3 minute read
e Randolph Hotel, Oxford
The Randolph Hotel, Oxford
BACKGROUND The Grade II listed Randolph Hotel was built in 1864 by William Wilkinson and has a Victorian Gothic façade and internal arched windows as though it has been converted from a chapel. It is named for the Rev Dr Francis Randolph who was the chief benefactor of the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Technology which it faces across Beaumont Street. The Randolph reopened in 2021 after an extensive renovation. It is now a Graduate Hotel, a brand which has 30 US locations as well as the former Doubletree Hilton in Cambridge which is now the Graduate Cambridge. The brand is owned by AJ Capital Partners which also owns and operates Marine and Lawn, a collection of hotels in golfing locations, including the rebranded Rusacks Hotel in St Andrews, the Marine North Berwick and the Marine Troon.
WHERE IS IT? In the centre of Oxford, on the corner of Beaumont Street opposite the Ashmolean Museum and Magdalen Street by the Oxford Martyr’s Memorial by Gilbert Scott. Car parking is available with prices beginning at £45/day for overnight parking. Rates include parking from 2pm on day of arrival until 12pm the following day.
WHAT’S IT LIKE? The entrance on Beaumont Street leads to a concierge desk and the Morse Bar. Light spills down from the stately central staircase, which is festooned with the coats of arms of Oxford
colleges in an Instagram-friendly fashion. Check-in was quickly achieved and we went up to our room on the second floor.
ROOMS The hotel has an extension built in the 1950s, so the floor arrangement is unusual with twists and turns. There are four floors in both buildings. The oldest part is on floors one to three with an attic floor above, while in the newer building, there are three main floors and a mezzanine floor above the ground floor. In total there are 151 rooms, accessed in the old building by either two small but slow lifts or the wide staircase. Rooms are decorated with a mix of traditional and modern elements, typified by the power sockets which, as well as the usual three-point ones, also have an older format that the UK stopped using in the 1950s. Apparently the hotel’s maintenance department converts some of the floor and desk lamps so these sockets can be used.
There is no attempt to conform to the ubiquitous neutral design of today – rooms have bold floral wallpaper, striped curtains, patterned carpets and woodwork painted in dark heritage tones, and some furniture is freestanding. Large arched windows allow for lots of natural light.
There are several room categories and, depending on which building you are in, a variety of views and arrangements (some have baths, some just showers). All have air conditioning, tea- and co ee-making facilities, fridges, a good work desk and lots of art. Toiletries are by New York brand Malin and Goetz.
FOOD AND DRINK The historic Morse Bar is to the left as you enter and then further to the left is The Alice restaurant and bar named after Oxford alumnus Lewis Carroll’s famous books. It has tall windows looking onto surrounding streets, faded plaster walls, dramatic chandeliers and bubble-gum pink leather banquette seating.
The Alice serves British dishes under executive chef Chris Emery. It’s a short menu with few vegetarian options, though if you let them know at the time of booking they have o -menu alternatives, which you would certainly need if you were vegan. The Drawing Room is open for afternoon tea and has comfortable chairs and sofas.
MEETINGS The refurbished ballroom can seat 220. There are two private dining rooms and meetings rooms on the first floor.
LEISURE There is a spa with a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi, all of which have to be booked at extra charge.
VERDICT A lovely refurbishment of a classic hotel with young, enthusiastic sta . This is a special treat when staying in Oxford. Tom Otley
BEST FOR Luxury right in the centre of Oxford
DON’T MISS A drink in the Morse bar followed by dinner at The Alice
PRICE Internet rates for a midweek stay in a Graduate Classic room in October starts from £254
CONTACT Beaumont St, Oxford OX1 2LN; +44 (0)344 879 9132; graduatehotels.com
