Whately Hall Hotel

food and plates could be warmer

Historic nature of the property.

A charming old hotel with plenty of character and a great location for visiting Banbury. The breakfast was very good, and there is parking at the back of the hotel where you can register your vehicle with reception. The reception staff were very helpful and accommodating. Overall a good stay in a hotel with lots of character and a very convenient location.

The only thing we would mention is that the floorboards above our particular room were quite creaky, as can be expected in an old, historic 17th century building. That said, it was all part of its old-charm and character.

The breakfast was brilliant, everything you want. The hotel is in an ideal location for roads in and out.

A better chose for evening food We stopped for 4 nights and it would have been good if the tea/milk /toilet paper had been refreshed. I understand you are trying to help the environment, but it was difficult to find someone to ask for these things. We left early and came back late

The shampoo and conditioner were empty when we got the room, spoke to front desk, they came up and just left two bottles as she couldn't be arsed

Great location and full of character

Location; free parking; room size.

It’s very warren-like. It needs a few more signs, or more prominent signage to figure out where you’re going. The lift is very small and old. I took the stairs rather than trust it with 3 people and luggage.

Booked a superior suite, it was lovely Great view lovely bed big shower Would highly recommend

Everything was great until breakfast Albeit we were a little late but still 20 mins before end of breakfast service Eggs and mushrooms all dried up no coffee but coffee was soon sorted out Asked for fresh eggs or poached eggs to be told the chef had gone home To be fair the staff tried their best but no-one could cook eggs At 09.25 we were told they were clearing breakfast away but our eggs were coming 10 mins later our eggs arrived but everything else had gone

Good breakfast and comfy rooms

Disco in the bar area

Location

Smell in the room, music and party on until after 1 am

Not working bath dispensers. For three days no one time to clean the room and change towels.

Clean bed and bathroom

No milk or toilet rolls in the room. Ended up having to go to reception to ask Breakfast was average

Newly refurbished, with modern bathrooms.

Nothing

Its location. The building. The staff

We’ve stayed many times but the last few times it’s turned into an events hotel so very loud music until 1am and restaurant not available for dinner. Very disappointing.

Good modern room with good facilities

Nothing

Clean, spacious room with comfortable bed, fridge in the room was a bonus.

The shower pressure was lacking

The breakfast was good and the location was excellent

Locatie, personeel en mooie badkamer

Geen waterdruk bij douchen, veel Duiven bij kamer 66, heel erg gehorig in kamer 58.

They need to clean the rooms better rooms are not rooms need to be cleaned to a higher standard

Location

Very friendly and helpful staff. Very clean hotel. Lovely breakfast. A very relaxing experience.

No air con in the rooms so had to have the windows open. With the room being on the front overlooking the main road it was very noisy through the night with people leaving the bars and clubs.

It’s history, architecture,location, free parking

The room had a musky odour and view of a wall

Nothing

The property smelt we had blood on the netting of our curtains,

Breakfast was lovely

Room was very dusty Room to hot no fan No telephone in room Room I had was at front of hotel and was very noisy. People standing under my window smoking out front of hotel when it says no smoking

Breakfast was lovely . Mattress could be more comfortable

Mattress didn't suit me

It was in a good location and no noise from the road. A fan in the room helped with the heat. Shower was good . Beds were comfortable.

Noise from doors slamming late at night while trying to sleep. Confusing trying to find reception , lift outdated and claustrophobic. Breakfast could have had more variety of cereal, pastries & fruit.

Locationgreat near the park short walk tocentre and near lots of eating places. Good lunch

Veey cooperative staff. Good value for money. Good location.

Staff cooperation, location

Location to station was great

No lift to rooms we were in (room 40) and very narrow access to car park at rear

Lovely hotel, friendly staff.

No air conditioning & it was so hot.

A lovely old building with well appointed rooms in the main part of the house. Very comfy bed.

