Mercure Gloucester Bowden Hall Hotel

“Lakeside Pods Are Wonderful”

We had our anniversary dinner this evening in one of the lakeside pods. The atmosphere was relaxing and the pod was beautifully decorated without being OTT. We had a wonderful server called Sarah who made it clear nothing was too much trouble. She was attentive and just genuinely so lovely and kin… more

We had our anniversary dinner this evening in one of the lakeside pods. The atmosphere was relaxing and the pod was beautifully decorated without being OTT. We had a wonderful server called Sarah who made it clear nothing was too much trouble. She was attentive and just genuinely so lovely and kind. The food was delicious and generous portions too. At the end of the meal Sarah brought out a lovely surprise plate for our anniversary- such a wonderful gesture. Luke behind the bar was also super friendly and attentive. Overall, I would 100% recommend this dining experience. It felt like a very special evening. Thank you once again to Sarah for making the evening such a smooth one :)

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“Needs improvement”

This hotel could be so much better. It’s classed as a 4 star. Now I don’t claim to know the rating system for hotels however based on experience staying in others of the same level this fell below and I’d put this as a 3 star. As with many things these days the marketing and web site over sells it … more

This hotel could be so much better. It’s classed as a 4 star. Now I don’t claim to know the rating system for hotels however based on experience staying in others of the same level this fell below and I’d put this as a 3 star. As with many things these days the marketing and web site over sells it in my view. The hotel is in an old Georgian house. With hindsight perhaps we should have paid more attention to this fact as it contributes to much of the “down sides “ listed below. The hotel appeared clean and tidy throughout with the exception of the restaurant on the last morning as the floor hadn’t been cleaned since the previous night. We had booked a “Privilege” room as we expected this to be better. Bar a larger room footprint, with not really anymore furniture and the addition of a coffee pod machine, I wasn’t seeing where the extra cost was. The first night there was canned water and biscuits. These were never replaced the entire time. Small thing but not expected from a 4 star hotel. Even in a pub room that sort of thing gets refilled daily. It was supposed to have a “garden view”. More on that below. I think the biggest point of note is the floorboards. We visited four National Trust properties whilst staying here. All much older. None had floorboards that were as noisy as here! I appreciate its part of the building fabric however you could not walk anywhere in the room we had without very loud noises coming from the floor. You could hear people in other rooms too. In the middle of the night the noise could wake you up. There is no lift. This is probably hidden away on the website or maybe we just missed that information. We were on the top floor. Up four flights of stairs. I was offered help from the female receptionist. I declined and later saw her struggling to lug cases down for someone else so it appears there are no porters or such either. I would love to see the health and safety risk assessment for that one! There was a wheelchair lift to first floor if required. There was also no air conditioning. Something I would expect these days. Especially in a hotel pitching itself as 4 star. The very old single pain sash windows only opened a few inches (quite rightly for safety) either at top, bottom of if lucky both (and they weren’t quiet to operate either). As I’ve said we were top floor. In summer any year, but especially this year it was uncomfortable . There was a large, fixed floor fan provided but even on its lowest setting it was very loud and did little to improve the lack of ventilation. Having the windows open created another issue. Our room was on a corner. One window over looking the car park (even more on that later) and the other overlooked other hotel buildings with some what I think was ventilation outlet noise. Ergo there was an issue at night. A hot room and outside noise were not conducive to a good nights sleep and neither of us hand one after three nights. On the last morning we overheard a party of guests discussing how some had it and couldn’t believe others didn’t. I suspect in winter it’s the opposite due to the ceiling heights as I think it was maybe one radiator in the room. You could hear the drone of traffic (the M5) in the distance. This was ok but motorcycles being louder were noticeable at night/early morning. I would describe the bed as “very firm” . Not uncomfortable but noteworthy as such ( we have from at home). Further on the “requires updating” piece all the plug sockets were on the far wall. Miles away due to the size of the room. At least one must’ve been low wattage as high speed chargers wouldn’t work. We found two that worked ok. The bedside lights were ceiling