Old Bank Hotel in Oxford

Delicious and imaginative food and drink and attentive service. Interesting art on the walls. Don't go if you are hard of hearing, though, as the stone floors re-echo the noise of a crowded restaurant.

Planned to treat my daughter to afternoon tea after a trip to the Botanic Gardens. We didn't get afternoon tea! We arrived at 3.50pm, well after lunchtime, our reception on asking for a table was a little awkward. Can't quite put my finger on why, but it almost felt like an interruption. The terrace was full as it was a blistering hot day, but totally empty inside so we were led to the depths of the dining area. I was given a perplexed look when I asked for a table by the window instead. When we were seated I asked for the Afternoon Tea menu and after a long delay a member of waiting staff arrived with a full dinner and drinks menu, but with no afternoon tea on it. By the time we had settled and realised, they'd gone. My daughter (a teen) was so ravenous I decided to order something quickly rather than have any more delays, and have the hunger grumps from across the table. The food itself was lovely. It then took a long time to attract anyone's attention for the bill. Disappointed with the service, and left feeling uncomfortable with the whole experience. Up until 4 yrs ago we used to go for afternoon tea quite often and it was always lovely and friendly with great service. Update: just looking back at my past reviews and it's interesting to note that the management didn't comment on my bad review. Surprising lack of customer service.

My Fiancé arranged a surprise birthday stay here for us on 10/01/2025. From the moment we walked in, the staff were nothing but amazing, could not do enough to help us. We also were greeted with some champagne and cakes in our rooom plus a little Teddy for our daughter. The room was spacious, beautifully decorated and the bed was super comfortable. The complimentary toiletries were also great quality. We also had great views of the University from our bedroom. The hotel is ideally located for sightseeing and shopping. We had both dinner and breakfast in the Quod restaurant within the hotel. The food and service was impeccable, we were looked after by Manuela at dinner and again she could not do enough for us. All in all, we will definitely return, hopefully for longer next time. Highly recommend.

From start to finish, Sebastian was a gem. I work in the customer service industry myself so I recognize when people go above & beyond. I had a very difficult night and worked many hours upon checking in and was very much looking forward to a bath. I arrived very late into the hotel and Sebastian transferred me into a room with a tub- cheers! Again, above & beyond service. I stay at either the Parsonnage or OB bank but I think OB may be a new favorite.

This is our third stay at the Old Bank hotel and it’s without a doubt our favourite place. The staff are incredible - so attentive and genuinely want you to have the best stay possible. The rooms are fantastic and so comfortable. Could not rate highly enough!

Lovely meal in an ambient setting. Attentive staff especially Tanya.

Free prosecco in the library between 2pm and 5pm 🥂

I will keep this simple: a five star hotel should not have any mold, especially visible. Both rooms had ample mold in my windows (the first one large amount, the second one less but still). I stayed their the night of the 24th. I appreciated they moved me but really, like I said, 5 star hotels should not have mold.

Always take my family for lunch at The Quod..love it. Food great as is the Oxford buzz..

Staff were rude unhelpful and dishonest wouldn’t stay here again

We stayed at the Old Bank Hotel, which we assume was originally a bank. It is three stories with an elevator. First thing we noticed, was the plethora of original art throughout the building. Every time we walked back to our room we would see a “new” unique piece of art that we “missed” the last time we strolled through the hallway or up the stairs. Second, our room was Uber comfortable, with fresh fruit - bananas and apples - provided daily, along with three litres of bottled still water. Nice touch, along with biscotti and shortbread every night. Third, my wife is a scone connoisseur. The affiliated restaurant served scones but my wife found the first serving to be a bit too dry and crumbly, and didn’t want to order again if that was the standard. Well once she told the waiter, the manager came over and explained the reasons why it may have been so. She offered my wife a scone en gratuit before she eventually placed her order. Nice touch. And finally, we had a rental car that I wanted to wipe down before returning, and asked for a rag. Without hesitation they first offered to wipe down the car on my behalf in the morning, as the cleaners had left for the day, but as we were departing early the next morning, they provided a disposable rag and I was able to clean the car myself. In summary, a comfortable, centrally situated boutique hotel in the heart of Oxford, who go out of their way to ensure your maximum comfort. Well done!

