Oxford Spires Four Pillars Hotel - Oxford, United Kingdom 

I can see there are a few negative comments about this hotel, but the Oxford Spires is just right for tourists with ample parking. We had just come from staying at a delightful Wolsey Lodge B&B with a more personal service, but parking issues and with one mirror in the bathroom, not ideal for doing your hair or makeup. So I think this puts things in perspective. The Oxford Spires is a perfectly adequate hotel, 15 minutes walk into Oxford, with enough pubs to distract you (The Head of the River is ideal and also serves food). We didn't bother eating at the hotel, there are plenty of places in Oxford including a super Chinese called Shanghai '30s just up the road. The hotel bar service was good and friendly, as was checking in. We had a standard package and the breakfast was ?15 each, which we bypassed. There are enough establishments in Oxford that will serve the first meal of the day, try Brasserie Chez G?rard in George Street, they open at 10.00 am and have an extensive menu at a fraction of the price plus veggie options.

This hotel is slightly out of town, on the way to Abingdon, which suited us because we were working in Abingdon but may not be suitable for those wishing to actually stay in Oxford. That said, its only a 20 min walk into the town centre, and you can follow the river if you get off the main road which is a lot more pleasurable, weather depending! Re the hotel, neither myself or my two work colleagues were impressed. Rooms are dated, and breakfast average. The hotel is out towards the countryside and I didn't get a mobile phone reception in my room, whilst wireless internet access was available but at a ludicrous ?15 per day. How a hotel can justify this reckless profiteering is beyond me - although I was on expenses I couldn't bring myself to pay this, especially when 99% of the hotels I stay in allow internet access for free as they actually want to encourage guests to use their hotel. The hotel also fails to offer a laundry service, or so I was told by one person on reception, subsequent discussion with a colleague revealing that a different had taken his shirts for pressing. Service is inconistent, although this is more due to staff not being properly trained or being too stretched rather than them not being nice. In summary, look elsewhere first - there are better places, and if you do think you'll be using the internet, price an additional ?15 per day into your budget.