An eccentric gem in the heart of Shakespeare country (Grosvenor Hotel Stratford)

Member Name: DancingCopper

Product:	Grosvenor Hotel Stratford
Date:	18/10/08 (98 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A hop, skip and jump from Stratford town centre and the RSC theatres

Disadvantages: On a busy road; Noisy people late at night

"This Georgian style hotel is one of the most distinctive hotels in Stratford upon Avon, the delightfully rambling ground floor exudes tremendous character with small, intimate lounges, creating an ambience to match the Shakespearean past of this historic market town.

The Hotel is close to Stratford Upon Avons many attractions, the high street and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and is the perfect hotel in Stratford and for visiting the rest of Warwickshire."

Taken from the hotel's website at www.bwgh.co.uk

I stayed at the three star Grosvenor hotel to watch a recent RSC production. I wanted a hotel that was easy to get to from the railway station and close enough to the theatre to walk to. It would also be nice if the hotel was not too far away from the town centre, but this wasn't a deal-breaker.

I've never been too bothered by what the outside of hotels look like. Even Fawlty Towers had a pleasant facade. After a 15 minute walk from the station, wandering through the town centre, the white walls of the Grosvenor welcome you from a distance. I would have prefered to not have to walk through a cloud of cigarette smoke at the entrance - perhaps having a marked area a few metres away, instead of right outside?

The foyer was small but not unpleasant and it was possible to appreciate some of the "delightfully rambling ground floor". It was like a warren, with bars and lounges all interconnected. It felt clean and efficient, while maintaining a certain chaotic charm.

Checking-in was done quickly and efficiently. I had reserved a room through the hotel's website, so all I needed to do was register a credit card for payment and any additional expenses.

Best Western, the chain that owns the Grosvenor, allows you to use Nectar points to pay for a percentage of your accomodation. For further details, see the Nectar website - www.nectar.com

I had requested the simplest option, a bed for one night. For what this meant in practice, see the information at the bottom the review.

If I had wanted to, I could have paid extra for a variety of options. If I had wanted the convenience of eating in the hotel, I could have paid for breakfast or dinner. I could have upgraded from a standard to an executive room, at an additional cost of £10. For the additional features this would have given, see the information at the bottom of the review.

The executive tarif would have given me air conditioning which I would have been grateful for. My standard room had a ceiling fan which made virtually no difference, apart from the electrical buzz giving me a headache the following morning.

I was not planning on being in the hotel for any great amount of time. I wanted to explore Stratford, clean myself up and get to the Theatre. My room fitted this requirement perfectly. The bedding was comfortable, there was more than enough storage space for my belongings and the bathroom was very clean.

Aside from the migraine-inducing ceiling fan, my only other issue was the noise outside during the night. It's perhaps a little unfair to have this influence the review of the Grosvenor, as there is not a great deal they can do about noise outside. But, were you thinking of staying there, I would want you to be aware of it.

I had a very poor night's sleep caused by noise from groups of people outside the hotel on two seperate occasions. The noise seemed to be coming from the hotel grounds and did not disperse, leading me to conclude it was in some way connected to the hotel - either an event, or group of people staying there. While some noise is inevitable on a Saturday night, I think a degree of consideration is needed, especially at 3am.

Personally, I don't think I would have wanted to stay in the Grosvenor for more than three or four days. This was confirmed on the Sunday morning, when much of the ground floor was taken up with a christening party. Had I wanted to sit in the lounge and read a newspaper, I would have been swamped by children running around.

Overall, I was pleased with the Grosvenor Hotel as a base for a mini-break, where I could drop my stuff, clean up and continue exploring. It was clean, comfortable and the staff were efficient. Stratford town centre was five minutes walk away and the RSC theatres could all be reached within twenty minutes of walking.

Hotel Information

Standard Room
Single Occupancy £140.00
Double / Twin Occupancy £140.00

En-suite Bathroom
Colour Television with news channel
Direct Dial Telephone
Radio
Hairdryer
Complimentary tea, coffee and biscuits
Complimentary bathroom amenities
24 hour room service

Executive Room
Single Occupancy £155.00
Double / Twin Occupancy £155.00

Air Conditioning
Complimentary Newspaper
Safe
Iron and Ironing Board
Fridge
Mineral Water

Children
Free, if under 16 and sharing a room with parents. £35 per child, if they are in seperate rooms.
Reduced prices for meals.
Advise the hotel at the time of booking if you require cots or rollaway beds.

Health and Fitness
For the duration of your stay, you receive complimentary use of the Stratford Leisure Centre, a short distance from the hotel. This has a pool, gym, sauna and steam room.

Weddings
The hotel has 3 packages and a team of advisors. It is a licensed venue for civil ceremonies.

Other events
The hotel regularly regularly hosts murder-mystery weekends and offers other seasonal packages.

Contact details
The Best Western Grosvenor Hotel
Warwick Road
Stratford Upon Avon
Warwickshire
CV37 6YT

Tel: 01789 269213
Fax: 01789 266087
Email: res@bwgh.co.uk www.bwgh.co.uk

Summary: A comfortable, reasonable base from which to explore Stratford and Warwickshire