While the hotel and team were lovely during our stay we unfortunately had a theft from our room. Security and key tracking is woefully lacking to have allowed this to happen. I was staying in a room a few doors away from my son and I left my room for a few minutes to give him a couple of items. When I returned there was a master key in my door lock (this hotel has traditional key locks rather than swipe cards). I had no idea who this key belonged to that could open my door. A housekeeping team member walked past so I asked why the key was in my door and who it belonged to. She looked a little worried and said to check everything was OK in my room. On the surface it was fine, jewellery in the closet, my bag and purse there so I said all looked fine. Other housekeeping team members gathered and she asked if they all had their keys which they did. The key in my door was a master key that had the same number as all the housekeeping teams keys. It was strange but given everything seemed fine and I heard nothing else from the hotel team I wasn’t too worried. The next morning I received a fraud notification from my bank as I was boarding a plane to another destination. Frustratingly two credit credit cards in my purse had in fact been stolen but given I usually use pay wave I had not noticed. I cancelled the cards and when I got to my destination called the hotel, they took down my details and had the General Manager call me back later in the day to say there had been intruders that had somehow gained access to a master key and that after my call they had logged a police report. They said they would pass my details onto the police. After not hearing from the police I called and logged my own report and police informed me that a number of rooms had been robbed. For a hotel with such high reviews I am furious that this has happened and they did not throughly investigate why the key was in my door initially. Had they done this by reviewing CCTV of who had come in and out of my room I could have been made aware of the theft before the thieves had spent handsomely on my credit card. After speaking to the manager once I have had no follow up either by phone or email. I would also expect they should have emailed all guests staying in the hotel at the time to check all their personal items were in order. It is so disappointing after what started out as a lovely stay. I warn everyone who stayed at the Old Bank Hotel on Sunday 30th June to double check all your credit cards and personal items. Update: in response to your reply, this contradicts what I was told by the police- that a number of rooms had been targeted at your hotel. I also note you’ve made no attempt to personally follow up with me about the matter. I am also confused as to how someone posing as a guest could ‘intercept’ a master key. Abysmal response to an appalling failure.

Outstanding. We could not have asked for anything better. Lovely room, great (really, great) bathroom, good facilities, lovely friendly, helpful staff. Afternoon tea (with special gluten free scones) in the courtyard was a good intro, breakfast on the courtyard was equally lovely. They then cordoned off part of the library for us to have a drink and nibbles with friends, let us park late and gave us free breakfast! Thank you The Old Bank

Excellent location, beautiful room with splendid view, very efficient and attentive service, but you pay for all this. Still it was a memorable experience.

It was perfect for a luxury city break.

Mothering Sunday was so busy as expected. However the staff were gracious and worked very well under pressure! Afternoon Tea was delicious and the daffodils were a kind thought

Spent our 50th Wedding Anniversary here, we were looked after really well by the hotel staff who surprised us with a small gift in our room upon arrival. The room was exceptionally clean and comfortable. In the restaurant the food was plentiful and very tasty. Bridget went out of her way to look after us especially during our celebratory meal one evening

Lovely staff, quiet rooms, great location.

I visited the Old Bank Hotel for my PhD. I was a visiting scholar at the University of Oxford. The location of the hotel meant that I only had to walk 5 to 10 minutes to my appointments, with the exception of one appointment. The rooms are beautiful with a luxurious bed, desk, seating area and beautiful bathroom. However, I would recommend placing a support bar in the bathroom to help you get out of the bath. Or place the shower separately next to the bathtub. That is much safer, especially for old people. Furthermore, it would be nice if the table with the telephone was not directly in front of the socket. The service was also excellent. You will be escorted to your room, given a friendly welcome in the restaurant and there is a fantastic library. This hotel is definitely recommended, despite its price.