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Cotswolds88 Wants Customers Who Aren't Always Right
Cotswolds88 might sound more like a username than a hotel, but it is actually a new hotel that takes the 88 of its name from numerology. Also per its name, it's located in that increasingly snobby part of the English countryside known as the Cotswolds.
A recent UK Times reviewer was more than a little critical of its small rooms, relatively high price (mid-week rates start at £170 (US$335) and go much higher) and crazy website (we have to agree on that--what's with the elephant and the flying strawberries?). He was also unimpressed with the small motel-style TV bolted to the wall of his room.
Apparently owner Marchella De Angelis has a very modern attitude towards customer service; she told the UK Times reviewer that:
Traditional hotels apply the rule that the customer is always right, but we're in an evolutionary, futuristic stage and I don't believe that this can be possible, in as much that you can have facilities to keep every customer happy.
To sum up, the word around the traps is, if you ain't hip enough, don't book into the Cotswolds88. We warned you.
[Graphic: Cotswolds88 Home Page]
Tags: Cubicle Dreamin' / England Hotel Reviews / Hotel Restaurants / → All Tags
Cubicle Dreamin': What is Juliana's Restaurant Like?
Cubicle Dreamin' is a feature in which we ask the hotel mavens to take some time out of their busy work day, surf the Internet, and tell us what hotel they wish they could beam themselves to right that very second--all on the slave driving companies dime, of course. Oh, like these people aren't surfing aimlessly anyway--at least now their purposeless clicking will be cobbled together into useful hotel stories--we hope. Have a destination hotel you are just dying to leave your cube for? Send the story our way.
In this episode, Senior Editor Juliana heads to England to see if there has been some unlawful trademarking of her name. Enjoy.
I'm already sick of sifting through the emails that piled up in my inbox while I was playing with conchs in the Bahamas but it was actually a routine press release that I received yesterday that caught my eye.
First, the email subject's heading "Don't Stay Home for the Holidays!" made me groan--it's another example of how desperate hotel PR/marketing execs are to have your business over the holiday season. (I understand New Year's Eve but is Christmas not a sacred day anymore?)
But aside from that what really got my attention was a hotel package listed within the email at the Cotswold House in Chipping Camden, England. Why? Because the hotel has a restaurant and a bar named after me! Little ole' me! Juliana's Restaurant is described as:
elegance without pomposity, defining the superb quality of the cooking at Cotswold House and is the showcase for the skills of our new Head Chef, John Sherry, and his kitchen team. Immerse yourself in a sophisticated, contemporary environment, surrounded by artwork and design as exciting as the food on your plate.
Such "exciting" food includes some serious game like rabbit, foie gras, veal and lamb. Ok so the restaurant was not really named after me. But Juliana is not a very common name (the one "n" spelling, that is) so it wasn't that much of a stretch.
Since I'll probably be spending New Years Eve in Los Angeles watching over my husband who will without a doubt drink too much and be overcome by The Slur Monster, I'm fantasizing about three nights at the Cotswold. If only to meet the real inspiration for Juliana's restaurant, if she exists, and see what she's made of.
Maybe it will be like that movie The Holiday, except I won't be able to sleep with Jude Law. Or can I? It's my Cubicle Dreamin' afterall.
Package detes after the jump if anyone wants to join me.
Tags: England Hotel Reviews / Historic Hotels / → All Tags
Ickworth Hotel Offers Something For Everybody ... Or Does It?
Our first reaction is that the Ickworth Hotel in Suffolk, England, has a name that makes it sound a bit "icky". Fortunately, beyond the name everything is pretty good, at least if you go by a UK Times reviewer's recent experience.
The Ickworth is housed in one part of a historic National Trust Property, which makes it not only a spectacular building but also home to a good deal of gossip and interesting stories--the family who lived in the wing currently occupied by the Ickworth were involved with drug and gun dealing and jewelry theft, and you can read related newspaper articles on the walls.
As a hotel, it's quite crime-free and instead quite luxurious. There are only 27 rooms, and some of them are decorated in a modern style while others are filled with antiques. It caters for couples as well as families and thus has a kids' club, horseriding, tennis and cycling facilities, and an adults-only restaurant. Some guests complain that the family-friendly/romantic getaway double-marketing makes it not really work for anyone, while others report having great weekends there.
Because it's all a National Trust property, there are other activities on site for the public as well as for hotel guests--a hanging basket workshop was in progress when the Times reviewer stayed. There are also interesting side trips to be made, for example to the nearby "smallest pub in England".
