Mercure Box Hill Burford Bridge Hotel

Sadly a huge disappointment.! We have known and loved this Splendid Hotel for 40 years and its stunning location and gardens and pool. The staff are wonderful and making the best of what is now a a venue in decline. On arrival in temperatures of 30c+ we were informed that the Air Conditioning had failed again but offered a free breakfast which was welcomed until we arrived the following day when the self service buffet was in disarray following a water leak over the buffet area. Coffee Machine not working and ancient toaster inoperable, almost every hot and cold food on offer of the most cheapest available and inedible. Bacon Dried out, sausage's undercooked and Scrambled Eggs insipid and pale. It pains me to report so negatively however unless I read more positive reviews of improvements we will not be returning.

My friend and I decided to visit the "Sunday Hotel at Box Hill" previously known as the Burford Bridge Hotel. Our visit was an impromptu one, to check out the facilities and view the property, with a view to booking it for a family gathering early next year. Oh dear, how dilapidated it has become. The once 4-star Hotel, owned by Mecure, is now not worthy of 2 stars (in our opinion). On arrival, the sign outside (see photo) is very down market (albeit entertaining for some) and is not suitable for a 4-star property. There was nobody to welcome us in reception, and in fact, nobody to monitor our presence at all. This concerned us from a security point of view, as "anybody " could enter and wander around the hotel! The general fixtures and fittings were tired and grubby. On asking the one member of waiting staff we could find, she said that the hot plates and coffee machine in the breakfast room were broken. It appears that no refurbishment has been done since the post-flood refurbishment in 2013. We looked around the Tithe Barn which was originally quite stunning, to find it also looked tired, and smelt damp and musty. The outdoor pool area was heaving, as we understand it is open to anyone now, advertised as a "Lido". Therefore reducing its' exclusivity to Hotel guest and members. On looking at the website, we were unable to find details of menus or pricing. On leaving, we were sad and disappointed to see the once thriving Burford Bridge, become a shell of its' former self. Therefore we will be looking elsewhere to make our booking.

We didn’t actually book because the customer service over the telephone was appalling! Found the hotel on Booking.com, but phoned the hotel direct to ask if we would be able to use the pool during our stay. Firstly it was very clear that the reception was not being manned from the hotel, and went through various option numbers before being able to speak to anyone. I asked if the hotel could match or do better than Booking.com price of £135 only to be told that they could not make any reservations as this facility was closed (10.10 am on a Tuesday morning). We decided that this service did not deserve our money, either direct or via Booking.com