Malmaison Oxford

An amazing stay from start to finish. There were six of us for a surprise for my husband's birthday. From the minute we arrived to the minute we left I cannot fault anybody. I am not very well and they went to extra lengths to make sure everything was OK. Even giving us a private dining room for our evening meal. Unfortunately I didn't take people's names apart from William on front desk. We had booked a cell room but unfortunately there was no air-conditioning. William sorted everything out and we had a room in the main hotel which was huge (411) it had a beautiful roll top bath and a shower with a balcony. My son stayed in a cell room and was fine. We had dinner and breakfast there and the food was exquisite. So much choice for breakfast as well. The people who work there could not do enough for us. Thank you we will definitely be back.

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.

Stunning hotel and perfect location! We stayed in a Club Cell Room and couldn't fault it. The only issue we had was there is no air-con and the windows do not open so it got quite stuffy and hot. Breakfast was pricey but really nice, a great selection of food!

Birthday treat to stay in one of the prison rooms. On arrival, they provided info on the history of the prison and the governor as I expressed an interest during check in. Info about places to visit in Oxford was also provided. They also gave us a free prosecco voucher as the visit was for my birthday. They couldn’t have been more helpful. The room was fantastic with prison features and theme. It was also really quiet! I slept really well. Could not fault it - definitely recommend.

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.