It's worth mentioning that it is clear this hotel is not being regularly updated on Yelp. It has since been taken over by Graduate Hotels and likely under new management. We absolutely loved our stay. The staff were friendly and professional. They even entertained my line of nerdy history questioning. The building has a long history and it's been well taken care of over many years. Centrally located and easy for us to get around Oxford with little effort. The suite we had was a great value and the entire hotel is incredibly charming. Be sure not to miss a cocktail at the Morse Bar located just off the lobby entrance. read more

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Came here only for the afternoon tea experience. This is one of those places I've bookmarked for a while now... the Randolph does high tea in the most proper, balanced way in Oxford. For what you see in the photo, you can expect to pay around £100. Though it's worth almost £50 per head, it's obvious that the quality and quantity speaks for itself. I got full already from just the basic tea sandwiches, before even touching the scones or the delectable desserts. Another reminder to come with an empty stomach! It's simply not a "snack" but rather, closer to a full-course meal. One thing I'd note is that the cakes & jam are very ordinary. Clotted cream was better at the Tea Garden as well. Nonetheless, the atmosphere was lovely, and you can't find a better place in Oxford. I'd absolutely recommend the afternoon tea at the Randolph if you are able. One minor hiccup was the reservation part. Even though my party arrived on time, we had to wait an additional 15-20 minutes to be seated. Other than that, the quality of our experience was exceptional. read more

Macdonald Randolph Hotel - My afternoon tea - Hotels Near Me - Oxford, OXF

I went here to go to the bathroom and the interior design was beautiful and amazing. But when we asked if we could get a table for afternoon tea they laughed us away. Some of the doorman was very nice but maybe some of the staff was a little snobby and rude read more

Had a try at the Acanthus restaurant - service was decent and sufficient, the background music and atmosphere was lovely and I also enjoyed the music and the food. I ordered T-bone steak, the sauce to go with it is fantastic and chips are really nicely done - tho I had wished chips didn't have to have as much salt on them. Andy ordered chicken breast with sausage. It is a very nice dish and I really wonder if the inspiration of this dish came from oriental cuisine? The sausage taste really oriental, very nice and different to the normal sausages. Dessert chocolate pudding was also worth the money, however the strawberry on the dessert felt a bit dry, must be pre-cut and prepared rather than freshly cut. Overall, I think it is a great place for above average food. However, is the food worth the price? Maybe only for very special occasions. read more

I'm lost, I can feel my head wandering, corridor to corridor up and down stairs. She said it would only be there but yet I look, my mind a cacophony of numbers one after the other. They seem to come almost at random shining through the vestibules bang, bang, bang. Opening my eyes I finally I found my room..... Some would call this place charming and it certainly has the olde world feel to it. For those that remember "Morse" there was regular filming here, the staircase and dining room has understated beauty with old features such as the original oak beams and coats of arms that adorn the walls. Very Oxford, with a price to match. The staff were friendly and did not put a foot wrong but I left wondering how the hotel had five stars displayed outside their door. I was in the new extension which, I presume for heritage reasons, was almost tagged on to the body of the building and meant you had to weave though an almost labyrinthine maze of corridors and steps. The rooms were nice big and clean but nothing made it stand out (though the cucumber Moulton Brown shower gel was aaaaamaaazing!). Breakfast, while not being a disappointment was again nothing special, the standard of a good 3 star or regular four star place. Dinner was above average and topped off with an excellent crème brûlée. There was little that blew me away about the conference rooms but nothing wrong. In general its a good solid hotel with has that that wonderful olde world charm but finds it difficult to justify the 5 star rating read more

Macdonald Randolph Hotel - A dark picture of a regular room - Hotels Near Me - Oxford, OXF