[Photo: Sam Newman]
Related Stories:
· Ickworth Hotel reviews [TripAdvisor]
· The Ickworth Hotel, Suffolk [UK Times]
Tags: New York Times / England Hotel Reviews / Jennifer Conlin / Travel Media / → All Tags
Best Western Dean Court Hotel Also Good for Sleeping
With this week devoted entirely to traveling with kids in tow, The New York Times reminds us that it's family travel season. Which explains why writer Jennifer Colin checked into the Best Western Dean Court Hotel with her three kids to survey things from the inside out. Despite the chain name--and being there with her "boisterous" family--she found the place to be pretty flash.
The staff even helped corral her kids:
What's more, when our youngest child sleep-walked outside our room in the middle of the night, a friendly telephone call from the reception desk alerted us to our somnambulant son.
But as with so many non-kid-friendly things, only the first one is free: the Hotel also arranges nanny service for $20 an hour.
[Photo: Jonathan Player for The New York Times]
Related Stories:
· Check In, Check Out [NYT]
Tags: England Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Bath's Queensberry Is Pleasant, But Lacks Minibars
We like the UK Times regular feature where they send a Mystery Guest into a hotel: of course, the Mystery Guest is usually just a staff writer enjoying a weekend of perks, but the logo they use in the write-ups is kinda cool. Recently an MG hit the Queensberry Hotel in tourist-mecca Bath.
In true British style, the MG summed up the Queensberry as "agreeable". As we understand it, that's a pretty positive rating. On the positive side, the Queensberry room picked out for the Mystery Guest was
pleasant, soothing and quiet, with high ceilings, a huge sash window looking on to the terrace, and a big, light-filled white-and-chrome bathroom with decent toiletries.
So far, so good. But it doesn't quite have everything: the flat-screen TVs are small, the bedside reading lights twist too much or burn your fingers, and--the ultimate travesty--there's no minibar. Game over.
Related Stories:
· Queensberry Hotel reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Queensberry Hotel Bath [UK Times]
· On Your Bike To Bloomfield House, Bath [HotelChatter]
· English Soaked About Bath's Baths [Jaunted]
Tags: England Hotel Reviews / Spa Hotels / → All Tags
Unsurpassed Extraordinariness at the Dart Marina Hotel
It seems there are more than just funky artist communities and sensible beaches in south-west England: Devon also boasts a fancy spa resort in the form of the Dart Marina Hotel. Recently refurbished (aren't they all), Dart Marina sells itself as being located on "one of the most spectacular estuaries in Europe", and since most people aren't sure what an estuary really is, who's gonna call them on this? With one of those over-adjectived websites, we always get a little bit sceptical that the food might be slightly less than "extraordinarily tasty" and the spa facilities not quite as "unsurpassed" as they claim.
And when we get hold of last weekend's Guardian review it turns out our scepticism may be on the money. While reviewer Rafael Behr is plenty pleased with the medical-like touches to the spa resort (they erase the guilt, apparently, by helping you believe that it's a necessity instead of a luxury), he suggests that the whole resort might be a bit on the bland side. He has two big gripes: the rooms have those terrible plug-in "lavender-copy" air fresheners, and the informal restaurant did something quite unwelcoming:
The soundtrack to dinner was a single CD programmed to repeat. There is no surer way of making guests feel they have outstayed their welcome than to force them to memorise the track list of your one Lounge Classics Vol VII album.
Fair point. Room rates (starting at $250 a night in March) do include breakfast and dinner, though, so at least your repeating-CD-nightmare doesn't feel like it comes at an extra cost.
[Photo: Daymo7]
Related Stories:
· Dart Marina Hotel reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Checking In: Dart Marina [Guardian UK]
Tags: England Hotel Reviews / London Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
High Road House Is A Finnish Sauna in London
Just recently we listed the High Road House in London as a member of the new "elite budget" London-style B&B trend, and hot on the heels of this has come a Times UK review. While it still sounds like a good bargain--the reviewer considered the 100 pounds per night "very reasonable for London"--the accommodation isn't quite perfect, apparently. Of course, you have to remember, this is London, where everything costs an arm and a leg; but even so, this room sounds a little odd:
It was small, startlingly white and a just a little claustrophobic. It reminded me of a white-washed Finnish sauna. The walls had wood panelling. There were wooden shutters on the windows.
At his end-of-review summary, reviewer Tom labelled the worst part of the High Road House as the "poky room".
So what was good? The food, as we've heard before; the service (the receptionist knew his name on entry); and the "funky basement lounge with its red leather sofas and centrepiece crimson pool table". Perhaps the poky white room is something you can put up with in exchange for the use of a crimson billiards table.
