Macdonald Albrighton Hall Hotel

The grounds and core of the building are good. But there are areas of his hotel that are simply not 4*. The bar is very disappointing. The furniture is very old and worn and has a tired 80's feel. The bar itself totally and completely lacks atmosphere. Given this hotel appears to be used by conferences quite a bit this may be what the conference organisers prefer. You would certainly not skip a lecture to linger in the bar. Most disappointing was the restaurant. The food is terribly 80's nouveau cuisine. Beautifully presented but miniscule and signs of a chef trying very hard but with little idea of what his clientele would actually want to eat. The piece de resistance was the 'pont neuf' potatoes. This amounted to nine chips built into a tower! All for £3.50. Not bad, only 39p a chip! I had thought this sort of food had gone. It was like a trip back in time made complete by walking into the faded bar. The room was fine and of about 4* quality. I am due to return for a 3 week business stay. I get hungry in the evening. I will not stay here.

Having just returned from a superb 3 night DBB break at the Albrighton Hotel, we thought our comments may be helpful for anyone considering staying there, as we were concerned after reading previous reviews. At check in the staff were so friendly and informative our room was spacious and very clean with all extras you would expect from a 4 star hotel it over looked the gardens (which were beautifully kept) and the lake, Our dining experience was excellent the restaurant manager Paul and his staff were always friendly & happy and service at dinner and breakfast was excellent. The Spa was the best we have had in any hotel we have stayed in and again the staff were lovely. Bar prices were as you would expect from a 4 star hotel The Head receptionist Jane was always keen to ensure that your stay was a pleasant one. We left the Albrighton hall refreshed and relaxed and hope to return again in the future

Having read the previous reviews I was a little concerned, but we had an excellent experience. Perhaps we were lucky, perhaps it's usually only unhappy guests who write reviews, but we couldn't fault the hotel or the staff (with the exception of the doors - more later). I stayed at the hotel with my husband and toddler, on a 2 night midweek break via the Macdonald website. This is the 4th Macdonald hotel that we've stayed at, all of which have been great (Windsor, Bath, Kenilworth). The receptionist (Heather) was very welcoming, and informative. We had a room in the modern annex - it was spacious, clean and comfortable, with everything you'd expect from a 4 star - toiletries, flannels, tea and coffee, mini-bar, iron and board. Dinner was included in our package on the first night, so we went over to the restaurant. The menu was comprehensive (although I thought there were too many dishes with supplements), and our meal was nicely presented and tasty. There were some pauses between the courses, but I personally like that. The restaurant manager offered to serve our dessert in the drawing room, so that our toddler could stretch her legs, which was a great idea. Breakfast was great both days - freshly cooked, great selection. We decided to have room service on the second evening because of our toddler, which was a bit pricey (£25 for 2 main courses), but no complaints about the quality/service etc. The Spa was lovely - we used the pool twice. It was warm and not too big - great for little ones. And not busy. And the disabled changing room can be used by families if you prefer. I can't comment on bar prices, as we didn't use it, but a bottle of water in the restaurant (I think half litre) was £4.50. This is expensive, but then you're a captive market! Our only complaint was that it felt as though we could hear every door in the hotel bang shut - not a major problem during the day, but not so much fun during the evening/night. We had room 53, which was right next to the entrance of the annex and the stairwell - perhaps it wasn't so noticeable in other rooms. Overall, I'd definitely recommend staying there - although it is on first impression quite a formal hotel, the staff were very welcoming and accommodating, which is very important when travelling with a toddler.

