Maid for a wonderful stay (Maids Head Hotel Norwich)

Member Name: waterlilly

Product:	Maids Head Hotel Norwich
Date:	11/07/09 (64 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Historic property, recently refurbished rooms, good breakfast

Disadvantages: Front desk staff who don't know what's going on

When it came time to book accommodation for friends and family for our Norwich city-centre based wedding last summer I wound up selecting the four star Maids Head Hotel which is part of the Folio Hotels group. My parents spent a week there leading up to the wedding so we were in and out of the hotel all week. My brothers spent three nights in a room with two twins. My bridesmaids and I stayed in the Cathedral Suite the night before the wedding and then my husband and I stayed there the night of the wedding. Most of my husband's family also stayed in the hotel so we had a great deal of experience and feedback on the property.

THE LOCATION

The Maids Head Hotel is on the roundabout of the popular Tombland area in Norwich. There are a range of restaurant chains right on the doorstep including Whetherspoons, La Tasca, Café Uno and Zizzi's. It is also right next to the Norwich Cathedral. It is a walkable distance from both the railstation and bus station but those with luggage who are arriving to either of those locations would probably like to take a cab. For those driving, it has its own carpark behind the building. The receptionists will give you a code for getting in and out of the parking lot. For those wanting to be near the city centre and market it is an ideal location.

THE HISTORY

Despite the sad lights spelling out the hotel name (which my husband refused to vandalise in the middle of the night to remove them from our wedding week), the front of the hotel speaks of its history. The oldest portions of the building date back to the 13th century. The Courtyard restaurant has many pieces which indicate former church ownership and its Jacobean bar is oozing ambience. The claim is that in 1587 Queen Elizabeth I stayed here with a suite named in honour of its royal guest. Much of the hotel is much newer and the newer section does tend to have larger rooms though there are still many rooms with lovely beams and old fireplaces (which I don't think work!).

THE ROOMS

Prior to booking the hotel for our friends and family I was shown around much of the hotel and got to look in several different rooms. Over the course of 2008 the entire sleeping side of the hotel was renovated, a process which was still on going in August when our wedding party stayed (more on that later). From the look of the older rooms this renovation has seriously improved the quality of the hotel. As the hotel was build in several stages it can be a little complicated to get around. There are signs on the walls but they aren't always as helpful as they might be. I got very good at finding my parents' room and our suite, but never could get to my brothers' room without someone taking me there!

My parents' double room was very spacious, which was useful since they were storing my dress and some other bits and pieces for the wedding as well as all of their stuff for a three week trip to England (they live in Canada for those who aren't aware that I am Canadian!). Their room looked out over the roundabout giving them a nice view of some of the Cathedral Close but also a little noise from the street. They had air conditioning and could have closed all of the windows which would have virtually eliminated the noise but my Mum was singing at the wedding and overly cold air conditioned air sometimes bothers her throat. I crashed there with my Mum one night (long story) and can report they had a very comfortable double bed and a very nice bathtub. The room was very clean. The bathroom was well stocked with towels, shampoos and soaps and they had a good sized wardrobe.

The suite we stayed in was quite set apart from the rest of the hotel. I'd seen some lovely four-poster bedrooms that are the same price as their suites. If it had just been a room for my husband and I's "first night" I probably would have selected one of them, but having the very large sitting room was incredibly useful the night before and the day of the wedding. The sitting room had the original beams which made me happy. It also had a couch that pulled out into a bed (useful for bridesmaids the night before), a couple of chairs, a coffee table, a writing desk and a larger table with four chairs. It was very spacious! It also had great light, which pleased our wedding photographer. The bedroom had a king sized bed and another desk. The bathroom was off of the bedroom and was quite large with another very nice bathtub. There was a tv in both the bedroom and the sitting room as well as air conditioning in both. The staff came in and tidied up the room again after we'd gotten ready and departed for the wedding so everything looked great when my husband and I arrived after the wedding. We were actually so tired we didn't pop open the bottle of champagne that was sitting so fetchingly in it's bucket of ice.

We were all pleased with our rooms across the board.

THE RESTAURANT

The restaurant can be found by going through the couched lounge area (really the largest settee I've ever seen!), down the stairs, past the function room, toilets and coat area. It can also be accessed from the street. The Courtyard restaurant at the Maids Head is a lovely location, particularly for the colonials who just adore such things. It has a tiled floor and the tables are set up around the font. The font no longer has water, but instead holds candles. The courtyard has been glassed in providing great light.