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This review is for the Afternoon Tea at the Randolph. We did it last Saturday and made sure to have a reservation - which we made early that morning. Got there for tea at 2pm. Hubby was trying to make me feel better after a row with a car mechanic and their shoddy manager. It did the trick. We both got the full afternoon teas which comes with an assortment of sandwiches, scones and pastries. The area where Afternoon tea is served is a room that is also the walk through for guests who need to check into the hotel. Although not private, it didn't take away from the ambiance or feel of the afternoon tea vibe. We got our teas and our delicious spread. Surprisingly we were starting to get full by the time we got to the pastries. I probably had one too many scones with clotted cream, but they were delicious - I couldn't help myself. Everything was fresh and tasted very good. While I would love to be a frequent guest for afternoon tea, it is a little rich and sweet to do too often. However, every so many months I would love to return and have afternoon tea and relax. It's really worthwhile. Price is a little higher than teas you'd find anywhere else, but you get what you pay for. And I'd pay for it again... but thats just me. read more

Fantastic hotel, fabulous rooms and staff. Set perfectly within walking distance of everything really worth seeing in Oxford is the Randolph. Directly in front of the Ashmolean museum. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. This will always be my hotel of choice in Oxford from this point on. There is only one negative aspect, and it is really not that big of a deal...but it is hard to get around. There are a lot of steps up and then down and corridors that turn into mazes. I had my part of the hotel down pretty quick, but I noticed people were often lost. So, if you see a few skeletons just ignore and hope your fate is not the same. lol..really this is a great hotel and experience. read more

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Extremely charming and great place for a drink. Food not so great but I wouldn't chose this for food.

I loved the breakfast! Great choice of food, delicious coffee and everything was fresh. I liked the dinner too. I tried roasted beetroot, wood pigeon, sea bass, lamb, steak and butternut squash risotto and Aberdeen Angus rib from the beef trolley. Everything was great! They bake their own bread (delicious) and serve mini sorbets between courses, which was very nice. The best thing was the flambé trolley for dessert, cooked and served by Giuseppe. read more

The picture looking out my window says it all. I am writing this during my stay. They were ablE to check us in early, but this is a Delux Room, so don't be fooled. read more

Macdonald Randolph Hotel - View from room. - Hotels Near Me - Oxford, OXF

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If you can tolerate the Old Man Fart smell around the building... then I've found a place for you! This hotel screams of old fashion English ambiance and is within walking distance of seeing the colleges nearby as well as being within proximity of various eateries and bars. It was my first time to Oxford, so the man thought of staying here since he always saw the hotel when studying at Oxford. We got a suite, which it's sky high celings and oh so cushy bed. And I don't care what others say about the "cramped" rooms: their bathroom was as big as the damn room! Shoot...I think the bathroom itself was size of NYC studios!!! Turn down service is great, staff responds promptly for any requests and thanks for always having the turn down service done with a delicious mint placed on our pillows after our day adventures. This place is definitely an indulgence and most would say no, it's not worth it. I say it's worth experiencing once if you visit Oxford as it's a walkable spot to the main street of shopping and eateries and to all the collges and it's right across from the Ashmolean museum, which is free to get into. read more

Sadly I can't review the rooms, as it's a bit out of my price range, but it's certainly worth goggling at the Randolph from the outside. Pretty much every big name overnight visitor to Oxford has sampled its delights, and it's old enough to have a fair old list. If you're an esteemed business guest or fancy a luxury, it's undoubtedly the place to stay, especially with its central location so near to the theatres, cinema, museums and train station. If you just fancy popping in and feeling grand for a bit (don't we all!), try afternoon tea. It's worth booking in advance, and you definitely need to dress smartly, but they're perfectly used to people trying it out and don't look down on you. You can sometimes see inside through the windows, and the grandeur is impressive but not tacky. You can get a champagne afternoon tea, or a normal one, with sandwiches, cakes, scones and tea. Yum! read more