The coffee at breakfast wasn't great. It was just in jugs on a side counter.

Very clean with efficient staff throughout, main part of the hotel is steeped in history. Location is exceptional for Banbury.

The bedrooms are a little dated, 70’s feel could do with a revamp. Would guess they specialise in weddings as the breakfast furniture eluded to. Simple things to improve the overall, for breakfast a filter coffee machine, artisan bread selection ( Not everyone likes sliced bread to toast), better continental options, cheese, hams etc.

The architecture

Location nice room

The room (135) was very spacious and the bathroom very nice. It was lovely to have a window that opened. The location of the room was very quiet. Lovely view over the garden. Comfortable big bed.

Some areas of the hotel were not very clean. The small lift was very dirty, I’m not sure the buttons for the floors had ever been cleaned. All of the internal doors needed cleaning where people push or pull them to open them. Behind the little bin beside the loo in our room was very dusty. Not sure the cleaners reach down into this area to clean the floor.

A lovely clean and friendly hotel set in a lovely location and area

I thought the hotel and room were lovely and clean. It was very hot in the room and the fan was just blowing hot air around. The bed was a little on the hard side and so were the pillows.

Location in banbury

Rooms so hot. Tiny fan not enough. Charged for early check in which was not communicated in advance. Long wait at reception for service (unmanned)

Beautiful old hotel in great location, perfect for an overnight stop on our road trip.

The bed was uncomfortable and the four pillows on the bed were a complete mismatch - one was very hard so that your neck was at a strange angle, two were lumpy and the other one was very thin. This is either poor housekeeping management or just laziness in not checking the bedding properly. The ‘rain’ shower was more like a ‘drizzle’. The breakfast was poor, the croissants were stale and the choice of bread for toast was standard white or brown sliced, no fresh crusty bread to cut as an alternative. I think the cooked breakfast looked ok but I don’t usually have a fried breakfast. Overall disappointing.

The staff were all very pleasant to deal with and none of them were grumpy like you get at some hotels. We ate at the hotel one evening and the food was really good…. compliments to the chef. The shower was very good although we had to use the face flannel to turn it off afterwards as it was a tiny bit stiff. There was an elevator which is useful for people who have mobility issues. The Wi-Fi was ok which is not always the case at every hotel.

It could have done with aircon with the hot summers we seem to be getting now but that's obviously hard to install retrospectively. We would have liked to be able to open the window but that didn't seem to be possible although you get that at a lot of hotels.

Mix of historic building with modern facilities. Staff excellent. Restaurant very nice. A comfortable stay

Lovely historic building, recently refurbished bedrooms. It was a heatwave but the fans in the bedroom did the job 😊. They explained whilst checking in that you need to ask if you want your room made up each day. We didn't need it anyway. Really enjoyed being central to everything.

Very good

nothing

Breakfast was good, room was clean although a bit of a walk to get to the room with suitcases

Room very far no help withnlugfafe

Historical building and breakfast

Bathroom smelling and a noisy old fan

Staff were very friendly and efficient. The room had a huge but quiet fan - very handy to ensure a good night's sleep in a heatwave! Good buffet breakfast - only fried eggs on display but with an option to have them poached or scrambled on request. The "fast checkout" (basically dropping your key in a box on the reception desk if you've paid on arrival) works very well too.

I asked for my room to be cleaned and towels etc to be replaced, as per the notice in my room - not automatically done on stays of over one night. Fair enough, but when I came back after it had been done I found only one toilet roll replaced, the body wash dispenser in the shower hadn't been refilled, and neither had the tissue dispenser. None of these things the end of the world in themselves but slightly distracted from a pleasant stay overall. I was going to raise it with the guy on reception, who had been very helpful all weekend, and booked me a cab to the station very quickly and efficiently. But he was also dealing with a complex request from some other guests and my cab arrived quickly so I didn't get the chance. Also, I reported a broken desk drawer in my room as soon as I arrived (Thursday afternoon), which still hadn't been sorted when I left (Sunday morning). Again, "first world problems" - it wasn't unusable and this all happened just before the weekend, so tricky to get repairs done then. But again, took a bit of the shine off a generally very pleasant stay.

