Lodge-ical next step!
From families to bridal parties, a leading Midlands hotel is attracting new clientele, writes ADRIAN CAFFERY
BREXIT and the pandemic did not make life easy for any of Britain’s hotels.
Brockencote Hall was no exception, but it has now capitalised on an unexpected opportunity that the double whammy threw up.
The Worcestershire hotel, renowned for its grand rooms and fine dining, found itself switching from a largely European workforce to a British one.
And this meant the hotel no longer needed to use its gatehouse as staff accommodation.
The gatehouse has now been transformed into Brockencote Lodge, a perfect retreat for both bridal parties and families, adding another string to the hotel’s bow.
The attractive, two-storey property has three spacious and sumptuous ensuite bedrooms with all the features you would expect from a luxurious hotel, plus an open plan lounge and kitchen-diner.
Brockencote Hall is super busy with weddings and the lodge is already proving popular with bridal parties the night before the big day, and with happy couples after their nuptials, and it was plain to see why during my family’s overnight stay.
The first floor bedroom has a dressing room where brides can check every inch of their dress and an enormous double shower that’s perfect for the bride and groom on their first morning as man and wife.
There’s also a lovely sun-trap garden with a large patio and a wood-fired hot tub where the bride and her bridesmaids can enjoy a night of bubbles and bubbly before the big day in total privacy.
Should guests not want to cook their own dinner they can choose from a selection of meals to be delivered to their door. Alternatively, of course, they can indulge at the hotel’s Chaddesley Restaurant.
A Jaguar is on hand at all times of the day and night to ferry guests the short distance between the lodge and the hotel.
As our visit proved, the lodge is also a great base for a family break. Our two kids loved the hot tub, of course, as well as their palatial bedrooms and complimentary chocolates and biscuits.
They also made friends with the horses in the adjacent field.
Just one mile away is the beautiful Harvington Hall, a moated Elizabethan manor house with the country’s largest surviving series of priest holes and impressive Elizabethan wall hangings.
Within a 15-minute drive are the Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings in Bromsgrove, and both the West Midland Safari Park and the Severn Valley Railway heritage line in Kidderminster.
There’s also Hartlebury Castle (historic home of the Bishops of Worcester turned county museum) and the Falconry Centre at West Hagley, offering flying displays and handling opportunities.
Ever so slightly further afield are the Clent Hills, the Waseley Hills, Bodenham Arboretum, the River Severn at Bewdley and the National Trust rock houses at Kinver Edge.