Norwood Hall Hotel, Exclusive Hire

This hotel is comfortable and traditional. The dining area, bar and foyer are old fashioned but in a good way, as the furnishings are antique. The staff are smartly dressed and pleasant. The rooms are spacious and the beds huge and comfortable. If you are looking for a whitewashed funky hotel with generic pictures on the walls, look elsewhere.

We had high hopes for Norwood Hall Hotel, but our stay was marred by a series of frustrating issues. We had to change rooms three times. The first was directly over the reception area of a wedding—music was blaring so loudly it felt like a stereo in our room. The night manager admitted this room was “notoriously bad” and moved us to another… only to find it half-used, with water bottles open and the bed disturbed. He quickly turned it for us, and by midnight we were resettled. The second room was blessedly quiet, but the bed was so uncomfortable we had to move again the next morning. The third room, at the far end of the building, was quiet and the bed comfortable enough, but it was hot and muggy. The in-room safe didn’t work, which was unsettling—especially after a casual remark from the night manager about a “tendency for theft” among cleaning staff. Breakfast was good, though the servers seemed oddly stiff and secretive. Despite placing the “room service” sign out on our wedding day, housekeeping never came. Our first night’s dinner was enjoyable, and they kindly comped a couple glasses of champagne, but after that, there was no acknowledgement from staff that we were celebrating a wedding. Small but telling inconsistencies added to the disappointment—some rooms had shampoo and conditioner, others didn’t; amenities varied from room to room. The building itself is beautiful, with impressive grounds, charming hallways, and lovely dining spaces. It feels like a place that could be exceptional, but either ownership or upper management has let standards slip. I can’t speak for what’s happening behind the scenes, but the staff’s subdued, almost oppressed demeanor was noticeable. Sadly, the bones are there, but the experience fell far short.

4* hotel but dated. Expectations were high but really disappointed. Customer arguing with staff in reception on arrival (and still 1.5hrs later), room not ready on check in so we waited in the bar but no one came to take an order until we managed to catch someone even after other people had arrived and been seated. Supposedly upgraded to a deluxe room and whilst the size was good the facilities and decor were very out dated. Windows difficult to close, partly because the handles were very loose. Likewise mirror in the bathroom was close to falling off. Hall carpet had bumps and was very loose/fitted poorly. Breakfast was ok, good selection, but again for a 4* hotel it should be better. Only caveat was that we booked it on a deal for a very good rate but now I understand why.