Hoar Cross Hall Reviews 

what can i say ! this place is wonderful we have been (my sister and i) about 10 times now over the years and they never disappoint the surroundings are so peaceful and great for a walk around the grounds the food is amazing a là carte great menu all locally sourced produce and the staff are all so nice all smile at you all have time for a question or a little chat the rooms are cosy and well equiped , the spa ohh so relaxing from the sauna to the sanctum pool ( my favourite ) and so much more , we have just spent 2 days there this time and i am so chilled and relaxed it was as good as a week away for me just planning our next stay

Our son gave us a voucher for a one night stay and Spa experience the following day. Contacted reservations to book in on our wedding anniversary as we thought this would be a special occasion.
Sadly things to not work out that way. Arrived at 3.00 pm as instructed be told we could not check in till 4.00. Given a different room to that shown on our booking with no explanation. This was att he front of the hotel overlooking the Spa terrace which might have been fine had it not been for the large noisy heating/ventilation complex directly under our window. This made it difficult to sleep.
The room was adequate, although a little tired. We complained to Molly on reception who promised to look into it and let us know what could be done. Never heard from her again.
Meals in the Ballroom were average although the young waiting staff try hard. Ordered the steak for lunch next day asmedium rare - it eventually arrived well done- not a hint of pink anywhere. Sent this back and had to sit without food whilst my wife had her main course before it got cold. Not great.
As many other have said the Spa is very busy if not overcrowded with members and day Spa guests. The extensive car parks are rammed. To be fair the Spa Terrace outside is probably the best part of the experience if the weather is fine.

It was a shame that our anniversary was not more special and there is a crying need for management to get a grip on where things are falling down. For a supposedly five star resort to have a rating as low as shown here is very poor.

I am so sad to be writing this review. I have been to Hoar Cross on and off for many years. It used to feel special, exclusive even, but it has sadly gone downbank since things have changed. I went in May and there are now far too many people, we couldnt get in the outdoor jacuzzis as too many people. They were filled with people drinking and taking selfies - years ago they did not allow phones or laptops. The only good thing really was the reception staff, who really were amazing and made you feel really welcome.
I was going to book a day with treatments next week after experiencing a lot of stress lately, so messaged to ask some questions. The replies were extremely unhelpful, ironically the person responding to me was a "customer experience specialist". Their customer service used to be on point, but now it appears they cannot be bothered and are just there collecting a wage rather than making things special. I came on here to check recent reviews and it appears to be a recurring theme. My very first experience about 30 years ago compared to now is worlds apart. Its no longer the premium number 1 spa it used to be unfortunately so I will now be looking elsewhere :(

I had booked for my daughter’s 21st birthday and had emailed to inform she required a gluten free diet and it was her 21st. I assumed (yes my expectation) that her birthday would have been acknowledged, maybe a complimentary glass of Prosecco, but nothing (I was disappointed given the cost of the day).

But the tip of the iceberg was the very poor menu. The options were very limited and did not reflect a luxury venu. Furthermore, my daughter was handed an iPad and told the ingredients were on there and she had to look through to see if it was suitable!!!
Made worse with a waitress stood over our shoulder hovering and keep asking if we were ready!! Made us both feel very uncomfortable.
There was no specific options for my daughter, she was upset as her options were incredibly limited. Neither of us like mushrooms, that was in the chicken sauce, neither of us eat fish either. She was restricted to a choice of 2 desserts also.
Now as both of us have previously worked In hospitality and in kitchens I am aware of how easy it is to incorporate a more varied option to others. So I find this absolutely mind blowing that their menu inclusivity is so poor. For the price charged and claiming to be luxurious it is ludicrous that you are not catering effectively.

The treatments we had were lovely, but this experience really did cast a shadow over the experience. With the extortionate price charged for drinks, £16 for one cocktail is absolutely ridiculous.

Unfortunately I will not be rushing to return.

