Sopwell House in St Albans

I was given a complimentary stay here while attending the Inspired Media CIO + CISO Summit. It's remarkable from reception to the bar, dining and event room. Customer service was at it's excellent best with very helpful and respectful staff eager to help you find your way around this massive hotel. The food quality was on point too. Parking was free and complimentary. I didn't get to use the spa on this occasion but heard a lot of food feedback from colleagues. Highly Recommended 👌🏾🔥

I visit sopwell house at least twice a year, sometimes for a evening and on most occasions we stay the night and take pleasure of using the facilities. I can say usually their service is outstanding, I always leave a good review. But on this occasion (my birthday) I was so disappointed. I'll list the issues below. •Male changing rooms were closed (for husband) which they didn't tell us before hand. •Food was cold in restaurant •room room service was extremely slow and incorrect •Elemis products in the shower were filled with water and had some sort of gunk all over. •£200 deposit that was not obvious when we booked (that should be highlighted) The list goes on but these are my main concerns

“An Unforgettable Luxury Escape at Sopwell House & Spa!” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Our stay at Sopwell House & Spa was nothing short of exceptional. What truly sets it apart is the attention to detail and the genuine care from every member of the team. It’s clear they are passionate about creating an unforgettable experience for their guests. The spa was the highlight of our visit. The hydrotherapy pool and thermal suites were particularly divine, leaving us feeling completely refreshed and recharged. We cannot recommend Sopwell House & Spa enough—it’s the perfect retreat for anyone seeking a blend of luxury, relaxation, and top-tier service. We’ll definitely be back!

Our day trip at Sopwell House was more than amazing—it was absolutely unforgettable. From the moment we arrived, the staff went above and beyond to accommodate us, even on such short notice. Their exceptional service truly made my dad's 52nd birthday so special. The attention to detail was remarkable, and the complimentary drinks added such a luxurious touch, making the experience even more worthwhile. The massage I had was honestly heavenly and the best I've been to. The spa facilities were serene and beautifully maintained, making it easy to unwind completely. The staff were lovely, warm, and attentive throughout our stay, ensuring everything was perfect. Sopwell House is not just a spa, it’s an experience, and I can't recommend it enough. We’ll definitely be back!

Amazing room and friendly service.

Excellent restaurant service. Afternoon Tea kind of hit and miss for the people who had it in my party. My menu choice was interesting haggis bon bons and goat cheese croquettes was quite tasty

Excellent facilities and breakfast. Very conveniently located near M25.

Had the most beautifulest cocktail made by fradio in the octagon bar! Such a lovely man had a lovely conversation with him for awhile and made me feel so welcome. 10/10 service

We enjoyed the wedding of a friend there and spent the night afterwards. Bed is comfortable and shower was very nice.

Really nice hotel over the years they have kept improving when I first went here about 15 years ago it was a tired business focused hotel. It's a contemporary luxury hotel. It's close to St Albans, but the walk isn't suitable for nighttime or anyone who finds hills narrow roads a problem. Quick taxi will resolve this and also the hotel itself may be the destination

Chose to spend our wedding night here as we had heard good things and it was a 5 star hotel. booked and informed them it was for our wedding night, and we would be coming straight from the venue to the hotel. Was informed they would put a gift in the room and rose petals on the bed too. I was very happy. Arrived at half passed midnight and was escorted to our room. upon seeing there was no mini bar, no complimentary gift of anything or real recognition of the day, not even a congratulations, i asked the porter if we could order a bottle of wine to the room for ourselves. he said no. everything is closed. i offered to pay in the morning for it, and that there must be something they could do. Again it was a no. No effort, no special treatment for the bride standing in her wedding dress, just a flat no. I was very unhappy! Oh and no petals on the bed either, like i asked for and they said they would do. Well, you can imagine how thrilled i was when a wedding the next night at the hotel was serving alcohol well past midnight and until about 1 am. That bride and groom could get served some wine but me and my bride obviously had only coughed up £1k rather than the 10s of thousands it requires to get a bottle of wine on your own wedding day, that we would of been happy to pay for on our WEDDING DAY! Not even a congratulations on our wedding day. Shocking lack of care for us on what should have been the best stay of our lives. Will never stay there again and would advise that no one else does. The hotel staff simply do not care. I shouldn't have to pay £500 a night to end up apologizing to my wife about not being able to have a toast to us on our wedding night! Bringing this all up at check-out time got us 'oh dear, i'm sorry about that. you're all checked-out now'. Didn't even feel welcomed here. Just felt like another payday for them. 'Thanks for the cash now please leave, we don't care that your experience was bad. now please leave.' Was the feeling we got whilst there. Will never consider going back ever again. Have gotten written cards left in our room for special occasions before at a premier Inn! Struggled to get a smile from Sopwell on the most special of all occasions. With absolutely zero thanks from us, Mr & Mrs Unite Room 254 21 june - 23 june