Nothing

Everything

location

Room was really lovely and comfortable. Lovely complimentary toiletries too.

The restaurant is pretty poor service. 3 tables occupied and by 15 minutes no one had even come over. We left and went to the Church House instead. Similarly in the bar, quite empty and had to call out nearly everytime to get someone’s attention as they were out the back.

Spacious clean

Location.

Shower stiff. One teabag and no milk. One socket didn’t work. Room hard to find - other guests said the same. Doors locked and no one one the desk at midnight - had to bang on the doors for five minutes before being admitted.

Breakfast was generally good although choices were limited. Cooked food was hot and quality very good. Bread was poor quality and no rolls provided. Room was clean but small. One table lamp didn't work, no shelf or socket for toothbrushes or razors in bathroom, bed was comfortable but small. Lift in garden building needs overhaul and cleaning. Staff were superb !

More variety at breakfast Lift to our room was scary ! AC in the bedroom would have been nice but then it was about 25C at night !

The bar and the garden, the bed and shower

The horrible 1960s add on the rear of the building that you dont know you staying in or that even exists until you arrive. It looks, feels and smells like an old peoples home. It lives in dire contrast to the beautiful old main building.

Location, comfortable bed and parking

Breakfast could do with updating. Better bread and pastries, plain yoghurt and more fruit. Coffee machine for breakfast and teapots. Buffets are a bit outdated now and wasteful

Not much. But new bedrooms at least were clean

Shower was hard to use and control. At least one socket didn’t work. Room (134) was hard to locate. Other guests reported the same. No milk for the tea. Only one breakfast teabag. Toilet seat improperly fixed at the wrong angle. Hotel locked at midnight with no sign of a night porter until I had loudly banged on the front door for five minutes.

The property had kerb appeal and the staff were welcoming. Breakfast was good and the location was great. The bed was comfy and the main areas of the hotel were decorated to a decent standard. It’s a reasonably priced, basic, short stay hotel but doesn’t give any feeling of luxury and is a bit tired, but it is in a great location for the facilities of Banbury so definitely worth a look.

Inside the property is very tired. I recognise that some rooms have been made over but we had a suite which had not been. The carpet was stained and ugly, the lounge was basic and drab, as was the bedroom. It could be so much more with a little bit of thought and imagination. They did supply a desktop fan during a very hot spell, but really they should prioritise putting decent ceiling fans in directly above the bed. This isn’t of itself a massive expense but would make the world of difference to the comfort level of the bedroom.

The hotel was clean and comfortable. The staff was lovely and friendly. The room was very spacious and clean. Couldn't have picked a better hotel.

Nothing it was a lovely hotel.

I’m on my second of three nights here. We’re in the middle of a heat wave with no air conditioning in the room. Opening the window provides no breeze but lets in road noise. It gets worse.. Arriving back at midnight the room has not been made up. Tea cups are dirty and still where I left them. Bath mat is soaking and towels still in the shower. When I reported this I’m shown a note on the front desk that says on more than one nights stay the room is left untouched. This is a ‘green approach’ apparently. Or to put it another way cost cutting and derisory service. I still have another night here and I wish I didn’t.

Locality , central to Banbury. Bed was lovely and comfortable. Staff were helpful.

No air con; fan left , noisey. Generally clean , can see dust on floor around furniture where hoover did not reach. Finger prints on lamps doors switches also sticky marks . Cups glasses had lip marks left on but looked clean. Garden lovely to sit in. Link to horton bar , good . Staff Good

Lovely clean room and very comfortable bed. Friendly staff. Breakfast was excellent.

The only issue was the shower wash had virtually run out. We normally bring our own but on this occasion we forgot. This was quite annoying.

