Macdonald Randolph Hotel, Oxford

As a student at Oxford University in the late 1980s, the Randolph seemed like the physical embodiment of the class divide that afflicted poor kids like me who came from state schools from the much wealthier students who took the affluence and grandeur of the city's finest hotel entirely in their stride. I'd never been in such a grand hotel and the closest thing to a grand building in my home city was the local branch of Lloyds Bank. My flat mates' ...
...the Randolph for rather staid Sunday lunches in the spectacular high ceilinged dining room where we'd sit and watch the world cycle by through the tall windows. By contrast my parents would visit bringing a bag full of fish and chips or a Chinese take-away. I can't really say that we enjoyed the Randolph that much more than a take-away and at least nobody had to stand on ceremony with my folks. It seems strange from the 2009 perspective that in ...

koshkha 11.10.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Macdonald Randolph Hotel, Oxford

We have just returned from a wonderful night staying at the Randolph Hotel (part of the McDonald group) in Oxford. It was the hotel where my husband's work was holding its post Christmas event and we decided to treat ourselves to an overnight stay in the hotel. It was a lovely occasion and I came home feeling thoroughly spoilt. The Randolph is an old hotel in the centre of Oxford. It was actually built in 1864 and although it has been recently refurbished ...
...I was surprised to see when I looked at the websites that it has 151 en-suite rooms because it really does not feel that big. Having said that though, we had to go along a couple of rambling corridors on the third floor to get to our room, and it did feel like a bit of a warren so I guess there were lots of areas of the hotel I was not aware of. The room had all the facilities you would expect in a five star hotel. It wasn't huge but was spacious ...

kingfisher111 11.01.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Macdonald Randolph Hotel, Oxford

...beauty and elegance is The Macdonald Randolph Hotel, or more simply, The Randolph. Built in 1864 by the architect William Wilkinson, the Victorian Gothic hotel stands dignified on a street of Georgian facade, opposite the world famous Ashmolean Museum. A skip and a jolly hop (or 200m if you're stoically set on metric) from city centre, it is one of the most central hotels. It is this distinctive architectural history and location that marks The ...
...attended university at Oxford, there was never quite a good enough reason to obliterate my bank account (and the possibility of any future loan-related banter with the HSBC) on a night's stay in The Randolph. However, my parents were kind-hearted people who cared to visit me ever so often, and given their peculiar penchant for all things antediluvian and historic, would choose hotels such as The Randolph as their temporary domicile. And so I quite ...

bellahuang86 18.10.2007 (24.10.2007) · Read full review
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Review of Macdonald Randolph Hotel, Oxford

Myself and my boyfriend stayed at this hotel in April this year and we were very happy with our stay. The staff were friendly from the moment we stepped through the doors and the hotel itself is not only in a perfect location for seeing the city, but is also lovely in a very old school way. This is not a moder hotel and you will see a lot of plush red carpets and oak furnishings. We stayed for two nights, ordering breakfast on both mornings and ...
...evening at a cost of £260 for the first night and £210 for the second. For what it was breakfast was quite pricey (be aware that there is a £7 tray charge for room service) and we weren't given much. A full english breakfast consisted of one flat mushroom, one small sausage and slice of bacon and a tomato. There was an awful lot of plate to be seen. However, the selection itself is pretty good and you can order anything from kippers to museli. We ...

leafy81 08.11.2007 (22.11.2007) · Read full review
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Review of Macdonald Randolph Hotel, Oxford

...on the 5* service that Macdonald hotels are supposed to offer. Then at 11.10 we got a phone call from reception saying check out was at 11.00 and they wouldn't allow us to check out any later without an extra charge of £20.00. Then we were disgusted to find that they had charged £25.00 for car parking and then the receptionist charged us another £2.00 for using AMEX..... 5* hotel ??? My advice would be to stay away. First impressions are good and ...

gaetana 06.10.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Macdonald Randolph Hotel, Oxford