Mercure Banbury Whately Hall Hotel

Location

When checking in was not told when breakfast would be served or where it was or that the hotel was locked at night. When we found where breakfast was served in the morning after sitting down we were then informed that there was no cooked breakfast due to a problem with the chef but we could help our selves to the cereals etc and the cost of the breakfast would be refunded (this has not happened) we then tried some toast to find that there was mould on the toast, to save leaving this review I tried to contact the hotel direct by email but received no reply.

Please change ur keys to digital

Move up with the times

The staff without a doubt were the highlight of our stay. The gentleman on reception assisted us with an issue without hesitation, the maid also quickly helped and was super friendly, and the lady at check out was lovely. The outside area also looked beautiful, however we didn’t have time / the weather to enjoy it.

When booking, the suite stated there would be a separate bedroom & living area which there wasn’t. (Staff swapped our rooms so our baby girl had her own space to sleep.) The room also said it had a bath, which it didn’t, so we couldn’t bath our baby. The facilities stated there was a lift but there wasn’t which was fiddly with the buggy (but thank you to the gentleman on reception who offered to help.)

Location is great right in the heart of Banbury. Lovely settings out in the court yard on a sunny day. Reception staff were great and took care of my needs. They had a lovely bar and restaurant there but I didn't use it. The room was cosy and cute. The darken curtains are great to not wake up to sun beaming in your eyes.Lovely big shower. Nothing bad re my stay would stay again. Just to say, when busy re foot traffic in the hallways can get noisy re the floorings as an old building re the structure. But it's to be expected. Apart from that, all good. 🙂

As above, the floorings can be a little creaky with multiple traffic through the floor. Just find some ear plugs that will block it out.

Clean comfortable suite. Quiet and lovely views of the gardens Comfortable bed and a good stock of tea/ coffee etc . Mini fridge was a lovely bonus and very helpful.

There wasn't a "do not disturb" sign in the room that I could hang on the door to let housekeeping know I didn't want disturbing. I did ask the front desk and although extremely helpful, they said they would inform housekeeping of my wishes. Housekeeping still came in every day. I was only there for 3 days so I didn't make a fuss and accepted the situation. Television signal not great and no netflix etc due to internet dropout. I stayed to have a couple of days of doing nothing before going back to my live in work role and would have enjoyed vegetating Infront of the TV . No hairdryer None of these things were detrimental to my stay just slightly annoying. Lovely room and friendly informative staff.

The room was comfortable with good seating. A comfortable bed, plenty of storage space and a beautiful new and very clean bathroom. Towels were clean and plentiful. The breakfast was exceptionally good and very good value. Parking was easy and safe.

My room was cold and the central heating did not work. An oil heater was placed in the room which was fine but not ideal and it took a long time to warm the room. The windows in the bedroom and bathroom were thick with dirt and dust on the outside which did not create a good impression when inside everything was spot less. The shade on the bedside lamp was broken and resting at an angle. Finally you could not see through the bathroom window because of the grim but even so I would have preferred a blind at the window so I could be sure of privacy. The window was above the toilet. All of these things are small improvements and over all I thought it a lovely room and incredibly good value.

We booked a junior suite for 2 nights, then extended for a deluxe double. The beds are incredibly comfortable, nice views, quiet. All staff are friendly. Can tell that they are refurbishing rooms and some parts of the hotel. Will come back. The rooms are clean, as well as public areas. Good central location.

Breakfast, unfortunately not worth the money. Cooked breakfast has no seasoning, the continental offering is very minimum, with no cold meats. I would think to put extra amenities in the suites, such as conditioner, body lotion, possibly a nespresso machine, bathrobes, slippers, otherwise its not worth paying extra for it. The deluxe double is more than sufficient.

The service from the lady that checked us in was wonderful. The building is delightful, very historic. great location for the centre of banbury. The late bar staff on the tuesday evening were extremely accomidating, especially as we were the only two in the bar

The curtain in the bedroom was hanging off so it couldn't be closed. Breakfast was served until 09:30, , when we arrived at 9am, it was all dried up, on the menu it mentioned options for eggs, however there was none, other than crispy scrambled and no pastries. The lead for the kettle in the room wasnt long enough for it to be plugged in so had to go on the floor

The room was larger than expected. I have stayed there before and had an idea of what I was getting, would stat at again. I didn't have breakfast this stay (don't tend to eat breakfast anyway), but have in the past. Better than some hotel breakfasts, pleasantly surprised to have option of a pancake station.

No plug sockets close to bed, I have a 3m long charging cable stretched from desk over bottom part of bed and was only just able to be on bedside table so alarm was in arms reach.

Staff were friendly and the hotel had loads of character. Our room was clean and had everything we needed. Was close to shops and on a main road.

Unfortunately our hotel room was at the front of the hotel and where it’s on the main road we were kept up all night by party goers and people shouting. I heard police sirens at least 3 times and then a fire engine. But that’s not the hotels fault. It’s just the way it is now. It’s more of a heads up for travellers.