Bel immeuble

The location was great, and the room was comfortable, Samantha in the restaurant was very accommodating

The food in the restaurant was very poor and service was slow

I am writing to express my disappointment regarding our recent stay at your hotel. This weekend was a birthday present for my husband and formed part of a package to attend the Silverstone MotoGP. We had both been looking forward to it immensely. Thankfully, the MotoGP and the nearby motor museum were excellent, as our experience at the hotel fell far below an acceptable standard. When we arrived, staff were unable to locate or correctly allocate our booking. We also asked whether an evening meal was included in our package, but nobody could answer this basic question. We were eventually shown to our room in the Garden Suite, which was only superficially clean. There were faeces left on the toilet, and the extractor fan was covered in a thick layer of dust, suggesting that it had not been cleaned for a considerable time. I cleaned these areas myself because I did not want to spoil a weekend that we had both been looking forward to. I attempted to speak to the receptionist about our concerns, but they appeared unwilling to engage with us. It felt as though the birthday party taking place at the hotel was receiving all the attention, while other paying guests were being overlooked. We decided to make the best of the situation and concentrate on enjoying the MotoGP. Later, we went to find out where our evening meal was being served. The main restaurant was being used for the private party, and there was no clear information or direction for other guests. After looking around, we discovered that our three-course meal was being served in Horton’s Sports Bar. The television was blasting out football, creating a noisy and unsuitable setting for what had been presented as part of a special birthday weekend package. For my starter, I ordered soup with a bread roll. The roll was so stale and hard that it was virtually inedible. The main course was described as rib-eye steak. Although the steak itself was pleasant, it did not appear to be rib-eye. The Eton mess ice cream was enjoyable. Breakfast was adequate, but it did not make up for the other shortcomings. The hotel is beautiful from the front, with an attractive old building, lovely gardens and mature trees. However, the outside furniture was in a very poor condition. We had to spend time searching for a chair that was not broken before we could sit down. This hotel could be an amazing place, but unfortunately, there appeared to be a significant lack of care, management and attention to detail. Many of the staff looked as though they did not want to be there. Whenever we asked a question, we were either given no answer, pointed elsewhere or told to ask at the bar. The same staff then appeared behind the bar and directed us back to reception. As a result, even basic questions remained unanswered. The cleanliness of our room, particularly the faeces left on the toilet, was completely unacceptable. Combined with the confusion over our booking and meal arrangements, poor communication, unsuitable dining environment, inedible bread and broken garden furniture, this made what should have been a special birthday stay extremely disappointing. Thankfully, the Silverstone MotoGP was amazing and saved our weekend. However, based on our experience, I could not recommend this hotel to others. I would appreciate a formal response addressing the concerns raised, including the hygiene standards in the Garden Suite, the handling of our booking and meal package, and the poor level of customer service we received. I would also like you to explain what steps will be taken to prevent other guests from having a similar experience.

Hotel suited our needs perfectly, we love old hotels with character and this was a great example, loads of history, located in town centre with easy access to many lovely pubs and restaurants. Nice room but a little compact. Good breakfast and just half an hour to Silverstone circuit which was the reason for our stay.

If you like a modern premier inn feel you probably will not like this hotel but if you like character and history as we do then its great.

De locatie. De bedden, de kamer en het sanitair waren erg netjes. Goed uitgebreid vers ontbijt. De tuin om buiten te zitten. Restaurants in de buurt. Het was voor ons een goede uitgangspositie richting Althorpe House en de Cotswolds vanaf Birmingham airport.

De verwarming in de badkamer kon niet uit, dat is niet zo duurzaam.

