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It can be very difficult to make judgements about the success of otherwise of a piece of interior design, even when staying for a couple of nights. There are now a dozen of industry awards for ‘Hotel of the Year’ or ‘Best Design’ most of which seem to consist of the same cosy groups of people who congregate in a room in London/ Paris/ New York/ Los Angeles to sip wine, nibble canapés and make judgements based on expensive photography and carefully constructed pr blurbs.
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A scene of tranquil waters on which swans, grebe, coots, moorhen etc. paddle where machinery extracted gravel - click to see more
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"in an area of high repute for its beauty, easily accessible, quiet but on the motorway network with decent architecture, it ought to sing"
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Every hotel Reviewed on Hoteldesigns is judged not on images or PR, but on the experience of staying in the hotel, sometimes a conversation with the designer, but always a chat with a housekeeper or operational figure from within the hotel too. If I can’t stay we will just run a visit as a mini-view in the news columns, rather than making a feature article, which a Review represents. This has resulted in plenty of reaction – from hotels being then included in ‘World’s Best’ lists in other publications (not that they would admit our influence, of course) to other repercussions not so positive.
Cotswold Water Park appears to have everything going for it. The location on reclaimed gravel pits being restored as a series of lakes where conservation is a major driver has been chosen well. Close enough to the centre of England, in an area of high repute for its beauty, easily accessible, quiet but on the motorway network with decent architecture, it ought to sing. The smiling staff speaks highly of an operator who knows the importance of recruiting and training the right kind of people.
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Entrance is into a large space that is part reception, part lounge, part bar. The single large open plan area lacks any sense of intimacy for guests
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Cotswold Water Park
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