Sopwell House Reviews 

We stayed at Sopwell House in march for my fiancé’s 32nd birthday.
 
Unfortunately our stay was dampened by extremely rude members of staff and also the room we stayed in.

We booked a suite and stayed at ‘10 Ivy’. Whilst the room was lovely, we unfortunately had the worst nights sleep due to the noise from the adjacent road. Vehicles where driving past all night and it was so loud.

When we arrived at our room we changed into our robes and headed straight to the spa, on route to the spa we noticed a bar i think was called ‘octagon bar’. Me and my fiance literally poked our heads in to see the bar quickly. The barman abruptly stopped me and said i wasn’t allowed in with the robe on. I am completely fine with that rule which we wasn’t aware off but the way the barman said it was like we was stupid for not knowing and it was abrupt and not polite.

We also had a negative interaction with a second staff member.

Whilst using the spa we were feeling hungry and wanted a snack, it was 15:00 and dinner was booked at 18:45 so we didn’t want a full lunch.

We went to the sitting room bar asked the barman for 2 cookies which were in a jar on the worktop of the bar.

The barman replied that it would be 20 minutes as he had drinks to pour. We where confused because there was no one in the bar other then me and my fiance, he was pouring drinks for people at sunbeds. He could of gave us the cookies within a minute and we could of been on our way.

After he said it would take 20 minutes we stood for a minute and discussed whether it was worth the wait because we only had a couple of hours of spa use before we needed to leave to get ready for dinner. We decided that we wouldnt be happy to waste 20 minutes waiting for a cookie that was on the bartop and we would rather use that time in the spa. We discussed all of this together infront of the barman.

We told him we didnt want to wait 20 minutes for the cookies and was going to go back to the spa. Surprisingly the barman said ‘ok’ and watched us leave the bar. We was kind of shocked by how oblivious the barman was to basic customer service. We didn’t mention anything to him and just carried on to the spa.

At this point we where in the pool and it was the only thing we could talk about for a few hours because we was in shock that someone could be so oblivious to basic customer service skills. It really dampened this part of our day.

Unfortunately, we had a second negative interaction with the same member of staff that evening.

After dinner we went back to our room to get back into our gowns and go back to the spa for the rest of the evening.

On arrival to the spa it was 19:40 and we asked the spa reception if the sunbed service was still running because we wanted a hot chocolate. 

The spa reception staff kindly replied saying the sunbed service is finished but the sitting room bar is open until 20:00 and the barman would be able to serve us the hot chocolate.
 
We went into the sitting room bar and the same barman was there who was there before. We asked him if we could have 2 hot chocolates. He replied to say that we couldn’t because he just switched the hot chocolate machine off and it was impossible to turn it back on. I looked at the machine and it was the same one I had used in a previous bar job so I knew it wouldn’t have taken much effort to make the hot chocolates. 
 
We could tell from his mannerism that the barman was in ‘home’ mode and genuinely couldn’t be bothered to turn the machine back on to make us the drinks.
 
It seemed to me the barman just done the bare minimum when it came to customer service and would happily disappoint customers if it makes his life easier.
 
At this point i was frustrated because of what happened earlier at the octagon bar, then with the cookies, and now this. I told the barman his level of customer service would not be acceptable in a pub, let alone a ‘premium’ spa and hotel like sopwell house where people save for a long time to be able to afford to visit.
 
What made it worse is the barman then replied, ‘okay, if you really really really really want one then go to the conservatory they will Give you one’.
 
I was in complete shock by how rude this was and told him the earlier situation and this was not acceptable. He realised he had been found out, but instead of apologising and trying to help he replied saying ‘I couldn’t just put my hands in the tin’, as in to justify that earlier situation.
 
By this point, a lot of our day and evening where now ruined by these incidents at the sitting room bar. It was so frustrating.

Sopwell House is extremely expensive.

If you are happy for staff to be rude to you, then this is the place for you lol

Unfortunately I had to save for a few months to be able to afford to stay here and the experience was awful.

Sam

I went to the brassiere restaurant last night to catch up with family
Had a wonderful meal staff members Harri and Holly were excellent hosts They knew exactly when to attend to us without encroaching on our privacy. Food was excellent even children enjoyed it
A wonderful evening all around
I would highly recommend and will be booking again

Had 'Afternoon Tea' here yesterday for my birthday! Omg it was 'so'nice! We were greeted by the beautiful 'Quinton'!
Omg his energy just was so lovely!
Thank you Quinton for making us so welcome! The whole staff team here made our experience so lovely! They were all so professional, welcoming and gentle! It really was a lovely experience!
I highly recommend it!

