Unhelpful

We were put on the 4 th floor although we are in our mid seventies and alternative room was only offered when we had unpacked
The dining room lacked any ambiance with its plastic tables and loud music .Only 6 tables were in use.
The menu was very limited - not as good as many pubs.Sticky rice on the menu turned out to be ordinary rice
A special weekend ruined by our staying

Wonderful staff were the best feature

Let's start with the good points. The staff at Bowden Hall are unfailingly cheerful, helpful, welcoming and hospitable. The situation is pleasant, in its own grounds and looks impressive from the outside. It is handily placed for Gloucester, Cheltenham and the county.

However, the inside is pretty dated and beginning to look a little shabby in places, particularly in the corridors. The room was clean but very dark with the window looking out onto conifer tress about 3 feet away. It wasn't the sort of room one could spend time relaxing in.

The main lounge was comfortable enough but the decor was redolent of quite a few years ago.

The breakfasts were pleasant with a good choice. Our real disappointment was dinner. On occasions our party had really rather sub standard fare. Ravioli was dreadful, smoked salmon was good one evening and the next quite poor. Fish and chips was extremely disappointing. The burgers were good. Quite frankly it wasn't up to the standard of a gastropub; I suspect there may be staffing issues in the kitchens.

Overall we had a pleasant time and the price was quite competitive but I have been to other much better Offpeak Luxury hotels so I don't see us returning to Bowden Hall.

Curate's Egg Hotel Stay - Good in Parts

The half bottle of Brut wasn't waiting in the room on arrival as booked, so straight away I had to go back down to reception - from probably the most remote room in the hotel - to get it. The guy on reception was apologetic and got it straight away for me to take back up.

At dinner (in the brightest lit restaurant I have ever been in) the menu was misleading. We both ordered Beef Bourguignon which said 'seasonal vegetables were included', so we didn't order a side of it as we didn't think it necessary to do so. When it came out there was just the beef bourguignon and mash, no vegetables. When I pointed this out to the waitress she said 'the vegetables were in with it'... whatever that meant. All I know didn't get any vegetables when the menu said we would.

On a more positive note, the room was pleasant enough and the guy on the desk was very helpful.

Bowden Hall

Overall pleasant stay. having worked in the hotel industry for 20 years there were some small items that I noticed. 1) Newly decorated reception but awful dirty red plastic bin by reception desk stood out. 2) Lack of information in bedrooms - TV instructions. Local information. No plug sockets by bed. 3) Restaurant: Mugs with spoons in on tables but nowhere to put spoon when not in mug. Bread for toaster lovely but twice the size of the plates by the toaster. Hot food containers have very hot handles. 4) Lack of facilities for smokers (I know people shouldn't smoke). Only one area available outside reception - not kept tidy - no shelter or seating. Heard comments from other guests that it made them feel like second class citizens and would stop them returning to the hotel.
5) Outside of building near reception needs attention/coat of paint as this is the first thing guests look at when they arrive.

Short Break

Typical business hotel on the outskirts of Gloucester, with wonderful colour scheme of white and grey, hardly a plant to be seen.
Bedrooms are now getting tired and ours had black mould all around the bath handle in the bath.
Restaurant menu was very limited and a steak one night and all you could taste was a horrible charred taste as the chargrill was to high. we had afternoon tea one afternoon all the cakes must have been bought in not made on site very dissappionting and the sandwiches were very cold so not freshly made.
Overall it was a pleasant stay but would not rush back

Not a 4 star hotel

Lovely location was let down by poorly trained hospitality staff - for which I hold the management responsible, not the staff themselves who tried their best but lacked the service skills I d expect of a 4 star hotel restaurant - or any hospitality venue at all, and was a real let down. The room also was corporate feeling and very noisy, with the sounds of doors opening/closing and bathrooms being used easily heard from other rooms.

No review title

Good hotel, poor restaurant

Stopped here for two nights. The room was clean and comfortable.
This is a lovely hotel, badly let down by the kitchen/restaurant.
Our meal was booked for 19.30. Dirty cutlery, not all starters available. Ordered the mains, but no burgers available leaving little choice. 10 minute wait for Parmesan for the pasta dish. 15 minute wait for the dessert menu after being asked if we would like to see it.
This table booking was at 19.30. I dread to think what diners with a later booking were offered. Needless to say we did not eat in the restaurant on the second night. Other guests complained about mouldy bread.
Staff acted like the sugar police. You only had one sugar sachet (placed inside the cup for some reason) and when you asked for more you were usually offered another one sachet.
Glad to say that my 6.75 overspend was not charged to my card.
Lovely hotel, but won t be returning.