I made a booking. Beware their flexible booking option is not transparent. The text on their terms and conditions say you have a full refund twice then talk about hotel room cancellation which is not relevant to day spa booking and right at the end they say the fee you pay for flexible booking is not refundable. I like most people read the terms and conditions saying it was a full refund but didn't get to the end bit. I pointed this out to them and they showed very little concern about this lack of transparency so I am left thinking it is intentional. Next time I m looking for a spa it will absolutely not be Hawcross Hall.

Terrible. Possibly the worst customer experience I’ve ever experienced in fact. We were given a voucher for a sparkling afternoon tea as a gift when we had our new baby. A few months lapsed and we decided to try and use the voucher to book in on my husbands 40th. Sadly upon trying to book online I noticed the voucher had expired the month prior. When this had happened in the past with another establishment the venue had extended the voucher for a small fee. Not Hoar across. In the first instance I tried to call the no that is on the website and the phone line was ringing for ages. Eventually I got through to someone to be told that they would make an enquiry and call me back shortly, they never did. I rang again several hours later to be told that someone would definitely call me back by the end of the day. Again, no one did. At the end of the next day I rang and again, after waiting a long time eventually got through to someone to be told that it was still being looked into but shouldn’t be an issue so provisionally booked me in for the date we wanted and told me to just wait for confirmation by email that all was okay. Almost 3 weeks passed and I realised I hadn’t heard anything so I called again thinking I’d best check before turning up to our booking. This time no one answered after 15 minutes so I gave up and sent an email enquiry instead. Funnily enough I received an email almost instantly. I was expecting an apology and hopefully confirmation of the booking that was pencilled in. What I got was an apology for the wait BUT there was nothing they could do and we in fact couldn’t use the voucher afterall. So, in short I was messed around then made to wait 3 weeks (I was clearly forgotten about) to be told I couldn’t use the voucher and during this time I have now missed the opportunity to book elsewhere thus ruining my husbands special birthday. After appealing the first email and explaining that because we’d had a baby life was hectic and sadly we hadn’t gotten around to using the voucher immediately I got another immediate reply just confirming that it was a definite no.

To be honest I’ve never experienced anything quite like it and I for one will not be recommending this establishment to anyone. Something that was designed as a special gift has been completed wasted and spoiled, simply because we had a newborn baby at the time and were unable to use the voucher quickly enough. Whilst I accept fault in allowing the voucher to run over you do have to question the moral kindness of an organisation that would not be at a financial loss for extending the voucher on this occasion, as said I was happy to pay a fee to do so I just desperately didn’t want the voucher to go to waste. As a busy mum who barely gets a minute to herself and was really looking forward to using this voucher to spend some very much needed quality time with her husband I have been left feeling devastated. An utterly awful and incredibly disappointing experience from start to finish sadly.

Neighbours Recommended Hoar Cross Hall For Stress Relief Treatment Service Staff Offered Aromatherapy Facilities Because They Were Not Like That. Neighbours Proved They Were Like That. What Can The Police Do Behave Or Be The Police Boysie Boysie. PC Alison Miller 👻.
🙌🏽🏃🏾🏃🏾‍♀️🥩🍟🍓🎾⚽️🌹

I want to start by saying I fully understand I made a mistake myself and I'm honestly not the type of person to complain, this is genuinely the first review I've ever posted. But the way this situation has been handled has pushed me to.

I booked a date and time at Eden Hall by mistake, an easy mistake to make looking back, and I doubt I'm the first person to do it, so this is something that could probably do with some improvement on the booking system itself.

I went on live chat on Friday to ask if this could be changed to Hoar Cross Hall for the same date, time and treatment, just at a different location. I was told this was completely fine and that the change would be made for me that same day, or Monday at the latest.

What followed was days of extremely poor communication. I strongly suspect the customer service is outsourced, and honestly, it shows. If you're going to market yourself as a luxury spa, every part of that experience needs to reflect it, you can't cut corners on something as basic as customer service.

