Oxford University graduate, working in media in London. I read a lot of books, try a lot of beauty p...
Oxford University graduate, working in media in London. I read a lot of books, try a lot of beauty products, travel a bit, and know next to nothing about computer technology.
Member since:08.03.2007
Reviews:21
Members who trust:1
I am a student at OxfordUniversity, and I recently booked a weekend break for my parents in Oxford in Victoria House Hotel, seeing that it promised satin and silk and all sorts of luxuries in their website and leaflets, and it was very close to city centre. My parents were VERY unhappy with it and I feel it's important to reflect their views.
- Booking the hotel was pretty troublesome. My dad rang twice and I rang twice and finally I got through to the receptionist. His English wasn't very good so it was difficult to get him to understand what I was looking for, and answer my questions. I eventually managed to book a room but had to give him my
credit card details.
- The website promised £69 a night for a double room (2 guests) but when my parents arrived, the surly receptionist pointed to a board on the wall that said £80 a night. When I asked her why the price had changed, she said she didn't know anything about the website. Never mind, my parents had to stay there. To be fair, £80 a night for a double room in Oxford city centre is a good price; you just need to look at Expedia to know that. Falcon Hotel was the only one that came close in price at £70 something a night, but it was too far out past Christ Church/Pembroke way.
- The room itself was minimal and small. The 'view' consisted of the algae-encrusted roof of a building below and several attractive antenae. The bathroom was fairly clean and normal, but the 'clean' towels smelt like acid/vinegar.
- The day after my parents' first night in the hotel, I got an earful from them for booking it. The walls were apparently very thin so that they could hear talking/mumbling from the adjacent rooms. I verified this later when I went over for a cup of tea. You can't make out what they're saying, but you know hear that they're talking.
- The breakfast consisted of toast, yoghurt and juice, which was extremely meagre, seeing there was no hot food alternatives, or any fruit. They also didn't allow self-service, but forced foreign waiters and waitresses to serve the customers. My parents could not get the waitress to understand their order; she simply repeated the few phrases she'd obviously been trained to say no matter what. Disappointing.
- The cleaning/receptionist services were appalling. They did not clean the room every morning at 10am as promised. The first morning, the cleaner didn't come until 2pm and did a rough job. The second morning, they didn't come before 11am, which was the time I went to the hotel to help my parents move out. The receptionist's grasp of English was not good, so was unable to answer many questions.
- They had no hot or even warm water in the mornings. My parents could not bring themselves to shower in the freezing water in the morning so had to resort to showers (frightening hot I'm told, like bathing in a liquid inferno) in the evenings.
+ On the plus side, the hotel was situated almost opposite Gloucester Green bus station, which is handy if you've come on a coach from any of the London airports or other cities buses. It's almost extremely close to city centre, which facilitates little breaks from shopping/college viewing in your hotel room, and close to restaurants and places of interest.
+ To reiterate my point, £80 a night, although different from £69 as advertised, is good for a hotel in Oxford city centre. There aren't many others in city centre in that price range. You're looking at WELL over £100 or even £200 a night for a couple in places like Eastgate Hotel, the Randolph and so on. Alternatively, you could get a room in the Travel Lodge or the Holiday Inn which are situated a few miles outside of Oxford, and get the bus in. That's also pretty easy to manage I've heard from other students' parents, though it limits the number of times you can keep flitting to and from your hotel room.
All in all, I'd loosen the purse strings a bit and go for a fancier hotel... (that Falcon Hotel wasn't so hot either - I went for a visit before my parents came and the room was very dreary and small, and again, smelt acidic).
Superbly situated in the heart of the city of Oxford, this hotel is just minutes' walk ... more
from the university, colleges and botanical gardens. Wi-Fi internet access is available throughout the hotel. All major shopping centres are adjacent to the hotel. T...
Information:
Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Victoria House hotel is superbly situated in the heart of the Oxford most famously known ... more
as the University City Just minutes away from the University and colleges you can easily explore the Botanical gardens the Magdalen Bridge and the museums All maj...
Information:
Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
incl. Breakfast - HRS Rating: 4,75/10 - All our rooms are en-suite with tea and coffee ... more
making facilities, Direct Dial phone,colour TV,hair dryer and Wireless internet connection. Facsimile and taxi booking services are also available. We are convenient...
Mar 18th, 2007
very helpful by (67%):
helpful by (33%):
