Aston Hall Hotel, BW Signature Collection

We went to Darcy’s on its opening night for a birthday dinner with family. The place looks beautiful and has a lovely atmosphere. Staff were welcoming, and the food was lovely. The Beef Bistro Rump and Lavender Cheesecake were both delicious. We had a great evening and I'd happily go back soon.

I've stayed in hotels around the country every weekday for over five years, and it's unusual to find a gem like this at the Rough price of £100. The receptionist was lovely and helpful, even coming out into the rain to point me the right way. I had one of the upgraded rooms in the Church view building, and it was spot on. The room design was really well done, and with a 33deg day, having aircon in both separate rooms was marvelous. The bath was the finishing touch. The rooms look exactly like the pictures on hotels.com.

We came back for Christmas dinner and an overnight stay as part of a larger booking, and enjoyed the whole experience again. The food was delicious, portions were generous and the prices were good. Staff were pleasant, and the reception ladies gave us a warm welcome. The one drawback was having to queue at the bar for quite a while both before and during the meal. I'd still recommend coming here to eat, drink and stay. Thank you!

The follow-up to my complaint left me just as disappointed as the party itself. I emailed on 14th Dec and got a reply on 18th Dec. They acknowledged that things had been cold, but seemed to accuse me of making up the other problems, saying CCTV showed no complaints about the food or anything else that evening. I got in touch again on 14th Jan, explained how unhappy I was with their response, and offered to visit the hotel to review the footage together. On 21st Jan they said they wouldn't take the complaint any further because I'd taken too long to reply, and there would be no more action. I don't think just under four weeks was a delay, given I'd first complained only two days after the event. It felt like an easy excuse to dismiss legitimate issues. I came away disappointed both by the night and by the hotel's apparent unwillingness to take responsibility for real concerns. I attended the festive party night with friends on 12th Dec. The function room was freezing, the food was poor overall, and portions were small for £40pp. My starter had Dill all over it despite my pre-order form specifically saying I didn't want any. People who had turkey said it was dry and bland, and no gravy was served with it. The pigs in blankets had poor quality, rubbery sausages. Those who ordered cod said it was cold in the middle, and its sauce was freezing too. Staff smiled and carried on when we complained. One said she'd tell the kitchen; another said, “we know it’s not very good, we don’t eat here either”. We joked with them about needing to stop at McDonalds on the way home so we wouldn't be hungry. The music was mostly Motown, which didn't suit a Christmas event.