Having worked in customer service myself for many years, there are some fairly obvious improvements needed. Customers should not be left on live chat for over an hour with no response, especially when the conversation hasn't reached any clear conclusion. I was also made to feel like I was the one causing confusion by starting a new chat when I wasn't getting responses, despite getting an instant reply the moment I did. Even a simple "still with you, still looking into this" message every few minutes would be the bare minimum, and that basic level of communication was missing throughout.

After being told my booking would be sorted and I'd be emailed the same day, days passed with no response at all, despite me chasing multiple times. At one point I was told my booking had been cancelled, but I was told this was just an automatic step so it could be rebooked at the correct venue, not that it had been cancelled outright. This left me with no idea what was actually happening with my money, and no clear communication about when or if I'd get it back.

To make matters worse, I was later told the venue I wanted was fully booked on the date I needed, and that this was the reason my original request couldn't be fulfilled. However, I have proof from my own conversations only days earlier showing I was offered availability at that exact venue, date and time. Being told there's no availability after previously confirming there was is not only poor communication, it feels dishonest.

This booking was meant to be a birthday present for my partner, which makes the whole experience feel even more disheartening.

I'm genuinely sad that this has been my first experience with a company I was really looking forward to visiting, it's not the impression I expected from a luxury spa.

Place is always amazing; the proven problem at times is rude aggressive other guests. The staff are amazing and always ready to help. And sometimes the abuse and aggression from other guests is a disgusting watch.
Why go there if to ruin your own stay and everyone else’s. Thankyou hard working staff who rise early to make sure my breakfast is served. They’re not our mom and dads they’re respectful team members… thankyou hoar cross team especially breakfast. sorry about what sometimes you have to be subjected too. I love the sun room an amazing extension of the infamous ball room. It’s hoar cross hall hotel and spa not the real downtown abbey. And every room is beautiful it’s heritage level not someone’s front room… Thankyou!!!

I booked Hall Cross Hall Spa for my birthday (Sunday 2nd August) and it was one of the most frustrating experiences I've had. From start to finish it was a catalogue of admin failures, and the small things that went wrong just kept coming.

It started before we even arrived. A double booking had been made without our knowledge, and sorting it out over email was hard work — the front desk was unhelpful until they finally realised the mistake and issued a £315 credit for our stay. That was fair, but by the time we arrived I already had a bad feeling.

At check-in we were both made to sign paper forms — even me as a guest rather than the person who booked — which felt oddly bureaucratic. Worse, the £315 credit hadn't been communicated to anyone. The bar, the restaurant, nobody knew about it, and the wristbands meant to charge everything to the room didn't work, so we spent the whole stay repeating our room number and re-explaining the voucher.

The spa was the low point. I'd somehow been booked for a full body and a facial I didn't remember requesting; changing it to just a full body cost £10–15 more despite dropping a treatment, which no one could explain. The massage itself was the worst I've ever had — my skin was left genuinely irritated and I asked the therapist to stop early. She did offer to fetch a manager, but at that point I just wanted to salvage what was left of my birthday.

The evening sunset session was the better part of the day — pleasant, if overcrowded, and service at the bar was hit or miss. The room was comfortable and we slept well. Breakfast in bed was average. But at 11am we were interrupted by staff wanting to empty the hot tub before we'd left.

Checkout was another mess: they tried to charge us around £400 with no record of the credit, until I produced the voucher code again. I told them it had been the worst day and got no real acknowledgement. Then, hours after we'd left (around 4pm — we were long gone by 11:30am), my partner was charged £46 for a bottle of Prosecco we never had. It took more back-and-forth before they admitted the error and apologised.

To top it off, an Amazon parcel delivered to the hotel for me on the Sunday has never been acknowledged or returned so thats more money I have lost.

Individually, some of these are small. Together, on a day that was meant to be special, they added up to a thoroughly disappointing experience. I wouldn't return.