Where do I start? Booked in for a weekend - got a 40%-off deal via last minute but that was still £280 for 2 nights. I suppose the Santa Claus legs climbing up into the main entrance hall chimney should have warned us (oh how we laughed.....) Christmas promotion in June? Our bedroom was small but very nice with contemporary decor - lovely big bathroom. The only problem was that the room was at the end of the newly refurbed stable block and right on the edge of a bend of the main Shrewsbury - Ellesmere road - very hot weather which couldn't be helped but meant we had to have the window open all day and night which made it very noisy. On the Saturday night we also had a very loud disco in the function room outside our room which was going until 12:30am. The hotel should have tried to put non-wedding guests in rooms away from this area. The stable block was otherwise nicely designed but to get to it you had to walk behind the kitchens, the main bin area (very whiffy in the hot weather) and the main delivery and bottle store area - just a shame this area hasn't been more thoughtfully designed with the guest in mind. Breakfast in the restaurant was very good - both service and choice. That was the only good aspect of our weekend. The biggest shock for a so-called 4* hotel was the Terrace Bar - most of the bar shelves were empty - it was like walking into a place that has just gone bankrupt and is preparing to close down. The floor behind the bar was filthy, covered in paper, old wrappings, cracked lino. There were coffee stains all down the shelves and wall under the coffee machine. A small measure of wine was served in a hot, large wine glass. The staff were tired and miserable, in grubby, ill-fitting uniforms. The bar top smelled of dirty dishcloths. Outside was a lovely garden. There were two tables on the lawn with 6 chairs around each - strange for a hotel with over 100 rooms? The first evening approx. 50 empty glass from that afternoon's wedding sat on those two tables for over 3 hours before one of the two members of staff on the bar came out to clear. We sat by the large pond/lake - once we'd removed around 30 pieces of old and new broken glass from the steps and the grass verge. The "Danger, deep water" sign had fallen down and was strewn behind some reeds. Overall - this hotel has HUGE potential - fantastic location, lovely grounds but uncared for, shabby, tired and grubby communal areas - manager needs a kick up the backside. This was 2* at best charging 4* prices.

Stayed at the hotel this last weekend. When we booked we had specifically asked if it was possible for an earlier check in because of a wedding we were attending. We were told that it wouldn't be a problem. We arrived at midday and were told that the room was not yet ready. We accepted that these things happen and so had to get changed in the spa changing rooms. We went off to the wedding and returned at about 3.45pm ready for the reception being held at the hotel. The room still wasn't ready. It finally was ready for occupancy at 4.20pm. At the reception we found just how exhorbitant the bar prices were a pint at just over £3 and a short with mixer at £5.50 even water was £2. It was worked out (oddly enough by the barman- he wasn't very busy at those prices) that a bottle of gin or vodka sells for around £118 a bottle with a couple of the other spirits selling for £26 a shot.. I am not suggesting that as a hotel they should be giving it away but that kind of pricing is ridiculous. As is £1.95 for a Mars Bar or Maltesers! During the course of the evening one of the 2 gents toilets was closed as out of order. Once again these things happen but with 2 wedding parties and a group from the Royal Navy all needing the facilities it was then found that there were no hand drying facilities (electric or towels) and despite numerous requests to the reception none arrived. After the reception we went to our room...very sober at those prices...and I thought I would catch up on the world news via the Teletext only to find that even after all the room preparation the TV remote didn't work. I just wasn't surprised any more that it didn't work. Potentially the Albrighton Hall Hotel could be very nice but is overpriced and too full of it's own importance. Like most of the hotels these days it is run by migrant workers struggling with the language. For that kind of money being asked I expect value and service. This hotel didn't provide either and as a result will make a point of avoiding MacDonald Group hotels in the future.

I have stayed at the Hotel twice now and haven't had any of the problems listed on other reviews, perhaps down to luck I don't know but both times have been okay. At the end of April I stayed there with my wife and I must say we had a really pleasant room with a great view of the garden. Staff were welcoming and friendly and at all times professional. Only minus side of note, the waiters in the restaurant both at dinner and breakfast were pleasant but the service a little slow. As there were only a few other guest this did seem a little strange. But overall I have no real complaints and yes, I would stay there again.

Approaching the Macdonald Albrighton, you would think you were entering a luxury country hotel. Not so. The staff have no idea how to communicate with each other. Whilst checking in, the girl on the reception desk was telling me about breakfast times etc.. when another member of staff just butted right into the conversation. She was livid and didn't hide it! Not very professional, on either side. Just sitting in the reception area for a few minutes, I overheard numerous complaints and thought 'This doesn't bode well'. When I got to my room, it was pleasant enough, although there was an unpleasant musty smell in the air. On entering the bathroom, I could see why - a great big steaming turd had been left in the toilet! Now that's what I call a special gift on arrival! I don't think there is any excuse for that although I admit that I didn't raise a complaint because it was just a tad embarrassing. Had our evening meal in the restaurant and my starter (black pudding and bacon salad with a poached egg) wasn't cooked. The waiter asked 'Would you like the egg cooking a bit more?' and I said 'Err, well I'd like it cooking please!' On the positive side, the fitness club was very good and the person in charge was really helpful when showing me the equipment.

