Malmaison Oxford

We were visiting from America and wanted a hotel with a lot of character, we definitely got that. The rooms are perfectly designed where you can still feel the presence of the prison cells, but have luxury at the same time. Everyone at the hotel was very friendly, the bar downstairs was awesome. The food was delicious, especially the breakfast. And a great location, the next time we are visiting we will be back.

Took up a friend’s recommendation to stay here for my graduation with my partner and parents. The reception team was extremely friendly and helpful, we had a car with us and despite the £34 per night car park being a little bit spenny but it’s understandable for Oxford city centre and very convenient. Great location, everything is within walking distance, which is very convenient for my parents to walk around. I was feeling under the weather on the day of checking out and they allowed us to check out at 12 instead of 11 just in time for the paracetamol to work its magic.

I’m very surprised by the relatively high score of this hotel. Maybe the situation is much better in other parts of the hotel, but in my room, a former cell on the ground floor, the reality fell far below expectations, at times even worse than in cheap motels. Let’s start with the positive things. Both the location and the concept are great. It’s in the city center, and the hotel is housed in a converted historical castle/prison. Unfortunately, that’s it. The rest of my experience was overwhelmingly negative. 1) The room was very stuffy and humid. There was no air conditioning, no way to open the windows, and no adequate ventilation to keep the air fresh. It got even worse after taking a shower: since there was no ventilation in the bathroom, all the warm, humid air flowed straight into the room. The proposed solution was to keep the room door open and use a cheap tower fan. 2) There were no drapes or curtains, only heavy wooden window shutters. So, if you wanted some privacy, you had to close them almost completely and turn on the lights. 3) The bathroom was poorly maintained. Only one of the three lights was working. The sink had yellow scratches all over it, a slow drain, and hard-to-control valves that made adjusting the water temperature and flow frustrating. The bathtub had a chipped coating and a shower with a weak water flow that required constant adjustment to maintain a warm, not hot or cold, temperature. The toilet was also disappointing, with a weak flush and flush buttons obstructed by a loose toilet lid with no spring mechanism. 4) I wanted to say the room service was good, but on my last day, I found an open safety pin in my bed.