Old Bank Hotel

I booked a one night stay at this lovely hotel as a surprise for my husband's birthday and I was so glad I did. The hotel car park was extremely convenient; we were able to leave the car there until we left Oxford, after check out, the next day. The hotel was beautiful and the staff were superb. Nothing was too much trouble. We stayed in one of the newly refurbished rooms which had a stunning views of the Radcliffe Camera and All Souls College. The room was very tastefully decorated and, considering we were near the heart of Oxford, the room was a decent size with an enormous bathtub, which was luxurious, and separate shower. Also, the hotel had left a complementary (and delicious) gift for my husband for his birthday. Breakfast was included in our rate and it was a 5* star breakfast, which I would thoroughly recommend. We also had dinner in the restaurant with some friends , who were staying at a different hotel as The Old Bank Hotel was fully booked, and the food was beautifully cooked and the cocktails were delicious. We had a wonderful time at this hotel and cannot with to visit again. Thank you to the staff who helped make this a fantastic birthday treat for my husband (and for me)!

We stayed for four nights in April, 2018, fo an event held at my college. The Old Bank Hotel is outstanding in every category: beautifully appointed rooms, discreet and sophisticated service, fine facilities, and an excellent bar and Restaurant (Quod). Highly recommended.

My partner took me here for my 60th birthday. We have stayed here twice before and although it is very expensive, it is a luxurious treat. He booked it through an online booking agency, who said that the room was booked and he should pay directly at the hotel. Our room was lovely and the quality of the bed linen, towels, toiletries and tea and coffee were of a very high standard. We had bathrobes ad slippers provided too. The owner is a keen art collector and he has displayed lots of art throughout the hotel, which is a lovely touch. Breakfast is not included but the hotel has an adjoining restaurant, which provides a very good breakfast at a reasonable price. When we checked out, my partner said that he had looked at his bank account and the money had already been deducted by the hotel but the receptionist said that this wasn't the case and charged him again. When he got home, he could see that he had in fact been charged twice as well as a deduction of just over £50 from the restaurant for a meal we hadn't had. He contacted the hotel and spoke to several people before being transferred to their accountant, who said he had to provide a screen shot of his bank statement as proof. He did this and was refunded for one night and the £50 and was told he would receive a letter. He is still waiting and this has marred what was supposed to have been a special occasion. We would have expected a written apology at the very least. Not sure we will be returning if this is how they treat customers. What a shame.