No stars if I could give them that.
I was promised an upgrade after a previous disappointing stay some years ago. I previously had a conversation in November last year to use the free upgrade and was advised it was valid anytime. Just tried to use it some seven months later and the senior manager won’t honour it. I don’t think they had any intention of ever doing so. I should have asked for some money back at the time of our unsatisfactory stay. I asked to speak with the manager today but my offer was declined. Don’t waste money like I did in this place!

Anyone who wants a true spa experience, this is not the place to be. I tell the absolute truth!

The spa was heavily overcrowded, with too many guests for the space available, and it often felt busy and noisy rather than peaceful. The outside spa terrace is actually one of the quieter and more pleasant areas, offering a bit more calm compared to the indoor facilities.

The hot water beds were nice and located near the treatment area, which was enjoyable, but I did have concerns about hygiene as I only saw one cleaner during my visit. Some of the outdoor beds in the relaxation room, which I also used, had visible marks and stains, which affected my comfort and sense of cleanliness.

There are a few areas designed for quiet moments, but overall, the environment did not feel well controlled in terms of noise or guest behaviour. If you are looking for somewhere lively where people chat freely, including gym-style energy and general conversation, then this may suit you. The Salt room and area were quite lovely. This was the loudest place, where people were having open conversations, loudly. This totally interrupted my peace. Then we saw a guest jump into the salt bath like he was just jumping into a normal pool. I just couldn't believe it
However, if you are looking for peace, serenity, charm, and quiet relaxation, this did not deliver that experience.

Is it worth the money? In my opinion, no.

The food taste was average overall. The lady who served us was absolutely lovely, but the food itself was quite bland. The apple and blackcurrant crumble with custard was the highlight and better than the starter and main course. The custard was quite watery, but okay

There was also an issue with overcrowding in the car park, which reflected how busy the venue was.

Overall, I would rate it 6/10, and I'm sorry, I will not be returning unless improvements are made

A spa should be a place of quiet, calm, and restoration, somewhere people can switch off from the noise of everyday life, feel safe, and be left in peace. It should be carefully managed so that tranquillity is protected, cleanliness is consistent, and every guest can experience genuine relaxation without disruption.

With a young family, my wife and I don’t get away too often so we really wanted to stay somewhere special. I researched looking for a spa between Birmingham and Manchester that had a great spa, luxury accommodation and dining etc. I settled on Hoar Cross which seemed to fit the bill.
First, I wouldn’t want to put anyone off the spa which is very good and well run.. if you are planning a visit for a day spa or twilight spa, I’m sure you will love it. If, however you are coming for a spa stay, then it’s not so straight forward 
Including extras we spent ~£1500 on a spa stay weekend.
We were allocated a room on the top floor and on entering the room were instantly disappointed. First the overall room was much smaller than what was advertised - something the hotel willingly accept. The bathroom was probably the smallest I have ever had, in any standard of hotel, never mind a high end one. There was no window and the shower ‘cubicle’ was an odd unit which has basically been squeezed in.. as a 6 ft tall man, I barely had enough space to turn round and my wife had no space to shave her legs. To add to this, the room had no sound proofing to the next door room. Our hotel neighbours would comeback to their room after a few drinks around midnight and we could hear their entire conversation, and on a more disgusting note, could hear every sound from their bathroom - I assume the situation was mutual.. this situation was a first for me and suggests very low quality build quality to basically squeeze two tiny bathrooms into an attic floor then include zero sound insulation in between the walls - cheap, and a big mistake. The rest of the room was not well maintained - ripped carpet with nail sticking through that we both manage to catch our feet on during the weekend.
After checking in we went straight back to reception to say we had not been allocate the room we had booked but they simply said they were full and couldn’t do anything (and nothing was done or offered). On checkout we were referred to the regional manager to officially lodge a complaint, which I did. They did acknowledge the size room was not what we had booked or paid for and offered £100 compensation. For me this fell well short of adequate compensation as the room had meant we simply did not get the romantic, relaxing weekend we thought we had paid for and had been very much looking forward to.
Money was not the driving factor in selecting this spa.. there are others nearby that looked great.. we were trying to buy the best high end experience in the area and as a treat were prepared to pay for it. So I really think we were and are still owed more on compensation.. the cheaper room when booking was £260 cheaper but we simply would not have booked it as wanted some luxury. So for the hotel to knowingly downgrade us, and to think it is fine to claim they had the right to put us in a lower spec room without telling us during booking is at best openly misleading and at worst illegal and dishonest. 
The justification for not allocating a room with the specification advertised is ‘Room categories can include variations in layout and configuration, and the description provided relates to the category rather than an exact room specification.’
What this is basically saying, is that they know they advertised a specific room type and specification, but they do not believe they think that means they need to allocate a room that meets the advertised spec.
Frankly I think this is against advertising standards and can find nothing on the hotel web site that states they may give you a room of lower spec that you have selected and paid for. If it is there it is not easy to find for obvious reasons - who is going to book a room if it says ‘book and pay for this room but we will give you whatever we have available and it may be much smaller’ ..yeah doubt that would be popular.
So Hoar Cross, maybe be honest about the rooms you have that people take a lot of time selecting - and I really don’t appreciate being told you can’t give us the room we ordered because you are busy.. you shouldn’t have sold us a room if you didn’t have one available and at the minimum be up front if you have double booked and need to downgrade someone instead of relying on customers to complain.