downlighters on a dimmer switch. Think back to Georgian building, high ceilings and your side light is 20 ft above you. These weren’t usable as they just lit up more than the “traditional” , and less intrusive, table/reading lamp I’d expect. Still on more “modern” things the water pressure in the shower was poor at best. It was sited over the taps at the top of the bath. For me the hotel shower is a litmus test. You want to be able to have a decent, refreshing shower daily. Now I’m not a big guy by any means ( 5”11, slim) but I was huddled up trying not to bump into the taps or fall over whilst trying to shower and checking that yes, there is actually water coming out as I couldn’t physically feel it. Anyone of a bigger frame would’ve struggled.There were no grab bars either to help you get in and out (of balance). The toilet I think is the lowest one I’ve ever used. Quite odd. Again something we didn’t note, or was not obvious to us, that is that this is a very dog friendly hotel. There were at least four or five we saw while staying. Now I’m a dog owner who personally would never bring a dog to a hotel and I wasn’t prepared for any to be there. One night someone had a dog which was on the large size of medium in the lounge. We’d gone down for a bite to eat and a drink. This dog was of a breed that must struggle to breathe at the best of times but the sound of it struggling in the heat was so loud, disconcerting and not very pleasant considering we were (trying) to relax and eat. Again not something I’d expect at a 4 star establishment. If you’re going to allow dogs it would be better to place some form of area restrictions common indoor areas especially where people eat. This also meant the grounds were at times used for dog exercise and associated “activities”. It’s not much fun eating breakfast and looking out at dogs doing what they have to. Everyone was clearing up however, again, a more specific area, especially away from the restaurant and lounge would be better. The breakfast was “ok”. There was a good choice but nothing again screaming “ this is a 4 star breakfast buffet”. Perfectly adequate would be my description. I’ve had better at my local garden centres. We ate in the lounge area on two early evenings. Again I’d class it as average at best. We had a pizza one night and a ham sandwich (not a sandwich). I can’t adequately pitch a level of quality but I think you’d get better at a local pub. Edible but not amazing. The menus in the room also differed from the lounge which caused some confusion and we were told they were out of date. We were helpfully sorted out in the end. The bar itself again, I have to say, was sub par for what I would expect. Drinks menu was limited and if you wanted a cocktail , well that came out of a can! I’d say they’re serving staff behind the bar rather than an actual bar person . The property is also a wedding venue. This is clear on the web site and I guess the market they are mainly aimed at. We weren’t however, made aware of the fact that there was one during our stay either when we booked or on arrival until we saw things arriving for it’s preparation ourselves. Now back to fact that the room was overlooking the car park. It also overlooked the venue. Bearing in mind how hot it’s been lately ( but would be the same any summer I’d say), the last night we couldn’t have any windows open as there was so much noise coming from the loitering “chuggers” outside the venue and kids running around . Guests were also very noisily coming to bed up to 1.30 am. This was after I’d had to complain to room next door who decided to have a disco (not the hotel's fault but it was part of our “experience”). It would be better if the bookings for wedding guests are nearer the venue end (or even a separate part) and everyone else is away at a quieter part. A simple thing like a lower chain has of simple signage for guest behaviour to keep quiet would help. The weddings obviously also give them an issue as at breakfast the following morning with “freeloaders” trying to get a freebie. There seemed to be quite a bit of guest “wrangling” by the team lead going on to mitigate this. The one thing that saves this place are in fact the staff. Everyone we met was friendly, polite and appeared to genuinely make the effort . They are a real credit to the company and probably don’t get paid enough. In terms of overall location it’s ok but if you need to head out on the A46 this is via “nuthill” which is a narrow lane and larger cars can manage it ( unless you go the “long way via ring road “ but you have to be wary I would say. The other direction is mainly residential until you hit the ring road. Overall, in its current format I wouldn’t return. If investment was made I think it would need to be sizeable and is perhaps why it’s not been done. Up until the last night it was “ok” but that was just the final nail. Due to personal circumstances this short break is it for this year and in my humble personal opinion there would’ve been better places to stay I’m afraid.

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