Chesford Grange Hotel — Hotel in Warwick

Booked a night at the hotel with my girlfriend on valentines eve as we’d been given a spa day as a Christmas present and thought it would be nice to make a long weekend of it. The room was lovely and the bed was unbelievably comfortable however, on getting to the room the bucket of beer I’d pre ordered for my girlfriend wasn’t there so I went to reception to be told it wasn’t waiting for us (as per the description on the website) as it hadn’t been paid for up front? There was no option to pay for it upfront on the website and apparently the reason it hadn’t been added to the booking is that the website offers don’t link with their systems and therefore until it’s paid for it doesn’t get added? It was sorted very promptly but why advertise it as ‘waiting on arrival’ if the system isn’t capable of sorting it?

We then decided to book a table in the restaurant as a treat so we could have a nice valentines eve meal, what a mistake! The food was pretty much inedible! Started with a Leek and potato soup that was basically water, moules mariniere with an equally watery sauce and salad with Parmesan that looked and tasted like they’d bought a Tesco salad bag, put it in a bowl and grated some cheese over it!

Onto the main, sea bass with risotto, sounded delicious 🤤 Anything but! The risotto tasted like plastic to the extent it was obvious it was boil in a bag and the sea bass was undercooked and so bland my cats would’ve turned their noses up at it!

We complained to Jakub, the restaurant manager, who was absolutely fantastic about it and not only refused payment for any of the meal (even the parts we’d eaten!) but arranged complimentary drinks at the bar! I genuinely felt sorry for him as we weren’t the only ones to complain and he was clearly having to fight fire after fire because of an inadequate chef (apparently temporary because the head chef is off) who clearly didn’t give a damn about how the food he was serving tasted!

We skipped breakfast to avoid the same disappointment and moved on to our spa day in the morning. The spa was fantastic! The head therapist was lovely and the treatments were incredible. She also had the softest hands known to man!

Then came lunch, with anticipation we pre ordered as per the spa day deal and spent the next hour or so worrying it would be as inedible as the night before but we couldn’t have been more wrong! Lunch was fantastic and other than them not serving bread with the soup and forgetting my chips I couldn’t fault it at all!

If it hadn’t been for Jakub’s customer service ability and the quality of the spa day I wouldn’t even have been able to give 2 stars but they saved the trip!

All in all it begs 2 questions,

1 - how can this place be 4 star and charge a 4 star premium for such a terrible evening meal and drinks?

2 - Why is Jakub not working at a far better hotel chain where he’s not having to deal with a mass of...

We were sadly quite disappointed with this hotel. It was busy, with plenty of guests booking in and a few functions/conventions on. We were told that the restaurant was almost at capacity for that evening, but we would be able to eat in the bar. We decided on an early meal because we were having an early start the next day, and when we got to the bar at 5ish we were told that a large part if it was closed off for a function (no end time given, but it turned out to be 7pm and if we'd known that we would have gone away and returned later). We lurked about with a number of other prospective diners and luckily got a table but it was very busy and hectic. The service was good though - the staff were helpful. We had come in a classic car and wanted to check it before turning in for the night and were disappointed to find that the car park, although it had lights was completely pitch dark - none were lit. We went to our room and discovered that the bedside lights weren't working and the TV though it switched on, we were unable to change channels and the only way to switch it off was on the TV itself. We called reception about the lights and TV and were told someone would come to sort it out. No one came! There was music going on somewhere in the hotel which was like a constant background thudding so we thought getting to sleep would be difficult, but worst of all, the room seemed not to be soundproofed so anyone going past our room sounded like they were in the room with us (and quite a few people did go past!) So with the music and the noise from the corridor, we struggled. There were complimentary toiletries in our room but just one small bodywash and small shampoo - no conditioner. The room was quite a good size though, and there was a hairdryer. Iron and ironing board. Breakfast was excellent - something for every diet/taste. The staff were attentive. Back to the car park - for such a busy hotel (where there's a spa and leisure facilities too) the main car park is not big enough. There's an overflow car park which is great, but many people seemed reluctant to use it, so as the day wore on, they began to park in ever more ridiculous places in the main one. We had parked next to a skip with a 'cage' around it and when we came back to the car, someone had completely moved the cage by more than the width of the car and stuck theirs in there alongside ours. There were plenty of others too, in inappropriate places. I realise that this behaviour is just what the public do, but maybe the hotel could monitor things a bit more? This last comment is just my personal view and may not be of concern to other guests, but the main original building was a nice turn of the century Manor house and it is set in very nice grounds but someone decided to extend it, first one way and then the other and to me, the exterior has been ruined by two unsympathetic additions....

Overall the Hotel flattered to deceive sadly on much, but given its location to where I was working, ticked that Box.|Front of House/Reception - The highlight of my stay & overall experience, as met & dealt by what can only be said as a charming, polite, professional & fun team led by Tamara, Amy & Poppy . All are a credit to your Hotel & dealt so well with my many asks & needs over the two nights of stay.|Room - First given room 408 but as I had specifically asked for a quiet room, on entering soon realised it was an adjoining room & it was clear to hear the persons next door, as paper thin walls. So after calling the helpful Receptions team, they had me soon moved & upgraded to room 346. That was less noisy at first impression, until the children in rooms near started to run riot on the landing & slam Doors, whilst parents cared not a jot.|The room however was clean, fresh Towels, plenty Coffee/Teas & even Bottles of still Water supplied. Bed not the comfiest, but so hate it when Hotels say King size, yet when clearly not & its two beds stuck together & a folding then inner divide, leading to an uncomfortable nights sweet dreams !!|Bath & Shower, both worked well & general space pf room was sizeable, but do be warned....there is much noise to be heard & will have you biting your Tongue to not be shouting to them 'shut the fk up'|Food - Had room service, as was working in room of Laptop & for a 4 star would say its more 3 star offering. With much of it pre made/frozen , pointing to not much imagination & creativity on Menu options. Had Chicken Burger one night & then Chicken Schnitzel second night, both overage & about filled the hunger gap. Breakfast was good & equally in both hot/cooked & cold/continental offering. Really nice OJ & choice of other juices.....so you will enjoy this part of your stay.|General Hotel , tired in some areas & needs a refresh. But those cost a plenty & do acknowledge when you have so many rooms, then not always a quick exercise to carry out. Noted in room 408, the poor window sealant areas & clear gap between Window & base shelf. That was the same in room 346 & behind the toilet, where the sealant & toilet were clearly separating from each other...its the wee things like this & attention to detail, that make you a 4 star or not !!|Value, so so & if it was say not as close to Stoneleigh NAEC for work needs, then would have most likely not booked. Its average & do think its dining out on past days of when this Hotel was a real 4 star & you felt in all areas of your then stay.|Some good staff there & hope they keep doing what they do & move on within their chosen hospitality...