The Buttery

Quaint hotel that was once a bookstore and restored by its current owners. Only 2 rooms on each floor, large size with an absolutely spectacular view, walking distance to a great variety of interests

Fantastic location and excellent service from the staff, who allowed us to stow our bags while we explored after we checked out and helped us take our big bags up and down the stairs (they are quite steep). The room was very spacious compared to a regular hotel and was plenty warm enough. However the windows are only single glazed so noise gets in pretty easily if people are hanging about on the street below.

Excellent central location to see all of Oxford. The Stairwells were... Unusual. Twisting and turning. Lol

Its what estate agents would term “a development opportunity”. Like most Oxford hotels it isnt where it needs to be. So it compares well with the competition. The best approach to staying in Oxford is to stay in London and come up by express train in 50 minutes.

Good place for an overnight in Oxford

Great central location, however it can be very noisy early hours out side

Cozy centrally located hotel in Oxford.

A rather unpleasant stay at The Buttery Hotel While the location of The Buttery Hotel is excellent for sightseeing—making it easy to walk to many places of interest and saving us a lot of time—our overall stay was not what we hoped for. A minor point, but one that surprised us, was having to pay for the stay upon check-in rather than at checkout. The rooms were a good size and felt spacious with their high ceilings. They were well-equipped with a coffee and tea maker, and the staff replenished the tea bags, coffee pods, and biscuits daily, which was a nice touch. However, the beds were a major issue. They had old spring mattresses that were very noisy and uncomfortable, making it difficult to get a good night's sleep. The rooms also have portable air conditioning units with a vent that goes out the window. While they would certainly make a summer stay more comfortable, they are quite loud and could be a nuisance at night. The bathrooms, on the other hand, seemed to have been renovated and were a decent size. However, the most significant problem was the horrible sewage smell in our room, Room 301. It was so strong that it made our stay very unpleasant, particularly at night when we had to try and sleep with that awful odor. We did report the issue to the reception, and while the staff was always polite, we received conflicting information. One team member said the problem was from an external source, while another admitted it was a known issue from the bathroom. This left us feeling frustrated, as the hotel seemed aware of the problem but hadn't addressed it. They did offer us a 10% refund on the final bill for the inconvenience in our room, but I would still strongly recommend avoiding Room 301 if you book this hotel. Another important thing to note is that the hotel has no elevator. The stairs are quite narrow, which makes carrying heavy luggage to the upper floors very difficult. Additionally, there is no on-site parking available. Parking in the surrounding area is very expensive, costing between £25 and £30 per day. For travellers arriving by car, my recommendation would be to use one of Oxford's park-and-ride services. These cost around £4 per day for parking. From there, you can take a short Uber ride to the hotel. This method is far more cost-effective for multi-day stays. For instance, four days of parking at a park-and-ride would be £16, plus two Uber rides (around £20), for a total of approximately £36. This is a significant saving compared to the £120 you would likely spend parking in the city center for the same period. In summary, while the hotel's location and the size of the rooms were good, the lack of comfortable mattresses and the overwhelming smell in our room made for a very disappointing experience.

Just be aware of what this is - it is a 4-star "guesthouse" - so DON'T expect it to be a 4-star hotel experience on a great deal. The room was nice, but they seem to have engaged in a box-checking exercise to achieve 4 stars for the room (like having portable air-conditioners going out of the windows) without the feeling of a 4-star hotel. There are no public spaces in the hotel whatsoever. The location is very central, but unfortunately this means that it looks right over the wooden benches on Broad street, where you will likely have teenagers hanging out and making lots of noise until well past midnight. Parking is also on your own, which will be super expensive.