DO NOT BOOK THIS HOTEL Awful experience very disappointing stay! Here are the reasons why ! On arrival we were given our key to our room and could not believe the walk along the dirty scruffy carpets and walls along the corridor clearly they have not been replaced or cleaned for many years despite various changes of use. Our bedroom door was covered in handprints and dirty marks. Our room was absolutely filthy had to change rooms which was not much better carpet was unbelievably filthy with entire bedroom and hallway carpet covered in stains. The sofa in our room was heavily stained with what looked like urine not tea as it was circular all over the fabric. Dust everywhere in our room paint work very scuffed and dirty marks all over the walls! Window sill was covered in pigeon faeces which is a health hazard! Toilet had permanent brown marks in the bottom bowl leak stained ceiling in bathroom and shower light not working! Very low water pressure in the shower and empty shower gel bottle. £183 for this absolute disgrace for ONE night Felt sorry for the chap on reception who dealt with a constant stream of very unhappy guests with exact same issues as us! Overall an unforgettable experience for all the wrong reasons! A beautiful building that is being managed into disrepair! Clearly repeat business is not a priority !

Location, look from the outside

Been left to run down Very dirty and dusty Room was dirty, wall paper hanging off the wall, stained carpet, empty soap dispenser in bathroom and dirty Staff seemed immune to the complaints as if they knew what was coming from each person who complained Prob thought let’s see what we can get away with! Coffee stains on a laminated advert of the history of the hotel!!

Lovely building with easy access and parking. Nice modern rooms with adequate beds and enough room to not feel cramped

Signs of mould in the shower or tho it wasnt bad at all. Also one of the wall tiles was loose and scraped my arm. And someone (previous owner from what i heard) decided to put up a hideous wallpaper in the lobby over the old limewashed bricks

Nice and central good parking

The doors would slam closed

Toiletries ran out

All of it - only thing i would say was, the room would've been perfect with air con

No air con in room

The bed, the room size and access to the place was easy and very simple.

The cleanliness of the room was disappointing. We found hairs in the bathroom, empty shower gel in the bathroom, we found cobwebs by the window and was sharing with a spider from the ceiling. We also found rubbish from the previous stay.

Nothing was a problem for a staff, excellent breakfast with a lots of choice.

The atmosphere. Friendly staff

A bit of a maze trying to find room

Erg schoon en netjes

Het was erg warm op de kamer geen airco terwijl dit wel was aangegeven

Great location, ample parking for a large vehicle

Quiet location despite being central

Staff members are exceptional, rooms are great

Central

A rabbit warren better direction signing required

Good food Huge rooms Very clean

Outdated reception, bar and restaurant The service during dinner wasn't great, i know they had a big table but on several occasions saw the team chatting ignoring the tables

Lovely hotel friendly staff great experience

Location

To hot, no air conditioning.

It was an all round good hotel.

N/a

Location

Everything apart from the location. The staff were condescending, we did not get what we had booked and paid for and I wish we had not booked to stay here. We had booked a room with a cot as we have a 4 month old baby. On arrival they could not locate the cot. Later on, a cot was found but without a mattress. The staff suggested our baby slept on the solid base without a mattress, or even on top of a duvet folded up in the cot, which is completely against safe sleep advice. I was absolutely disgusted with their ‘solutions’ and when I raised this reception, I was laughed at and made to feel I was over reacting. This is literally against the law and I cannot emphasise enough how terrible our treatment was. We ended up going out and purchasing our own cot for the room. Our shower did not drain water away. The extraction fan in the bathroom did not work. The bed side lights did not work. The door did not close and lock properly. We did not feel safe in the hotel, especially given their disregard for basic infant safety and customer services.

Lovely refurbished room.

Check in was delayed ,however, they did allow me a later check out the next day. Reception needs to know more information and be there to answer queries promptly. Breakfast - one young man was very friendly.Otherwise, the breakfast set up felt like a canteen experience. The bacon was tough and I left it.Self service for a hotel of this stature needs to be improved.I would rather less choice , but freshly cooked like The Cromwell and my other stay in The Avonlea Guesthouse. I had to ask 3 times for a hairdryer. I do hope to stay again and I don't write these comments to be ' mean'. For good feedback and to go from strength to strength. 😊

Our room was large, clean and comfortable with a good sized bath room.

