mid-fives. Come for the free parking and the quiet location rather than a polished finish.
No. Pets are not allowed at the Regency Hotel, and the property is non-smoking throughout.
The station is about 1.5 miles away. Take the 31, 31A or X3 bus south-east along London Road and get off at the Stoneygate stop near the hotel, for a single fare of around £2.50, or take a taxi for roughly a 5-minute ride. On foot it is about a 25 to 30 minute walk south along London Road.
Yes. There is a family room with a double bed and a single bed and a private bathroom, and children of any age are welcome. Cots and extra beds are not available, so the family room suits children who are happy in a standard bed.
Payment is by cash, so bring enough to settle your stay, and the property may pre-authorise a card before arrival. Cancellation and deposit terms vary by the rate you choose, and the exact policy is shown before you confirm your booking.
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Ready for a budget stay with free parking in Stoneygate?
Free private on-site parking, a quiet Victorian setting near Victoria Park and the university, and simple, honest rooms a short bus ride from the centre of Leicester.
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