Was just here for an anniversary meal not to stay. Can say food was lovely and the waiting staff absolutely brilliant. Look forward to coming again and hoping to experience their famous spa

Great spot for informal meetings

Tonight we had the most fabulous evening with you food and personal service fantastic I highly recommend this establishment the Head waiter was so attentive thank you rui

We had a lovely afternoon tea. High end dining room. Good quality in sandwiches, scones, cakes. Great tea selection. The Oblong tra was superb!

Very good and comfortable, Outstanding

Its an ideal hotel for anything you can think of...weddings, vacations, dinners, couple dates and so on. The service is top notch. Its tucked some few minutes drive to the railways station and bus station. Its only 15 minutes walk from the train station and bus station.

Lovely hotel, very clean, beautiful design with a great restaurant and patio bar

I was taken to Sopwell House for an overnight stay as a surprise birthday gift from my wife. The service from the hotel staff was excellent including Shahid who quickly resolved an issue with our booking during check in. I took a video here of our visit: https://youtu.be/Xrvuv-Wgdnw?si=Uv07XSVUy5LAPsCN The facilities were well maintained, clean and in great condition. The spa area had a range of hydropools, jacuzzis, swimming pools and sauna/salt steam rooms. The water was nice and warm. Be mindful that access times are from 12am to 11am on the second day as that nearly caught us out. We also booked ourselves in for a full body massage. They have a male and female masseuse. I felt very relaxed by the end of the weekend and would definitely recommend this place to others. We will probably go back again sometime next year.

We were lucky enough to get one of the single berth villas on site and this added to the overall experience. Food was fantastic. The beer selection wasn't exactly extensive and from the pool, it was a battle trying to get anything other than stock fizzy lager, but the waiters helped out massively. The pool and sauna areas weren't over crowded, which also helped make for an enjoyable few days away from the chaos.

That's a very good place to relax

For my wife's birthday, we decided to visit Sopwell, as we'd heard great things about it. I booked a 60-minute ultimate pregnancy massage for her and a 60-minute deep tissue massage for myself. We both loved our experiences. Thank you, Roni, for the incredible massage and great chat. This is where things went downhill. I booked afternoon tea over the phone, clearly stating that both of us have a seafood allergy. Upon arrival, we were informed that the booking only noted one person with the allergy. After correcting them, we were seated without much concern from the staff. They brought out two sets of afternoon tea, one of which included salmon sandwiches. After pointing out the mistake, they corrected it. However, when we requested a top-up, they only provided enough for one person and informed us they didn't prepare more for me due to the incorrect booking and risk of cross-contamination. Apparently, they put all the sandwiches on top of eachother and cut them in half with the same knife. Given the establishment's reputation, you'd expect the afternoon tea to be something special, but it was bog standard and definitely not worth it. A server without a name badge, wearing glasses and with a man bun, attended to us, and the service was poor. He looked absolutely miserable and seemed like he didn't want to be there. At one point, he even reached over the table to collect dishes instead of walking around. We were walking out and he just blanked us. Great massage experience - 5 Stars Rubbish afternoon tea experience - 1 Star

Great hotel, loved the bedroom and bathroom (awesome shower). Nice breakfast spread and liked that they had veggie sausages. Food was good during the conference. Didn't try the spa or bar.

Incredible birthday spa break away with the hubby. Service was amazing, same as food and the room was just gorgeous. Thank you!

Haven't got enough time to list the good points of this beautiful place but I hope by simply saying from the moment you walk in, to the moment you walk out, you feel absolutely relaxed. The staff are top notch and will do anything to make the stay as good as they can. Food is excellent, bar is lovely and the grounds are gorgeous. The facilities are exactly what you would expect in the spa. Everything you need to exercise, or just (as I did) relax. The treatments, and the staff at Cottonmill are 5*! See you again soon!

I was here for a wedding in August 2023. It was lovely there. The wedding and grounds were beautiful.

Not the easiest hotel to get to. Lovely entrance and reception area. Large conference facility.

Spent the day in the spa 8-1-24. Have spoken to them multiple times asking for an invoice and I have still not received anything. The lack of communication is incredibly poor. Definitely would not go back!