No shower gel when we arrived - had to ask for some. Body lotion had run out too. Repair in the wardrobe hadn't been completed. Re- plastered but not painted. Paper peeling from round light switch. Public areas - hallways/stairs needed a good hoovering. Lots of dust and bits of debris. Breakfast was a little disappounting. A few tweaks here and there would have made a big difference. E.g. a couple of loaves of fresh bread, a better supply of fruit, the option of eggs cooked to order. The main areas of the hotel need sprucing up. The whole place feels tired. Which is a shame because it's a beautiful old building.

Nothing

It was dirty and the pictures make out it’s a big hotel with grounds but it has a small back garden. It’s also on a really busy main road which is so noisy in the day and night.

Nice bathroom. Comfortable beds. Nice furnishings. Central position

Subdued lighting. Tight on tea coffee and no sugar. Poor quality sausages and bacon dry. Needed to move twin beds further apart not hoovered underneath some time. Poor ventilation.

EVENING MEAL AND BREAKFAST WAS GOOD

NO AIR CONDITIONING

Alles war gut nur die Dusche es kam fast kein wasser.

The size of the room

No air conditioner or fans available room extremely hot during our stay. Food nor to good especially breakfast under cooked. No children drinks

None no AC in this hot weather

Location

Lovely building. Excellent location. Helpful staff. Good food

Good location . Beautifully renovated room but still retained the building’s character .

Poor wi with constant interruptions to the tv programmes.

A good selection for breakfast, bed linen was of good quality and clean, but some parts of the room could have done with a deeper clean.

A lot of noise late at night with other residents, and no one to keep it under control. This happened on both nights of our stay.

Location, price

Nothing realy

Staff were sll extreamly friendly Food in the restraunt was very nice The bed and pillows wete very comfortable

The cleaning in the bedroom was mixed, clean bed and tables etc but the bathroom needs s deep clean. Toilet bowl was filthy, the edges around the bathroom were filthy and i dont think the carpet had been hoovered (taking into consideration the extream heat its understandable). The bedroom was unbearably hot despite the fan (thank you for the fan) and on the second floor at the front (we're an older couuple with bad knees). As it was on the ftont the local morons in their cars , trying to pick up girls at the taxi rank, were driving like total tosspots until about 2.00 am, so noisy.

It was very very hot no aircon just a single desk fan in a suite the shower had no pressure the room wasn't very clean when we went for a meal I had the 28 day dry ribbye steak I wouldn't of fed it to a dog I asked for well done it came rare then covered with peppercorn sauce so I couldn't tell until I tried t cut into it very very disappointed

Location Staff Food

Could have been cleaner Landing needed a vacuum Shower and toilet needed a scrub Glass lampshades over bar dusty

Garden

My room should only be used as a broom cupboard.number 11. The window,which anybody walking by could walk through. Faced both the entrance and exit to the car park.plus was just a small walk from the pavement outside. Also anybody walked Ng in or out to the car park would walk past the room m being very low meant there was no air flow,fan or air conditioning. The TV played up, especially Saturday night when I had to go out to watch the rugby and football. Worst room I've stayed in during my 62 years of life. Appalling

The front of the property looked nice and the location to Banbury was good

The room didn’t feel clean, there was hair and debris on the floor the shower was also so blocked couldn’t use. Our room was in the later extension building

Lovely building from the outside. Friendly, helpful staff.

Tired decor and furniture. Dusty bedside tables. Nasty dusty extractor fan. Not very well vacuumed carpet in dining room. Generally needs better cleaning.

Central location , staff very helpful , wonderful breakfast and selection.

Creaky floors , bathroom had no pop up plug in sink , shower extractor didn’t work , dirty stains and mold in shower and lots of dust behind bathroom door , I think it could do with a good spring clean.