Old Bank Hotel Oxford Minus 5 Star Hospitality at the 5 Star Old Bank Hotel in the City of Oxford 569811653 I recently stayed at the Old Bank Hotelin Oxford and initially my experiences of this 5 star establishment was quite positive. However, gradually this changed time in a downward direction. Once I had settled in my room with a view through the window of University Church of St Mary the Virgin, I tried to use the Ruark R1 MK3 radio but all this did was tell the time as the rest of its features were nonexistent. I then switched on the television and endeavoured to select an appropriate channel to watch. This 5 Star establishment did not feel it necessary to edit out the pornographic channels from the list. Fortunately, these numerous channels were blocked but if a child under the age of 18 was even to see these channel titles because of their parents being unaware that such material is present on these premises, the lack safeguarding damage would have been done to these children. Of course, I spoke to the hotel and even the manager Toby and they seemed to be absolutely clueless regarding the seriousnesss of my observations described above. Even I didn’t realise it until a few days later when I realised the potential repercussions of damage to children. Next, I had a meal in the restaurant. My first course was great as it was dressed crab brown and white meat. My next course was pork belly and unfortunately I didn’t examine this cut of meat more carefully. After two unpleasant mouthfuls I realised the entire cut was a wobbly “blancmange” of rancid fat with a thin streak of meat and a yucky soft streak of crackling. The only thing the restaurant did for me was a free desert and I still had to pay for the rest of the meal. I didn’t even get an apology but just to be told they would tell the kitchen. At reception I spoke to one of the female receptionists. We discussed Canada and that she would like to visit the country. I suggested to her that she could go without paying a cent by networking and arranging a work exchange with a hotel or even a chain like Fairmont. When I mentioned this to Toby he disliked the idea as there would be the potential for her not to return to the Old Bank Hotel. In my opinion this is the antithesis of good employer:employee mentorship. Other than that my overnight stay was relatively uneventful. But, the negative experiences at this establishment started again when about 2 weeks later I took my sister there for a meal in their restaurant. Again, I had the crab, but the dish was completely different and it took me a while to work out what that was. The white meat was not fluffy and fresh and stunning and last time there was lots of it, this time they had heavily loaded this part of the dish with cheap mayonnaise to increase the financial profits on the dish as a whole. When I pointed this out to the waiter he did not apologise but said they always measure portion sizes by weight. Well, fluffy white crab meat weighs a lot less than cheap mayonnaise so in my opinion the kitchen were intentionally defrauding the customer. We finished our meal at about 19:30 and by the way I had parked my car in the hotel’s small car park out back. When I booked the table I told them that I wanted to ensure that I wasn’t blocked in so I could leave when I wished to. When I went to reception and picked up my token that raises the gate to get out of the car park and went out to the car, I could not drive off because I was boxed in by cars. All I needed was the car behind me to move. But there was a problem. The hotel could not locate this driver because he wasn’t a guest of the hotel or even a customer of the restaurant. He was a member of the public who paid this 5 star hotel just £5 to use the car park facilities and to use some sort of facilities somewhere else in the city of Oxford. After about 1 hour and 15 minutes of standing at reception, I requested that they give me and my sister a complimentary room for the night, especially as my sister and actually myself were exhausted. All they offered was a complimentary taxi to take us home over 30 miles away but the next day I would have to find my own way and my own way at my own financial expense to return the next day to pick up my car. However, I then negotiated with the head receptionist that by 21:30 that the hotel would give me that complimentary room. But, when 21:30 came that offer was taken away and I had to wait until ~22:45 when the driver of the parked car behind me returned, got a token without any interrogation whatsoever from the hotel and drove away. And the hotel gave me absolutely nothing for this horrendous and shear lack of 5 star hospitality. All they said was that they would tell the manager about this and that they would think about giving me a complimentary room in the future. I was told this on 23 February and today it is 31 March and therefore I have the distinct impression that this offer will never materialise. After that final visit I phoned their sister hotel in the city the Old Parsonage Hotel to complain as I did not want to have anymore dealings with the Old Bank Hotel. I left a detailed message with a member of staff. I got no returned response even after me making 4 further phone calls. Then I got a completely inadequate email response from the hotel group. To finish off, the Old Bank Hotel contravened my confidentiality on the social web. And finally, I gave the hotel more than plenty of time to respond to my issues but they utterly failed to do this.

The hotel is worthy of a higher rating than the 3 stars I have given this rating. The lower rating given is due to the over priced hotel room rate, simply not the worth the money charged. The hotel is comfortable, very well run and the private Dinner party we hosted for our daughter in the Red Room was handled very well. My wife and I have stayed in some beautiful hotels around the world, particularly Europe. When You pay £340 a night for a room you naturally have high expectations; the hotel rooms and amenities at the Old Bank Hotel do not meet the price tag. A centrally located hotel with reserved parking for guests, the ground floor restaurant is very popular with non residents which is great to see but the exclusivity for hotel residents is lacking. The team at the hotel handled our booking for the Red Room very well and we can not fault the arrangements, thank you.

The hotel was perfect for visiting Oxford and Toby at the front desk was welcoming and helpful. We only stayed one night but wish it had been longer. The bathroom was impressive and the room beautiful, comfortable and a great view to top it all off.

We have stayed at The Old Bank many times since our daughter moved to Oxford to study. Our favourite room is a beautifully renovated superior deluxe with wonderful views over the rooftops and spires, contemporary and luxurious with every detail thought of. However on this occasion, I booked last minute and was travelling alone and, as the hotel was extremely busy, I was offered their ground floor deluxe accessible room. This is a lovely room with king size bed and beautiful big bathroom with superior fittings, massive shower, and everything you could need. .. It struck me how nice it would be for someone who is in a wheelchair or who has limited mobility to be able to stay in such a luxuriously appointed hotel room, a real treat. I thoroughly enjoyed my impromptu weekend break, thank you to Toby and the very attentive and professional team who always make it so special. Can’t wait to be back!

I thought I'd reviewed this during my stay but for some reason it never posted. I need to put this right. My wife and I stayed for our 30th Wedding Anniversary in 2017 and right from booking in throughout the stay we were thoroughly spoilt, from a conversation at reception we then found little touches (which will remain secret) that made our stay even more enjoyable - room fantastic, food fantastic and the staff superb - thanks everyone and sorry for the delay

This hotel is central and very convenient for the theatre, shopping and local attractions. The fact they have a car park is a great asset, nothing is too much trouble for them. The food in the Quod is just as good and great value for money. We have stayed her four times now and would not book anywhere else.