Afternoon cream tea for anniversary

Mixed feelings - disappointed in the hotel, enchanted by the Spa & restaurants. We came with my husband to enjoy some rest for 2 days at Sopwell house, I must admit I was disappointed by the hotel side of the experience. We couldn't find a parking space so we had to carry our luggage all over. The room was spacious and tastefully decorated, but at night there was mechanical noises, you could hear toilets flushing, water etc... it woke me up couples of times and kept me from sleeping in the morning, both mornings. The walls and the door is Paper thin, you can hear literally everything. So I come home more tired than when I came. We ordered some champagne at 6pm, we had to call reception to remind them and it arrived 30 min late.. same with breakfast in the room, it was late we had to call again reception, It's disappointing because the SPA and restaurants are well=managed and really good, but the hotel aspect is neglected. You can't charge such a high price in the hospitality industry when the absolute basis: is noise proof. blackout window and service on time is not covered. I really recommend the massages at the Spa and the Brasserie & Omboo restaurants, 10/10. I would say it's perfect for a Spa Day and dinner there. but sleeping at home is more recommended

This hotel had so much promise! The pictures online showed a beautiful spa with an inviting outdoor pool, but niestety unfortunately upon arrival, we learned there was an extra charge to use the outdoor pool, which was a frustrating hidden cost. Even more disappointing was our arrival experience. We were famished after our travels, only to find the main restaurant fully booked. We then tried the brasserie, which was completely empty, yet the waiter insisted they were also fully booked. After an awkward search for food elsewhere, we ended up back at the brasserie, where (coincidentally) the waiter found us a table after we spoke to the manager about the empty tables. The whole situation left us feeling unwelcome and frustrated, especially since no one else was seated there during the entire hour we dined. To make matters worse, on the night of my birthday, I (a diabetic) wasn't feeling well and desperately needed food. The front desk receptionist coldly informed me the kitchen was closed and there was nothing they could do, even when I explained my condition and pleaded for something, even a piece of bread. This left me feeling unwell and stressed throughout the night, while my wife worried. Exhausted and desperate, I ended up resorting to taking leftover cheese from a plate of discarded food outside someone's room. The next morning, the manager simply offered an apology. While the hotel itself may be beautiful, the staff's lack of service and empathy overshadowed any positive aspects. For a special occasion like a birthday, this experience fell far short of expectations. We will definitely not be returning to

Nice weekend ruined by appalling service. They took more than double the money on my credit card. Don’t try and call—you will be stuck listening to marketing hold music and never get thru.

Delicious Afternoon Tea with very attentive staff. We were pleasantly surprised when we were offered more sandwiches and cakes, even though we were too full to take up the offer! A great place if you are looking for a relaxing Afternoon Tea without being rushed on.

What an amazing weekend myself and my husband had for my birthday. We stayed in the duplex mews, it was beyond our expectations. Our dinner at Omboo was out of this world and the breakfast buffet the next morning was definitely one of the best we have ever had. We cannot wait to return.

I have been to sopwell house many times for food and also stayed at the hotel.this day i decided to treat myself to a day at the spa with cream tea.the spa was lovely but i was so disappointed in the cream tea the sandwiches were so stale i couldn't eat them i asked for the manager who told me the sandwiches are made in the morning for the day,i asked for fresh sandwiches but unfortunately what arrived was the same stale bread sandwiches.so i eat the inside and left the bread,for such a lovely hotel that is unacceptable to make sandwiches in the morning to be served in the afternoon,for the price you expect freshly made sandwiches,really really disappointing and it was my special birthday present to myself.

Had a great time here, my waitress Lucy was absolutely fantastic could not have asked for better service. I had the best afternoon tea I could have possibly asked for!!! Big 10/10 for the waitress that served us ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

The best Spa of the entire Hertfordshire

Beautiful location and excellent facilities

Nothing special wouldn't go back.

It's a great hotel for a short break if you want to be using their spa, which really is a five star spa. The two restaurants are good, but as vegetarians, the choice is limited for more than one meal. Service at the hotel and spa front desk is excellent but less so the treatment therapists and waiters in the restaurants. The Club room was very spacious and well decorated, the bathrooms have yet to have their makeover. St Albans is a lovely small town to walk around and has great walking in the surrounding area, despite the rainy weather we managed to enjoyed a 2 hour wander around. It would be a real pleasure in the summer. Overall, we enjoyed the stay, the meals and the spa, but it was overpriced compared to other similar breaks we have had.