The Randolph apparently is Oxford's finest hotel - and that is presumably the reason why it is still in business. I stayed at the Randolph on several occasions, but mostly for the lack of a suitable alternative. Let us therefore start with the good things about that place: its location is excellent, just opposite the Ashmolean museum, and a minute's walk to Broad Street and most of the University facilities and colleges. The Randolph Hotel has a very nice restaurant. It looks and feels slightly stuffy, but that only adds to its charme. Food is quite nice, with a great choice of different three-course menues each evening. The waiters are friendly and welcoming, and the dining hall (it is a dining hall rather than a restaurant) gives you a slight reminiscence of having a formal dinner at an Oxford college. On the other hand, the rooms are almost appalling. They have leaning walls with almost no right angle. Most of them are on the small side (even the suites), and are overly dominated by massive king-size beds leaving almost no room for walking or placing your suitcases. Most of their rooms feel like they have not been renovated since the Tudor times, and the bathrooms have strange steps and skritings to cover up the electric wiring and waterpipes. Not even the Randolph's Molton Brown amenities make up for that unpleasant site. The hallways are long and crooked and you are at risk of getting seriously lost if your room is in one of the Randolph's annexes. Worst of all, the (considerably high) room rate does not even include the entrance fee to the spa. Wholly unworthy of a luxury hotel ! P.S.: A luxury hotel should not serve Twinings tea bags for High Tea ! read more

The Randolph is held in great awe by the students, a place to go for tea when your parents visit, then one day you finally get to stay there and it's a bit of an anticlimax. It's nice, but it's not amazing. There are new hotels in Oxford now that I'd choose over the Randolph. The one in the prison perhaps (I'm not joking). read more

We stayed here for 3 nights and were underwhelmed by the accommodations. Our room was quite small and was in need of remodeling. My father in law described it as "a bit moth eaten" which I think sums it up perfectly. The service at the hotel was very unimpressive. We lost hot water in our rooms 3 times, and we had to call the front desk 10-12 times each time to get ahold of them. They just never picked up the phone. Not having hot water, plus not being able to reach someone to help us, was a very unpleasant experience. After they "fixed" the hot water, all we could get was hot water and it actually scalded me when I turned on the tap. After this incident the front desk manager provided us with keys to a new room so that we could shower in there. The new room was MUCH nicer than our room... it was about twice the size and had clearly been remodeled recently. If you stay here, I recommend asking to stay in one of their newly remodeled rooms. A side note on the spa..... STAY AWAY. We scheduled a massage there and when we got to the spa were led to a relaxation room. The room had dirty sheets and towels strewn all over it and dirty cups and glasses on the side tables. They told us that they only clean the room once/day at the end of the day. Then when I went to the bathroom I saw that one of the toilets had fecal matter all over the seat. I promptly went to the front, cancelled our massages, and high tailed it out of there. read more

This hotel has the worst staff. The white wine from the minibar had been replaced with water - brought it to the staff to ask for a replacement - they accused me of the fraud - refused to replace it. If you want to overpay for a 1 star hotel that thinks they are a 5 star hotel - you have found your Mecca. read more

Macdonald Randolph Hotel - Pic below is a fellow oxford Alum. - Hotels Near Me - Oxford, OXF

We stayed two nights at the hotel and had a wonderful time. The hotel is beautiful and the rooms very comfortable and well appointed. My only issue is the housekeeping staff. The restaurant was very nice but the menu wasn't all that special so we only had lunch and breakfast there. The lobby/bar area is always very crowded due to many tour groups waiting to check in/check out and can be stressful. There is also limited seating. I understand its an old hotel and with space limitations but when the hotel knows a large tour group is about to arrive or depart they may want to arrange for a waiting area for these guests in order to keep the lobby from feeling like a train station. At times a foul sulfur smell was evident in the lobby and the hallways. Housekeeping staff on multiple times came into my room while I was sleeping or working even when I had the 'Do Not Disturb' sign out. They also give you zero time to answer the door before they walk in. This is uncomfortable when I was in the shower. The Mini-bar folks also do not wait long enough before knocking before entering. I also found the sound in the hallway at night/early morning to be very loud and disturbing. As I was the last room on the hall I can only assume the noise was coming from the staff. Doors banging shut and loud conversations. Disappointed in the lack of wi-fi. Besides these few issues the general staff, especially the front door man, were very nice and professional. Would stay again. read more