Wonderful looking and brilliant staff made us all feel at home from the start. Would certainly come back

Festive afternoon tea at sopwell house.
Myself and my family recently went for festive afternoon tea at Sopwell House and it was utterly fabulous I must say.
There were seven of us, including three under fives( which they catered for expertly) and four adults.
The food was fresh,quality high standard and the ambience was lovely, very festive indeed.The staff were friendly and helpful and although they were busy and we had to wait- it was all well worth waiting for!
They were generous with top ups of sandwiches, cakes and scones( without extra charge) and a good choice of teas and French press coffee which was enough for me. The mulled wine I had was fabulous, a good price and my daughter enjoyed the champagne too.
The tea was served on loveky China with beautiful modern glassware and cutlery and the addition of the wonderful gingerbread model of the hotel with winter wonderland in reception was fascinating for my grandchildren and a loveky idea for Christmas ! Well done to the chef and team for such a fabulous tasty tea and as a baker myself the Christmas cake and mince pies were out of this world! My little grandson even scoffed his way through a peice and he’s only just four!
Also well done to the chef on the completion of the gingerbread model,outstanding work,I even took a video of it to send to my son and daughter who didn’t manage to see it! I’ve always wanted to make one for my grandchildren but am now partially sighted, so may struggle with the piping!! Five star experience! Would highly recommend. Good value for money also compared to london prices.

Went for afternoon tea, service average food was lovely, but the carpet was dirty and found a hair on my napkin, my bill was 109 pounds for 2 of us really not worth it

Went to sopwell house for an event and after we went into the conservatory lounge for a drink and bit to eat. We was served by Harri who was so lovely. He was well mannered friendly and remembered things we had said. He is a great asset to sopwell house.

The family and I had a lovely meal at Omboo in Sopwell House. Ambience was beautiful and the service staff were very professional and genuinely care about the service they were delivering. Especially Lumi (I think I spelt that correctly) she was very warm caring and perfect attention to detail. Keep up the great work and look after these hidden gems in your work place.

I had champagne afternoon tea at Sopwell House, St Albans, today for my 50th birthday. As I arrived at the table, the hotel had liaised with my friends and had ensured a beautiful centrepiece and a mini birthday chocolate cake plate for me. Our waitress, Betsy, was delightful. She was knowledgeable about the food (she talked us through the platter) and also recommended different teas. We ordered more champagne and Betsy ensured it was cold and sparkling for us! Betsy was absolutely lovely and made us feel very pampered. Lovely waitress and beautiful afternoon.

I had a facial treatment today with vouchers I received for my birthday and I can't thank Amanda enough. She was so lovely which made me relax instantly. The treatment was wonderful. Thanks Amanda!

I spent a great spa weekend with my friends.The rooms, spa, restaurants and pool were amazing. We would really recommend the outdoor pool area, its very enjoyable, the water was perfectly warm, you can get a drink and can enjoy the jets.
The manager Sonia was extremely nice and did everything to ensure our stay was perfect and truly it was. Duty manager Mariah was also very attentive to detail and ensured that we enjoyed all the spa facilities.Highly recommend.

Enjoyed a 1 night spa break at Sopwell with access to The Club. Would thoroughly recommend. The Club facilities are superb.

Had lunch, dinner and breakfast in The Brasserie and Albino made sure we were looked after - great customer service!

Had a few mishaps with one of the treatments but the staff dealt with it very well and ensured we left with no complaints.

I am disgusted with the service I have just received! I came in today to purchase my mum birthday present of over £250 spa vouchers, not only were the staff Incompetent they were rude, not helpful, processed the card payment several times and honestly did not know what they were doing! The spa manager Sonia was incredibly rude (actually vile) - no wonder why her staff have no idea what they need to be doing! In the end I have gone to the grove which is a actual 5star hotel and not like this awful place they call a spa!! Shocking service! They all need to be trained in how to deal with computers and more importantly clients!

We decided on this venue for friends to gather as all live 100 miles apart and decided on Afternoon tea. Staff were very attentive and did a fab job looking after us and served the table numerous pots of tea, so we can’t fault them there.

We chose the venue due to Covid regime they had on website. The tables were spaced and of course masks are not mandatory and most customers didn’t wear them walking about, most staff tried to keep masks on although more often than not they may drop to chin level. But compared to The Dorchester where Visited last year and we left early and caught Covid we all felt rather safe.

Why 4 stars out of 5? Well maybe I’m picky but the selection of cakes were nice but bread was starting to feel dry on outside as had been made then waited to be bought to table I guess and albeit one of our party arrived 15 mins late, so maybe that is why. Also my scones were flat (still tasty) and other two friends were large and fluffy and we had one pot of jam between 3 of us.

Would we return, for sure yes we would.

