Crown Hotel

I usually leave positive reviews, but this hotel was a bit misleading. It's not the chain hotel we initially thought it was, but more like a family-run guesthouse managed by Chinese and operated by Indians (no offense intended). **Location:** It's about a 40-minute walk to the city center, and a single bus ticket costs £2.20 for adults. For a European town, the location isn't ideal. However, there are many Chinese restaurants and halal supermarkets nearby, suggesting it's a residential area with a significant Chinese and Middle Eastern population. **Hotel Facilities:** There's no restaurant or gym, but the room was quite spacious and clean. The owner thoughtfully installed a lift in the old building. You have to keep pressing the button for the lift to move (see picture one), which I've never seen in China – it was an interesting experience. **Hotel Service:** Bottled water is expensive in the UK, yet the hotel provided four bottles, which puts it ahead of 80% of its competitors in the UK. The Indian gentleman was tirelessly working on his own, serving as both front desk and concierge. On our checkout day, he was helping an Asian male guest move luggage to another room, and it took us a while to find him, which shows how hard he works.

The room was excellent, and the service was even better. The front desk staff, especially the young man, was very helpful. They also offer free luggage storage. The room itself was large and clean, and they even provided complimentary slippers. The only downside was that there was absolutely no Wi-Fi in our room, even though it was available right outside. Plus, there was no mobile signal either, so we had to leave the room to use our phones. This was extremely inconvenient.

Pros: The room was clean and quite spacious. There are plenty of dining options nearby. The housekeeper was very dedicated; they cleaned our room thoroughly every day and even gave us an extra bottle of water one day, noticing we drank a lot. Cons: My request for a high-floor room made in advance was not fulfilled. The check-in process was a bit cumbersome. They required us to download the Goki app beforehand and self-check-in, but we still had to go to the 24-hour front desk to get the electronic key, which was a hassle. Also, the curtains let in a lot of light, so it was bright by 5 AM every day, significantly affecting my sleep.

For our two-day, one-night trip to Oxford, we chose to stay at The Crown in Oxford, which made our itinerary much more comfortable and relaxed. The location is very convenient, and the room is spacious enough and clean. Thumbs up!

The large lawn in front of the hotel is lovely, very pleasant when the sun is out. Breakfast was good too, and the decor has a nice 'old money' feel to it. The location is convenient if you're driving, but I wouldn't recommend it if you don't have a car. Overall, it's a good place.