I have to say I have never been to Hoar Cross Hall but if my current experience is anything to go by, I doubt I ever will. Simply put, I cannot for love nor indeed money - of which by the way, they already have - get in touch with them to redeem my birthday voucher, gifted to me by my lovely work colleagues. I have called four different numbers numerous times and am just left on hold for ages - if you press 2 for a call back without losing your place in the queue you never get a call back - I have also completed a contact form on their website and apart from an automated reply, have never had a response either. I have been trying to speak to someone since February and it's now May. I mean this is just totally unacceptable service and I'm feeling ignored, stressed and totally incredulous and I haven't even used their service yet. Ironically, it's for a relaxing spa day that I can't even book. Bonkers or what!! What I'm particularly livid about is that they have already been paid but I feel they simply don't care. I'm going to have to drive there to sort this out which is a total inconvenience and for the sake of just answering the phone it's utterly ridiculous. And reading other recent reviews on here doesn't sound like it's a great place to relax anyway. What a shame!

Avoid!!! Theft!!! Came to the spa for a birthday treat and unfortunately left my sunglasses in my robe after depositing in the return box, I called the spa the same night to advise them of the matter to which the male on the phone advised cleaners check the robes and clean them around 3/4am and took my number. As I had no correspondence I called the spa again to which they advised they haven’t been handed in by cleaners to which clarifies to me there is serious theft going on at this premises by staff!! Really disappointing with the dishonesty going on and by the lack of support by staff not raising it to the appropriate management. To top the experience off the terrace hot tubs were severely crowded, sun loungers were getting covered on arrival so unusable! Save your money and go elsewhere!

I have visited Hoar Cross Hall since it opened and over the years it has changed dramatically.
I originally went for £36 for the day for two people, an opening offer which was excellent value.
I used to visit frequently and Steve Joynes and his wife were always around talking and welcoming people.
When his son took over things changed and it was more about the money and I went a couple of times and it was too crowded and poor service.
I visited last week with friends and although the room was lovely it wasn`t very clean, The bathroom floor was grubby and there was dust all over the back of the chairs. I felt the room could do with a refurb.
There is no doubting that the facilities are excellent and the food was delicious.
Not being able to use the spa on the day of arrival unless you pay an extra £40 is a bit steep and the drinks are very expensive.
The service was a little slow at times and some staff seemed inexperienced and clueless!
I will go back as I love it there and being with my best friends was fab I just hope it doesn`t get to corporate and lose its personal touch.