Gorgeous place, spa is fantastic, only downside didn't serve drinks to you at spa, and only way was with an app...but left phone in room! Drinks overpriced, food gorgeous.. Won't be rushing back sadly can't afford

Superb service and fantastic day spent at Sopwell House. Staff member Maria went above and beyond the call of duty to make our experience very special and enjoyable.

Spreading sickness, no care for their customers health and wellbeing. BE CAREFUL! I payed for an upcoming Mother’s Day event which was not cheap £75 per head. A week before the event is taking place my grandma fell ill with Covid and collapsed, I contacted sopwell and they said they would not give a refund, I was absolutely fine with that as I understood they probably don’t want to loose money. So I emailed back asking for transfer into a gift card so my mother and grandmas can go at a differ time, I heard no response back so I called up(Thankyou Nicole for not having the manners to even reply) My email was clearly ignored as the rude staff on the phone said they would do no such thing and when I said so you still want us to come with Covid she said ‘Covid isn’t a thing anymore it doesn’t matter if it’s spread’ I continued to asked so she doesn’t care about other members of the venue getting sick and she said no. So I would like to inform everyone that regardless of what illness if it’s flu etc they clearly don’t care and don’t care to help. My grandad is in hospital very ill so i would take care bringing elderly people here regardless of what the staff member who clearly thinks they have the knowledge of all illness, as your loved ones could suffer. I will contacting the paper and all online pages and take great pleasure in making sure sopwell is known to not care about the wellbeing of their customers and staff.

Great hotel and staff but unfortunately, as some other reviewers have said, poor communication. It's easy to book a room online but after that it is impossible to get through to anyone should you have any questions or enquiries about your booking. Called them but couldn't get through to anyone (put on hold for ages) and emailed them instead but they just ignore you. Very surprising given it's meant to be an expensive luxury hotel.

Really enjoyed lunch with attentive friendly service & lovely food.

The Spa is absolutely world-class. You cannot fault this place. It's a lot of money but in life you get what you pay for

We spent 1 day and night. Great place, nice and relaxing. The staff are fantastic people. The only thing was that the mattress was too hard for me, and the pillows were too soft. We still had a great time.

If I could give 0 stars I would. Spa surprises you with random cancellation policy and refuses refund. Management hangs up on you and does not engage in statutory compensation. Avoid.

Such a magical place. I have been coming for the last 10years and it just gets better every time I visit. Afternoon Tea , over night stay and also the amazing Club at cotton mill spa. Big shout out to Gemma and Carolina in the spa for all their help xx

Stayed in the chic room for 2 nights, had access to the full cotton mill spa facilities, 1 lunch, 2 dinner and 1 treatment as a part of my package. The hotel itself is extremely beautiful and most importantly clean & comfortable, the food exceeded my expectation on both nights and the stay was great. The only draw backs of the hotel are that the lift they have (they only have 1) was unserviceable due to renovation works, they don’t offer turn down service compared to other hotels of this standard. The thing which I disliked about the stay was that the service did not feel very personalised, small things matter, there was no door man, bellboy, no welcome drinks of any sorts which is very common for a spa hotel. Upon entering the hotel and the spa we were handed maps to guide us where everything is located which is good but considering that the hotel and spa is not massive I am sure one of the staff could have easily taken us around to show the facilities instead of just handing us a map…Overall everything is great but improvements can be made certainly to further enhance the guests experience. Spa and treatments are amazing, well worth the money, would definitely recommend and would love to visit again :)

Nice place, good bar and restaurant

The food at the Brasserie was absolutely incredible, as was my pregnancy massage and facial. However, our room was very small and tatty for the price (broken door and stained carpet). The spa was overcrowded and many people didn’t have loungers. There weren’t many non-alcoholic drink options - surprising given they offer maternity packages. A snobby lady hit our car in the car park (while my husband was waiting for me in it) and tried to just shrug it off. You have to pay an additional £100 when you check in and reception initially tried to only refund half of this on check-out saying we’d bought bar drinks, which we hadn’t.

Sopwell House is in a beautiful location and is extremely relaxing. The food lets it down. At a spa you'd hope for deliciousness with some healthy options. That's not possible here. We ate at Omboo and the Brasserie. Omboo was fine, nothing special but cost £200. It was also loaded in salt - a bowl of edamame arrived with a table spoon of salt on it. The Brasserie is even worse for salt, even the salads are salted! They do know their way around the grill though if you're ordering meat :) It's a shame that the food lets Sopwell down as it's superbly relaxing - right up until you're waking up in the middle of the night due to salt induced palpitations. The staff are welcoming and professional and the rooms wonderful.