Staying at sopwell right now. It HAS gone down since my previous stay.
Staff are trying to be helpful. However, the food in the brasserie is no better than pub food at best!!! And the desserts were NOT good.
Exclusive club was too full today. Not enough seating, which is not on when paying a lot of money to access the area!!
Let’s see what tomorrow brings…..,,,

My husband and me have stayed at this hotel 4 times now. We love Sopwell House and recently enjoyed a 2 night spa package. The newly refurbished Cottonmill Club is a must to enjoy. State of the art saunas , hydro pools and secluded private hot tubs. Experience the deep relaxation room and chill on a lounger in or outside in the botanical gardens , sheer bliss. We had two 60 minute treatments and a big shout out to Shizhen for the amazing holistic massage with hot stones. The rooms at Sopwell House are quite large and some overlook the gardens. We ate breakfast, lunch and dinner in the Brasserie and a big shout out to Fion who went above and beyond to make our stay special as it is our wedding anniversary. Young Tara was amazing too very aware of our requirements. Thank you again Sopwell House we will be back!!

I had a really lovely Spa break with my sisters (Wednesday to Friday). Lots of lovely areas to get a drink, the conservatory and the main bar area had great service. The dinners and breakfasts were amazing; I recommend asking for the pancakes for breakfast! Salim and Carl really stood out for excellent service in the brassiere. It is worth getting a package that includes The Club area in the Spa, so many lovely relaxation areas, great hydrotherapy pool and you can make yourself herbal tea. Loved the fitness classes, we just did the Pilates but there was a good range. Amazing treatment rooms, my sister had an outstanding detox treatment with Carolina. The room and beds were very comfortable. We loved our stay and will be back. Thank you

Where do we even start!! This was the shortest stay with only 3 hours at Sopwell House this was a nightmare from start to finish. What was meant to be a nice short break away for our honeymoon this was a huge disappointment. When booking this hotel we had emailed and called numerous times to try and get more information on spa packages etc. to which we was never able to get through! On arrival we was told that our room was not yet ready and we could either go to the cocktail bar (which was shut) or the Terrace bar (which we did not get spoken to for 20mins once we had sat down) We eventually got to order but the customer service was awful, no politeness or even thank you from any of the staff!! We then headed to reception as our room was ready and we asked if we could booked a treatment as this was meant to be a ‘relaxing’ break for us to be told there was no availability for any treatments and we did not have full access to the spa which was not clearly stated on the website. After the frustration of all what had already happened we then got taken to our room by a member of staff who did not follow guidelines at all and accessed our room without being welcomed in, touching all of our belongings! To then realise we was over looking a car park after paying what should have been a luxury stay in a corner suite, it was like staying in a standard room in a hotel that is not luxury at all!
After complaining to the front of house manager we was told they could upgrade us but our time was done here and we insisted of a full refund and to leave straight away. Of course the General Manager was not around and we had to email.. we have had nothing but disappointed and have been told we will not receive a refund due to the hotels terms and conditions!! We have never felt so let down and frustrated from a company like Sopwell House and will not give up. DO NOT STAY HERE YOU WILL REGRET IT FROM START TO FINISH!

Really disappointing stay at Sopwell House. The hygiene was very very poor. My husband and I complained about the whole stay the whole experience was doom and gloom. It was very unfortunate that the manager did not do anything to make us happy. Everything was out of order everything wasn’t working including the Jacuzzi. We couldn’t use the spa on our stay because it was overloaded with people not even a space to sit down. It was very hot when we stayed at Sopwell House and our air-conditioning would in our room would not work. One of the night shift managers said they Could not move us and to be frank he was absolutely awful dreadful behaviour. I then called down again to say that the room was so hot I couldn’t bear it as I wasn’t feeling well. I then got another night manager who brought me up a fan which I asked for it’s called initiative. The room was so uncomfortable and noisy, I then had to call Reception again because the music was booming (So loud ) this was in the early hours of the morning myself & my husband Had not slept a wink. . I then asked could they please move us to a room which was more comfortable and less noisy I mean there are plenty of rooms they could have moved us to considering everything that happened!! it is called customer service, I demanded that they moved us to a more comfortable room which had air-conditioning less noisy and a clean and hygienic room That did not smell. They moved us at 3 amThank you sopwell!!! I cannot believe I had to ask for them to please move us to a room which was more comfortable and less noisy I mean there are plenty of rooms they could’ve moved us to considering the awful experience we have had. Instead of leaving Sopwell House feeling relaxed and at ease I was so so stressed out and I couldn’t wait to get home. I am shocked that Sopwell House didn’t put things right considering their reputation. I will never visit sopwell house again. you have lost a very good customer. Repeat business is The live blood of all businesses.

Unfortunately this hotel has gone down hill greatly since we last stayed here. Rooms are not cheap at £300 a night. Before our arrival my husband called to check how everything would work work COVID. We were told we would not be able to check in early but as soon as we arrived we would have full use of the facilities. After finishing our spa treatment we were told the spa was full and we would have to join a waiting list. At no point during booking or a pre phone call were we told we would have to queue to use the spa. A manager was sent over to talk to us who was extremely defensive and has no customer service experience at all, only making the situation more stressful. After I asked her what compensation they were offering, she begrudgingly gave us a free drink. Totally disappointing and ruined what was meant to be a relaxing experience.