[Photo: Marcus_Neto]
Related Stories:
· High Road House reviews [TripAdvisor]
· High Road House [Times UK]
Tags: Bed & Breakfast Reviews / England Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Classic English B&B in Penzance (With An Italian Name)
The classic bed and breakfast comes with comfortable beds, narrow staircases, a homely feel and an owner who acts half like a butler and half like your best friend. And that's exactly what you get in south-west England at Penzance's Con Amore.
A quaint traditional Cornish home, the narrow street frontage makes it a surprise to find so many rooms inside, all with an ensuite. Keith Richards (yes it's his real name, but he's not a member of the Rolling Stones) and his wife Carol are totally charming hosts, and Keith serves breakfast in the dining room in a butler-style suit--but with the personalized charm that no big hotel offers.
And as for the problem of an English breakfast, Con Amore offers enough choices (which are really very edible) that everyone should be happy, including a vegetarian, continental and full English breakfast.
If you want to explore Cornwall, Penzance is a convenient base; Con Amore is walking distance from the train station if you don't have a heavy bag, but otherwise better suited if you're coming by car. Apart from this, the only qualms we might have are a few typos on their website, especially the warning that they're sometimes fully booked during peek season. Beware of any holes in the walls where others might peek through!
Related Stories:
· Cornwall Hotel Listings [Cornwall Guide]
Tags: Hotel Technology / England Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Moody Blues, Reds and Yellows at the Cotswold House Hotel
Laser light shows are making a comeback. This time in hotel rooms. And what's great is that this so-called high tech mood lighting just happens to also give you a special looking glow. Meaning, no matter how many vodka tonics you like to drink you shall always look the picture of healthiness. Or like a freak-show, depending on what color lights they use.
So where can you go for this kind of alcholic-friendly lighting? Well, the geniuses at the cozy Cotswold House Hotel in merry old England have outfitted all eight rooms and suites with special mood lighting by designer Bruce Munro. A bedside remote allows guests to to create their very own light shows thanks to color changing LED lights through an assortment of floor, ceiling and wall lights and even one in the shower that reflects the water's flow.
We say put on Pink Floyd's The Wall on constant rotation to enhance the experience.
Related Stories:
· Cotswold House Hotel Review [TripAdvisor]
Tags: England Hotels / England Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
The Weary: Not Your Parents' Old English Inn
Weary of ol' English inns with bad food and no flair? This weekend's Times UK, suggest heading to The Weary, which despite its name is anything but.
Located in the north-east of England near the well-known tourist attraction, Hadrian's Wall, The Weary Inn prides itself on being a bit less inn-like. How? Well, they say that unlike other inns, the Weary doesn't have the old English inn standbys like:
Dralon headboards, polyester sheets and communal bathrooms with a jukebox blaring below
In fact, this place looks more like a hip boutique hotel in terms of decor. The Times reviewer found plenty to praise here, and we can't help but agree that the Weary helped her learn an important truth of life: "a plasma TV above a bath is one of life's necessities".
She also gave the food an enthusiastic write-up, and its restaurant did win restaurant of the year for Cumbria but the prices seemed somewhat out of proportion--after 95 pounds for the room plus breakfast, she handed out almost 160 pounds just for dinner. It's our wallet that'd be weary after that transaction.
Related Stories:
· The Weary, Castle Carrock, Cumbria [Times]
· The Weary reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: England Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Getting Cozy at the Charlton House
The English countryside in the summer provides beauty without the blistering heat of most places. On top of that is an old school level of charm; such as at the Charlton House Hotel in Somerset. Newsweek recommends the place this time of year since the Brits are elsewhere.
What one can get in the countryside of England is definitely a different experience from your average hotel. The design and cozy feel here will make you think you're visiting a friend's house:
Entering the landscaped front yard feels like arriving at the country home of a good, if wealthy, friend. The library's overstuffed couches provide the perfect place for a latte and the Sunday papers.
The details go the whole nine yards, handmade scented soaps, each room designed differently, one with a copper tub, others that open unto a garden, all of them not allowing you to forget that you're in the English countryside.
Another reviewer helpfully advises that the hotel is not worth it unless staying with a package. So with the Weekend break special, a standard room is yours for 335 pounds and includes a full breakfast, use of the spa, the newspaper, and taxes.
All this is helpful, because if one becomes convinced he is staying chez a friend, he's going to expect the free breakfast and newspaper.
Related Stories:
· The Good Life [Newsweek]
· Charlton House Hotel Reviews [TripAdvisor]
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