Afternoon tea in the Drawing Room of the Randolph Hotel, Oxford is an indulgence; and so English! The Victorian opulence is faded to just the right level, and the perfect setting to 'take tea' as I notice Americans call it. The sandwiches and cakes are served on triple plated cake stands and the scones are so fresh and light I thought they were homemade and not store bought. You feel like you have travelled back in time to a more genteel era, although there is nothing snooty about the place; the atmosphere is informal and the staff very friendly and accommodating, especially the head waiter. We always have one afternoon tea between two and order an extra pot of tea which cuts down the cost, last time I visited it was around £17 for the afternoon tea. Can get quite busy, I am not sure if it is possible to book. It is definitely on my 'must do list' when visiting Oxford. read more

This review is for the bar, although my impression of the hotel was that it was definitely first class. On our tour of Oxford, our tour guide recommended we stop in at the Randolph hotel for the best Long Islands. I thought it was odd at first because Long Islands arent considered upscale drinks, and the hotel definitely seemed like a 4-star place. But we tool his word for it and my husbad ordered a long island and I ordered a mojito. They were the best we've ever had! I watched them make the drinks meticulously, mixing in each ingredient carefully. They also use top shelf liquor and serve your drinks with a complimentary platter of olives and bread crisps. Service was top notch - unlike anything I typically experience in the U.S. If my experience at the bar is indicative of an experience as a hotel guest, then Id say you're in excellent hands! read more

Posh hotel, allegedly nice cocktails, but really overpriced and underdone. Never stayed there, but the hotel bar is pretty typical, though they make a big deal out of a tenuous Morse connection. Yay. read more

Lovely grand hotel in the heart of Oxford (although my Dad says it used to be THE place to stay, it went downhill after it got taken over my various hotel chains). Friendly helpful staff, lovely rooms with chocolates on pillows (always a bonus), powerful showers, crap view of some air conditioning vents (oh well, curtains hid that!), great breakfast - the black pudding was a delight, on the greasy and slightly spicey side, yum! Here for a wedding and the reception rooms were lovely - high ceilings, spacious, plainly decorated. Lots of Oxford themed decorations. I'm giving 4 not 5 stars as they had Sky One, ITV 2 etc on the TV in the room, but no E4, which meant I couldn't watch the Hollyoaks omnibus while I was getting ready. read more

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The grand old dame of Oxford. Without question the most famous hotel in Oxford's historical core. Morse has been filmed here, Michael Jackson has stayed here and i can't even entertain the idea of forking out the £275 quid to stay a night here! Expensive, but extremely luxurious. My Graduation ball was held here and it really was the most fantastic venue. Some websites do special rates for the Randolph, I think as cheap as £150 per night. If you can't afford to stay here, at least have a snoop round. Go for afternoon tea or just poke your head into the lobby. It's really quite a spectacle. read more

Macdonald Randolph Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Oxford, OXF

Stayed here twice this month because we reserved months ago based on an outdated reputation. "Grand Dame" says it all - she's way past her prime, though the rooms themselves vary from unmemorable to lovely. The great location is her strongest point. Otherwise she is now a bit long in the tooth. One tiny elevator is broken and the other constantly in use by the housekeeping staff - who seem oblivious to any guest needs for a lift. Expect to climb stairs. Also expect poor internet - if you can connect to The Cloud at all. (Hours wasted.) And what is the odd foot smell in the lobby each time we walk in? Way over priced for what you get on a worldwide basis, but "what the market will bear" in Oxford. Location, location, location. Indeed. read more

Macdonald Randolph Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Oxford, OXF