Shocking Hotel, Where can I start? Arrived Sunday at 9.45pm, having travelled from Essex, was really hungry and asked the nice man on reception if we could order some room service, was told that "we only do sandwiches we dont do anything we have to cook!" (we wanted some chips with our sandwiches)! When we had had made our mind up from the vast selection of sandwiches available (NOT) my wife opted for a roast beef, only to be told we have no beef! I ordered Cheese with "Spiced Pear Pickle" only to find that when it arrived some 50 mins later and it was Branston Pickle (how mis leading!) My wife opted for the Ham and Whole grain mustard but no whole grain mustard on the sandwich. After eating the sandwiches I asked if we could have a chocolate brownie and was told "No as we have to cook it!" We were extremely dissapointed from the start with this as room service was stated until 10pm! During our weeks stay we encountered further problems with the service of this hotel, waiting another 1.5 hours for some more sandwiches to turn up one night along with a bowl of soup and some warm rolls, when it eventually arrived, the soup was cold and the bowl was only half full with no warm rolls I telephoned reception to ask about the warm rolls and was assured that they had been ordered from the resteraunt and they where at a loss to explain where they had got to,but assured me they would be along immediatly (but guess what they never turned up!) Furthermore it was advertised as French Onion soup, but was more like an OXO Cube! with some hot water, Oh and the sandwiches had slightly frozen bread! After finishing watching Ramseys Kitchen Nightmares, I decided to take the tray and its contents back to Reception, where the very helpful receptionist bellowed down the phone for the restraunt manager "Martin" who, after a 10 min wait, never showed his face! We, like one other trip advisor, had no hot water for two days! the food for breakfast was always luke warm and on two days the sausages where under cooked. (we decided not to eat in the resteraunt in the evening as we felt we would get better quality in the town centre and would highly recommend The Armoury overlooking the river in the town centre - Extremely varied menu catering for all tastes and it does not cost 28 pounds per head it also has pleasant staff, quick service and the food is hot! When checking out the room rate was incorrect with what I had agreed directly with the hotel before arriving! There were no deductions for the poor service, the lack of hot water, and I was only asked if my stay was Ok after I had paid the bill! We had stayed in the hotel before this review but only for one night, and found the overall standard really quite good, with Molton Brown toileteries in the bathrooms, lots of towels and face cloths, complimentary water, chocolates with room service coffee, although the room we paid 125 pounds for was overlooking a grass verge it was Ok, but upon our return two weeks later all of the above was missing! Clearly as a management consultant myself there is no leadership or direction, no sign of a any manager anywhere. There is also one big fundamental flaw "No Communication" The only good thing about this hotel is the health club which was very good.

The hotel itself, grounds, rooms, leisure club are very good and exactly what you would expect from a 4 star hotel. The service in the restaurant was somewhat disappointing; with us having to wait around 45 mins for a desert one night and 30 mins for coffee the next night However, none of this was comparable to the unacceptable service that we received in the Terrace Bar.The Duty Manager!!! took 3 attempts taking over an hour to produce an edible baguette for lunch. We were in a bit of a hurry so this was very annoying. In the room we saw there is a book that says Albrighton Hall is supposedly one of the top 100 hotels in the country. If the service is of the standard that we received, I doubt this will be the case for much longer.

Super room, newly refurbished with four poster and splendid bathroom(free upgrade). Friendly staff but as found on two previous visits, a horrid cooked breakfast and an overall lack of attention to detail. The Albrighton Hall obviously pre-cook breakfasts and hold under hot lamps. For the third time of visiting and despite it being a quiet mid-week, eggs were solid, bacon and other ingredients dry and hard. Not at all good, in fact awful. Wine with dinner was returned as warm. Apparently wine rack is next to a radiator - why?? Replacement bottle came from outside so a cool/cold red!! Couldn't be bothered to complain again as dinner supposed to be relaxing. Bottled water in room part drunk and had not been replaced. When checking in, room rates different to those when booked. Upon checking out, computer down, no bill, chap at reception answered phone to colleague with a torrent of abuse in front of us.As before attention to detail lacking. Overall still happy to stay at Albrighton Hall when offers utilised but would never, ever pay standard tariff - establishment simply not run well enough. Its OK, good parking, quiet and convenient but in no way is it 4 star justifying 4 star prices.