Shaftesbury - Hotel Grosvenor
Winter 2010
Frank's view 
In 1973 a boy pushed his bike up a hill and captured the imagination of the British public.
The small market town of Shaftesbury had been taken over by a film crew, led by Ridley Scott, the movie director who went on to make classics such as Alien, Bladerunner and Gladiator. The buzz must have been immense as they shot what was to become Britain's most famous television commercial - an advertisement for Hovis bread. Where the crew stayed I don't know but if the shoot happened today the obvious choice of digs would be the Hotel Grosvenor, conveniently positioned a baguette toss from the top of Gold Hill.
After two and half years of renovation Hotel Grosvenor opened just before Christmas last year. Retaining the original Georgian facade the interior has been transformed into a chic bar, restaurant and sixteen guest rooms which very much slot into the Hotel du Vin mould. Light coloured walls speckled with brash modern art and large unfilled spaces create a light uncluttered environment.
The bar is vast but surprisingly low on seating options. Do the good folk of Shaftesbury prefer to stand when sipping a glass of Chablis?
In a town noticeably bereft of decent dining out options the restaurant at the Grosvenor hasn't raised the bar, it's introduced one. In the kitchen is Michelin starred chef Mark Treasure who earned his star at The Feather's Hotel in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. His path to Shaftesbury included a spell at London's 'The Greenhouse Restaurant' so it's probably no coincidence that the Grosvenor restaurant is also called 'The Greenhouse'. Past dalliances also include a spell at The Museum Inn, Farnham which, at 10 miles away, is probably his nearest competitor.
Curious locals are piling in to The Greenhouse Restaurant where the lunchtime deal is two courses and a glass of wine for £14.25. Single courses, a la carte, are around £14. My Gurnard fillets were excellent and good value for £14 but the Prosciutto with 'wife of Bath' cheese (also £14) was not. Indeed the portion was barely starter size.The dinner menu is priced simillarly to lunch with starters around £8 and mains between £14 and £19. Even the wine is reasonably priced so dinner for two with a very good bottle should be well under £100. Amazingly, in this day and age when many restaurateurs squeeze blood from their patron's wallets via service charges, additional gratuities, etc., etc., The Greenhouse neither includes a service charge nor provides the facility to add a tip on the credit card machine.
The rooms are very reasonably priced ranging from £125 to £245 for the top suite. At the time of writing this review the hotel is barely 2 months old and offering an exceptional deal of the entry level room for £99 including breakfast and a £25 dinner allowance. The room, however, is very small so I'd suggest negotiating a rate on the next grade of room which has a rack rate of £145. If your budget stretches, it's well worth going for a junior suite. You really can live like a king here at a very reasonable cost.
I suspect Hotel Grosvenor will really succeed with the weekend market. If you're looking for a place in this part of Dorset, where property prices are already sky high, you could do worse than simply staying at the Grosvenor. It's a lot less hassle, and expensive, than buying and running a weekend cottage.
The hotel is also an ideal place for locals to put their weekend guests. One local who has already checked it out is Guy Ritchie, (as the hotel staff seem keen to tell all who pass through the door). Perhaps one day the hotel might have a particularly famous guest if she returns to check out her former home of Ashcombe, a mere 10 minutes down the road, and her ex says there is no room at his inn.
Hotel Grosvenor
High Street
Shaftesbury
SP7 8JA
01747 850580
http://www.hotelgrosvenor.com
The small market town of Shaftesbury had been taken over by a film crew, led by Ridley Scott, the movie director who went on to make classics such as Alien, Bladerunner and Gladiator. The buzz must have been immense as they shot what was to become Britain's most famous television commercial - an advertisement for Hovis bread. Where the crew stayed I don't know but if the shoot happened today the obvious choice of digs would be the Hotel Grosvenor, conveniently positioned a baguette toss from the top of Gold Hill.
After two and half years of renovation Hotel Grosvenor opened just before Christmas last year. Retaining the original Georgian facade the interior has been transformed into a chic bar, restaurant and sixteen guest rooms which very much slot into the Hotel du Vin mould. Light coloured walls speckled with brash modern art and large unfilled spaces create a light uncluttered environment.
The bar is vast but surprisingly low on seating options. Do the good folk of Shaftesbury prefer to stand when sipping a glass of Chablis?
In a town noticeably bereft of decent dining out options the restaurant at the Grosvenor hasn't raised the bar, it's introduced one. In the kitchen is Michelin starred chef Mark Treasure who earned his star at The Feather's Hotel in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. His path to Shaftesbury included a spell at London's 'The Greenhouse Restaurant' so it's probably no coincidence that the Grosvenor restaurant is also called 'The Greenhouse'. Past dalliances also include a spell at The Museum Inn, Farnham which, at 10 miles away, is probably his nearest competitor.
Curious locals are piling in to The Greenhouse Restaurant where the lunchtime deal is two courses and a glass of wine for £14.25. Single courses, a la carte, are around £14. My Gurnard fillets were excellent and good value for £14 but the Prosciutto with 'wife of Bath' cheese (also £14) was not. Indeed the portion was barely starter size.The dinner menu is priced simillarly to lunch with starters around £8 and mains between £14 and £19. Even the wine is reasonably priced so dinner for two with a very good bottle should be well under £100. Amazingly, in this day and age when many restaurateurs squeeze blood from their patron's wallets via service charges, additional gratuities, etc., etc., The Greenhouse neither includes a service charge nor provides the facility to add a tip on the credit card machine.
The rooms are very reasonably priced ranging from £125 to £245 for the top suite. At the time of writing this review the hotel is barely 2 months old and offering an exceptional deal of the entry level room for £99 including breakfast and a £25 dinner allowance. The room, however, is very small so I'd suggest negotiating a rate on the next grade of room which has a rack rate of £145. If your budget stretches, it's well worth going for a junior suite. You really can live like a king here at a very reasonable cost.
I suspect Hotel Grosvenor will really succeed with the weekend market. If you're looking for a place in this part of Dorset, where property prices are already sky high, you could do worse than simply staying at the Grosvenor. It's a lot less hassle, and expensive, than buying and running a weekend cottage.
The hotel is also an ideal place for locals to put their weekend guests. One local who has already checked it out is Guy Ritchie, (as the hotel staff seem keen to tell all who pass through the door). Perhaps one day the hotel might have a particularly famous guest if she returns to check out her former home of Ashcombe, a mere 10 minutes down the road, and her ex says there is no room at his inn.
Hotel Grosvenor
High Street
Shaftesbury
SP7 8JA
01747 850580
http://www.hotelgrosvenor.com
Be Frank: agree or disagree? What do you think?