Bought a 2 night spa booking for my wife’s birthday. Advance information was good with them requesting confirmation of their suggested dining times. This included dinner at 9pm on both nights which was a bit for us so asked for something nearer 7-7:30.
Arrived at reception on the day to check in, to be told they had not received my email regarding meal times. Not a great start. The room was nice but we could have enjoyed the view better if the windows had not been so misted up due the double glazing failing.
The room safe was locked so were unable to secure our valuables so told receptionist who advised someone would open it for us with the master key. No none visited in the whole duration of our stay.
Lastly for a venue who is all about health and wellbeing, when we requested slimline tonic with our aperitifs, we did not expect to be told they did not have any!
When one is paying around £200 per person per night, expectations are high. Sadly ours were not met.

I have been visiting Hoar Cross for over 20 years and in spite of them 'upgrading' the experience has been horribly downgraded.

We were allocated breakfast and dinner times that didn't suit at all, when I tried to contact them for days before no one came back to me. The reception staff were trying to be helpful but couldn't do much.

The spa was far too busy, the area for guests to shower and change on the day of departure (the only day we could use the spa, which has been downgraded as you used to be able to use it on day of arrival and departure) was very poor. Tiny showers, no clean towels. It felt more like a local authority gym than a very expensive spa hotel.

Drinks were very expensive and on a number of occasions we had to get the bill rectified when the wrong items were put on ours (always more money, never less!)

I won't visit again any time soon. It's really sad as it seems like a lot of reviewers are saying the same and I remember Hoar Cross when it really was quite magnificent.

Me and my mum stayed at Hoar Cross for 2 nights and couldn’t fault anything! The staff from the reception to the restaurants to the spa team couldn’t do enough for you and always had the biggest smiles on their faces.
The facilities are flawless with every small detail being thought out.
The spa has so much to offer from spa sessions, different rooms and pools etc. We would come back in a heartbeat.
Thank you

I would strongly encourage anyone considering working for or supporting this company to think carefully.

I previously worked in the head office and was a top performer—consistently one of the highest earners every month for nearly two years. Despite that, I did not feel genuinely valued by senior management at any point, which, in my experience, reflects how staff are treated more broadly.

What makes this particularly disappointing is that it wasn’t always like this. The culture used to feel supportive, positive, and collaborative. However, from around November, when new management came in, the working environment noticeably changed and, in my experience, deteriorated significantly.

Over a short period of time, there was a high level of staff turnover (including over 13 people leaving within a couple of months). From what I experienced, this was not simply due to “system changes,” as has reportedly been communicated, but linked more closely to changes in management approach, communication, and overall working conditions.

A formal grievance was raised collectively by a large group of employees outlining serious concerns, including:

A much more restrictive and uncomfortable culture, where normal day-to-day interactions between colleagues felt discouraged
A management style that many found intimidating or dismissive, particularly in group meetings
Concerns around how pay changes (including commission) were communicated and implemented
Ongoing understaffing following resignations and absences, leading to increased pressure on remaining staff
High workloads and expectations that many felt were unsustainable
Perceptions of inconsistent treatment and lack of transparency around opportunities
A clear decline in morale, wellbeing, and trust in leadership

When these concerns were raised, the response from HR, in my experience, felt dismissive. Employees were told that they “do not run the company,” which reinforced the feeling that concerns were not being taken seriously. There were also comments made in meetings about those who had left being “lazy,” which came across as unfair and out of touch given the circumstances surrounding the turnover.

Despite these issues being formally raised, I did not personally see meaningful changes being implemented.

From my perspective, the company has become increasingly stats-driven, where performance metrics appear to be prioritised over employee wellbeing. This can make the environment feel unsupportive, with individuals feeling more like numbers than valued members of a team.

There are genuinely good people within the business, but many, in my experience, were being let down by leadership and the direction the company was taking.

From a customer point of view, it may also be worth being aware that staffing challenges appeared to impact service. For example, delays in responding to calls (as everyone has quit) or limited dining availability (such as later time slots being allocated close to arrival dates due to bad decisions made by managers not to prioritise web bookings) often seemed linked to resourcing pressures rather than customer choice.

If you are looking for a place where you feel supported, valued, and listened to, I would personally suggest considering this carefully before making a decision.