I was at this hotel on a business trip. I was in two different rooms as the first one did not have a Wifi connection that was stable enough to even connect. Once I changed rooms (they put me in a much smaller room from a big one, which is reverse from how it should be) a woman walked in my room the instant she knocked. I was just about ready to take a shower but wasn't undressed yet. I expect, from a five star hotel (from any hotel really) that staff waits a reasonable moment before throwing the door open. Pro's: - Great location right around the corner from downtown Oxford - beautiful old building - Friendly, helpful staff. It currently is the strength of the hotel, despite the incident with the lady walking in. - Good enough breakfast, but it doesn't come anywhere close to the level of a Steigenberger Hotel breakfast. Since they have five stars I would hope for more options. Con's: - painfully slow internet. It may also be quite possible that you have to change rooms. Ask at the reception when checking in if there is definitely internet in the room they are putting you in, so that they don't book the last room that has internet while you are figuring out that internet doesn't work in your room. - It can take a long time to get your car out of valet. I was told it would take 5 minutes or less, but waited 20 minutes the next day. - The food the room service brought was quite mediocre, but there are plenty of great options for restaurants in the area - very, very small gym to the point that it seems to only be there so that the hotel can say that they have one. It is poorly vented as well (no windows) and has only a few pieces of equipment. - There is currently a lot of construction, which didn't bother me directly but may be an issue for some. read more

Good, but not amazing. Room was nice and clean. Hotel was central. Nice view of the musuem. Food in restaurant was delishious. We had b&b for £189.00 - Dinner was £70. All added up if seemed a bit steep for what it was. Breakfast and dinner were excellent. read more

Arriving at this supposedly five star "best hotel in Oxford" I say, if you like to shell out massively and enjoy inconsiderate service and typical english building / electricity - this is the place to be. I arrived late for dinner and was welcomed by a nice lady at the front desk who told me to take the elevator to the first floor for my room. Thinking I could walk one flight of stairs I did that - just to find out that my room was at what feels the other end of Oxford and another 23 steps up and down through the building. All that with my luggage. Finally arriving at my room I had to find out that the two keys I was given didn't work. Trekking back getting new keys without any apology, running back, dropping luggage and off to dinner. Later during that first night in this "Top class" hotel the electricity failed completely. The helpful person at the front desk told me that they know about that, and that they try (!) to find a new room. Only after complaining that I can't shower and shave in the cozy light of my iPhone, I got a new room "only opposite of yours". Opposite meant, in this case, at the other end of the building but at least I could shower. The SECOND night, electricity in the new room failed partially - lights worked, outlet and TV not. I guess at 245 GBP a night one can't expect a fully working room. Staff didn't even ask whether I enjoyed my stay or how I liked it, although they should know that this review is not only going to yelp but as well to my employers travel service to never ever book that place again. There are much better hotels in Oxford: The Old Bank or the Malmaison come to mind. Oh and I ordered an egg white omelet for breakfast which came after my colleague already finished his breakfast - and was salty as a salt lick stone. Oh and the two stars are only because I am a nice person. read more

Fantastic Restaurant and really good servis. I am strongly recoment to visit. The food was also really goog. Well done read more

Anyone who knows of this hotel probably also knows it is among the best of the best, whether by word of mouth, or by seeing its 5-star rating proudly displayed outside the front. As expected it is expensive. I have been here once for a casual afternoon drink with a cousin I hadn't seen in a while. The servings are a bit small but the service and seating is top of the line and the atmosphere is brilliant. I advise just walking inside and taking in the place. I hope that one day I'll be able to pull enough pennys together to eat a full meal at their restaurant. read more

Oxfords only five star hotel. A grand building opposit the Ashmolian hotel. Allthough I have never stayed I have had afternoon tea in the lounge which is styled very grand if not aa little dated read more

A funky, historic old hotel in a nice location. A bit stuffy, but clean and comfortable. Breakfast is excellent.

Traditionally, the Randolph is viewed as Oxford's grandest hotel. However, in recent times it has been surpassed by a number of boutique hotels as well as the Malmaison in the Oxford Castle. Nevertheless it is still one of Oxford's premier venues and it's excellent location makes it ideal if for a weekend stay if you can afford the prices! read more

I once went to the Randolph a long time ago and was bowled over by how impressive and posh it was! Sadly, I visited recently and realised that it is now sadly overpriced and nowhere near as good as I remembered before. Whilst the location is still unbeatable, being just opposite the Ashmolean museum, the food was quite mundane, the rooms were sadly in need of refurbishment and the whole atmosphere was of a grand old lady gone to seed. However, as other people have mentioned, the afternoon tea is something to be recommended and worth popping in for that experience (if you don't mind spending quite a bit, as everything here is very pricey). read more

this 5 star hotel doesnt need introducing but i will its the randolph hotel and everyone knows its name in oxford as its famous. this hotel offers great rooms and great food and is also very famous as has appeared on tv shows and is said to be haunted by lots of ghosts. its a great place to stay when visiting but can be quite pricey but its definately worth it . read more

