Guest User
August 19, 2024
Doxford hall is in a lovely situation and makes an excellent base for visiting attractions such as Alnwick and Bamburgh castles and Holy Island. The approach to Doxford Hall and the surrounding countryside is lovely but the disappointments start once inside. Check-in was efficient and friendly but no help with taking luggage from the car or to the room. At this price point, that service is to be expected. The premium room was large with great views over the garden but was generally run down. The carpets were stained as were the cushions on the chairs. The furniture was not antique, merely junk and the bed was uncomfortable. The bathroom was large with a bath and a shower. However, the modern bath taps were constantly dripping, there was a hole in and paint on the fabric of the bathroom stool and there were holes in the towels. This is unacceptable. We run accommodation and actually use the same contract laundry firm, Shortridge) . If they delivered towels with holes in to us, we would simply send them back. This is just poor management. The restaurant was pleasantly laid out if a little tired. Some of the waiting staff were good but others were untrained. For example, a waiter poured a whole drink over a young lady on the next table and he didn't even apologise or mop up the mess. The guests themselves had to use their napkins to do this. The food on the first evening was good although the menu is very limited. On the second evening the food was badly cooked and the portions quite different to the previous evening. The so-called leisure centre has a very small and dated pool and spa bath. The changing room is unisex although there are two small cubicles rather like my school days of many years ago. To add insult to injury was the outrageous practice of automatically including an "optional" service charge on the restaurant bill. The gardens were good in parts but unkempt in others. For example the "rose garden" had a handful of half dead shrub roses and more fully dead ones. Doxford Hall has huge potential but appears to suffer from two easily remedied problems: Firstly, it needs some money spending on it to update and maintain the rooms grounds and spa. Secondly, it needs a general manager who visits most parts of the hotel every day, with a notebook in hand to record everything that needs to be done to bring it up to the standard expected at this price point and to obtain the necessary approval from the owner to dip into the excess profits.