Of great importance to anyone staying in a hotel is the breakfast. When I set aside a block of rooms I had guaranteed that breakfast would be included. I wound up eating there three or four mornings. They have the usual cooked breakfast buffet with bacon, sausages, mushrooms, hashbrowns, tomatoes and fried eggs. I discovered early on that you could ask one of the wait staff for scrambled eggs and they would have them prepared and brought out to you. There is an area for toasting your own bread with butter and various jams available. There is also lighter fair such as fruit, cheese and cereal available. We found their pots of tea and coffee to be of a good size for keeping everyone going.

I have also eaten dinner at the restaurant and they have a fairly wide range of options including local and seasonal produce. The menu changes regularly but has a fairly international flare. The prices are a little on the high side, starting at around £13 for an entrée, but quite what you'd expect merely from the décor of the restaurant. They have an extensive drinks menu as well.

My work Christmas lunch was also at the Courtyard Restaurant. They'd advertised a lunchtime group special which was about £20 for three courses which was very reasonable. We had a long table for 15 people that was decorated with streamers, noise makers and Christmas chocolates which was fun and festive. Our previously made choices were marked on our name card by coloured dots. I had the roast turkey dinner and the turkey was very nice. The veg were placed in dishes for sharing along the table and there was plenty of roast potatoes, carrots and sprouts for all.

THE SERVICE

So this is where I have to bring up a few minuses! The front of house staff for the hotel really let the property down and the only complaints we have come from our dealings with them. From my first visit where they decided I was there to plan a wedding even though I'd asked to see hotel rooms flags should have been raised. The people at the front desk do not seem very well trained. Perhaps they have had high staff turn over in the past, perhaps it's because many of them did not have English as a first language. I'm not sure, but they were always confused!

The two women who were in charge of group room bookings were fabulous. They were helpful and took the time to show me around on two different occasions. They negotiated a fair price between £80-90 per double room including breakfast which was very good for the height of tourist season in Norwich. They gave me all the information everyone would need to reserve their own room out of the group we set aside. They set up my parents' stay for a week as well as my brother's stay that was slightly longer than the rest. Our suite was £120 per night including breakfast

So everything should have gone very smoothly, right? Sigh. My mother's call to book their room somehow lead to them being put into one room for the first five nights and then another room for the two nights attached to the wedding. We had to work this out in person. My mother in law called to reserve a room for my in-laws and my husband's sister and her partner. At the time they did not take a credit card. On a visit to Norwich she popped in to check that was ok and was assured that it was. Until the day of the wedding when they all arrived and somehow there had been no reservation made for them. They got settled into rooms without my being notified so it all worked out, but unnecessary stress!! Somehow my aunt wound up making a reservation and having a room but being informed that breakfast wasn't included in her room charge. It was all just ridiculous!! Everything got worked out, but unnecessary if the staff were properly trained.

There were other little things as well. At one point I called down to reception to request a phone number as there were no phone books in the room. After 10 minutes I finally got the number I'd requested. I wished I'd just used my phone to search for it online to begin with. Also, as mentioned the hotel was undergoing renovations. I'd been advised that works will still be going on in August, which was fine. However, no one ever thought to mention that the corridor outside our suite was where the work would be happening. I checked in carrying wedding gear only to be met with a dusty corridor! No noise ever disturbed our room but my father walking me to the car was a pretty funny site as we tried to keep the dress from catching on anything and me from tripping over anything in my heels! a

I must say that the restaurant staff were lovely. They were quick to refill the breakfast buffet and pleasant when we made special requests. The bridal party met in the Jacobean bar prior to the rehearsal and found the bar tender helpful as well. On other visits to the Maids Head the function staff have always seemed good as well. I'd say that if you are considering the Maids Head for a conference, business meetings or even a wedding, their co-ordinators who are slightly higher up the ladder are great. Just avoid who ever is standing behind the reception desk!!

IN CONCLUSION

The Maids Head is a lovely hotel. There was been some great work put into the rooms as well as the meeting rooms and the restaurant making it a beautiful venue. It has everything you could really ask for as far as food and amenities. It really is the front desk staff that let things down. I hope they work on that because those particular staff aren't really up to the 4 stars everything else deserves.

For further info, photos and special package deals (they tend to run these regularly) see their website www.foliohotels.com/maidshead/.

Summary: Maids Head Hotel: a great venu in the Norwich city centre