Great location, lovely lobby. Promises so much. Felt happy after arriving on long flight from LA. Booked 2 rooms close to one another. Hotel had upgraded one room which was now on a different floor to the other room, a number of stairs and corridors away. No view from the room, looked over Debenhams brick wall. Got totally lost trying to find reception. Seemed a ridiculous thing to do.nwas quite upset at this point. Once away from the lobby the hotel is tired and dark. Fortunately a girl on the desk was very helpful and upgraded us to rooms next to one another, hence the three stars. Otherwise would have given 2. Only stayed one night, but was disappointed in the hotel. Not a luxury hotel, and doesn't warrant the expensive room cost. I was grateful I didn't have to pay for the nicer room. Would have probably checked out if they had kept us in the initial rooms. Hate the way your credit card is charged with extras at check in and then credited. Especially as I have to pay fees for international card use. Would try and find a different hotel if visiting Oxfrod again. The Randolph is not the hotel it thinks it is. read more

Beautiful hotel and dining in the grande restaurant where the service is impeccable will make a memorable experience of staying in Oxford.

Before I went for this hotel, I checked reviews, many had comments about it not being good enough.. well my experience was incredible! Whatever they were doing wrong they've certainly fixed it ! I just had my wedding breakfast and wedding night here. The service was absolutely EXCELLENT ! The staff were so helpful throughout the dinner which stretched on and on and on (our fanilies and guests hadn't seen each other for a LONG time) they remained cheerful , helpful , sncerely pleasant throughout .... Even I couldn't believe it. The weddng package we went for offered us a complimentary stay at the hotel the same day and another one on our anniversary. My husband and I expected a regular room, but found a suite with rose petals on the bed, Complimetary Champagne and chocolates in the living room space , everything was fluffy and perfect. The food was pretty good too , but the service was what was outstanding. And , believe me, if you're preparing a wedding on a tight budget and a tight schedule you need the service to be great. I couldn't reccomment this hotel enough! read more

You have to be British to rate this aged place any higher than 2 stars. I was recently involved in a company presentation at the Randolph and the senior partner who gave the opening speech commented that his career had started in the same room some 20 years ago and even the wallpaper hadn't changed. The food was a disgrace, I had difficulties to have conversation because the dry chicken skewers were sticking in my mouth for minutes and it took me water to swallow them down. Stuffy, aged, arogant, but hey, after all: it is The Randolph. read more

Had dinner in the Drawing Room. A really traditional English menu was served, including lamb with a rosemary sauce. I'm not a big fan of British cuisine so maybe I'm the wrong person to ask, but everything is so starchy and meaty. The Randolph is probably not the only fine dining resto to do this, but someone needs to tell them that the recommended vegetable serving is a little more than a fig sprig or mint leaf lying on top of a piece of mutton. read more

I would gree with moody it is an excellent location central to all the collages and shops but very over priced but arn't all central locations. read more

I just went on a trip around England with my family. We planned a night in Oxford and thought this hotel looked good on the website so we booked it, even though it was more expensive (over $500/night!) than any of the others we stayed at. Wow, were we disappointed. This is a terrible hotel - from the service to the accommodations. Somehow, the reservation we made (which we had in an e-mailed confirmation) was different than what the hotel had when we tried to check in. The front desk was very unhelpful trying to fix the situation but, after insisting the manager come address the problem, it got fixed but without an apology. The rooms were small, the hotel was dirty, the furniture and decor was old and tattered, there was a sewage smell in the entire first floor hallway and, when we reported it to the front desk, they barely cared and just said they'd send someone up to spray some air freshener. There is a nightclub on the back side of the hotel that is loud late into the night. I could go on and on. This hotel needs to be completely remodeled and needs a new staff. Don't say you weren't warned. read more