The Woburn — Restaurant in England

Arrived at the hotel to check in, and received quite confusing instructions on where our suite was located. We wandered around the hotel for a while and went back to ask again, only to discover that the rooms were located through the bar, past the toilets and along a corridor, with no signage other than "lavatories" to their whereabouts. Staff need better training on giving directions and there needs to be better signs.||We booked a suite for 3 of us (my wife and I, plus our son), which was advertised as being luxury and large etc and can sleep 4. We expected a suite, as in every other hotel we have stayed in, to have a separate living area (with a sofa bed or similar) to main bedroom area, so that our son could sleep in a separate area to us. A "suite" in this hotel is just a slightly larger than normal double. ||There were other issues with the room, such as no electrical sockets next to the beds for charging mobile phones etc. I have to use a breathing machine at night, and there was nowhere to plug it in. Only 1 roll of toilet roll was provided for 3 people, and only 3 small bottles of water (when there was a warning sign saying the water in the bathroom was not drinking water). I requested for extra toilet roll and some still water, was promised this would arrive when we were out, but it didn't. Our daughter's room didn't have an iron - even Travelodge's have these - it's a basic necessity when staying in a hotel to be able to iron your clothes. Given it was a special wedding booking and the hotel therefore knew we would be all dressing up, this should have been provided. She was able to come to our "luxury" room, which had an iron, but shouldn't have had to. Given 2 rooms for 2 nights were in excess of £800, I expect a lot more for my money. Another family member got a phone call a week before she was due to stay, explaining the "cottage" she had booked, also at considerable expense, had been overbooked and they were unable to offer it to her because the other person had booked first; she had booked this room in September, for a stay in May. It's hard to believe that story. She was offered an inferior room instead.||At the end of the dinner on the first night, I asked how breakfast worked, as we had 2 people who needed gluten free food. We were shown a GF menu with a breakfast section and then told food would be ordered from here, which we were all happy with. Next morning at breakfast, we asked for the GF menu and the server said there wasn't one, that the kitchen doesn't offer GF food and that we should order from the main menu and she would note it to the chef and he would see what he could do. We had all seen the GF menu from the day before, with a specific GF breakfast menu; two of our party had eaten GF food in the evening from the very same kitchen/restaurant. My wife declined to have breakfast, at which point the server was surprised. I noted that it's because of what she said about there being no GF menu and the kitchen not offering GF food. She then went away, and brought back the very same menu that we had already seen, that she had claimed did not exist, which contained a good number of GF options for breakfast. No apology from her and she was quite rude overall, but at least my wife got to eat breakfast.||There was also an issue of staff in the bar serving incorrect drinks (the receipt did not match what was served) and then not properly fixing...

Don't wate your money thinking this place is like it used to be, where staff and service were great and a lovely place to stay. This hotel is now under the guidance of Oakman Inns group. They have done a revamp of the hotel which is nice and has that Oakman signature throughout. We have been to other Oakman inns and restaurants and found them very good. Service here is appalling. The food is good though, when you can attract a member of staff to take your order, there's the first issue we had, staff not trained to scan a room instead they huddle together as though your invisible. We had gone here to stay for our anniversary, having booked an executive room and a table in the restaurant for 8.30PM. We checked in and made a point of asking that our dinner reservation time was ok as per our email and was told no problem at all. We were taken up to be shown what was in their opinion an executive room, it was the tiniest dark and very claustrophobic room with a tiny bathroom that a even a teenager would have struggled to fit in the bath. The room itself also had a number of internal stairs down into it to navigate. We told the guy it was far to small and not the executive room we expected, he said he would find us another one, which he did. This next room "the flying duchess" was a larger room and its the one they use as a photo on the website as well as other websites showing an executive room, the check in guy told me this was their largest room and would be classed as a upgrade to our booking as it was a "suite" and charged us an extra £20, we weren't happy about this as felt he was trying to make more money for the hotel, rather than challenge it we just wanted to relax and enjoy our anniversary so said ok. This room was clearly not used regularly because it lacked basic executive refinements. I could go on and on about the not great experience we had there but won't. We did let staff know we weren't happy and they said sorry about that but had little training. The breakfast was another disappointing affair, told it was buffet style English breakfast, which conveys help yourself instead this overwhelmed waitress barked out don't touch I will get your food when attempting to pick food up, a polite notice above the table or on the table would have avoided this unfortunate situation. We had to wait far to long to get food and drinks because a full dining room with just 3 staff...

Charming Hotel with a Few Hiccups

I recently had the opportunity to stay at a hotel for two nights, and overall, it was a pleasant experience with a few minor drawbacks.

Let's start with the positives. The hotel's location was absolutely perfect, especially if you're planning a visit to the Woburn Safari Park. Situated in a lovely village, it offered a peaceful and picturesque setting, enhancing the overall ambiance of the stay. The staff members were friendly and helpful, particularly the breakfast staff, who went out of their way to ensure a pleasant dining experience. Speaking of breakfast, it was truly delightful, with a generous selection of vegetarian options that catered to various dietary preferences. The hotel's courtyard area was a hidden gem, providing a lovely space to relax and unwind, especially when the weather was favorable. Moreover, ample parking availability was a definite plus, making it convenient for guests with vehicles. Finally, the online check-in and check-out process was seamless, allowing for a hassle-free experience.

While the hotel had numerous positives, there were a few negative aspects that left me slightly disappointed. One particular incident involved a friend who was charged £20 for early check-in, despite it being confirmed that the room was ready. This unexpected charge felt unnecessary and could have been handled better, as it somewhat tarnished an otherwise enjoyable stay.

In conclusion, the hotel's favorable location, friendly staff, delectable breakfast, charming courtyard, ample parking, and smooth online check-in and check-out process make it a worthwhile choice for anyone visiting the area. However, it's essential for the management to address inconsistencies and ensure that confirmed arrangements are honored, avoiding any unexpected charges that may dampen an otherwise...