Shillingford Bridge Hotel - shock!

Brayman

Brayman

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Moored here yesterday to be shocked with an overnight mooring fee of £20, with no refund for any spend in the hotel. Getting nowhere with the receptionist who held her ground admirably we managed to arrange a meeting with the new manager. He agreed to review it and fortuitously had a meeting with his boss later. This morning he agreed that it was a bit steep and has implemented a new policy:
Still £20/night, but only £10 if rafted
20% off all purchases in the bar and restaurant
Electricity provided free at the moment but he is reviewing that too.

A very popular mooring for us was nearly lost for ever!
 
We had the same shock on Monday and a similar discussion with reception which got us no where so thanks for making progress. Always thought it fair when ones mooring fee was deducted against restaurant meal. Although a lovely spot £20 is steep. Will say though. On Monday moorings were about full by 6.00 pm
 
joejo said:
We had the same shock on Monday and a similar discussion with reception which got us no where so thanks for making progress. Always thought it fair when ones mooring fee was deducted against restaurant meal. Although a lovely spot £20 is steep. Will say though. On Monday moorings were about full by 6.00 pm
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How many of them had the "shock" I wonder? And will any of them go back?
 
Brayman said:
Still £20/night, but only £10 if rafted
20% off all purchases in the bar and restaurant
Electricity provided free at the moment but he is reviewing that too.

A very popular mooring for us was nearly lost for ever!
Click to expand...

Thats better but still steep, you can moor 50yds further away without power for nothing, it was worth a £10 for the power and location.... just, won't bother now.
 
Hotel

Brayman said:
Moored here yesterday to be shocked with an overnight mooring fee of £20, with no refund for any spend in the hotel. Getting nowhere with the receptionist who held her ground admirably we managed to arrange a meeting with the new manager. He agreed to review it and fortuitously had a meeting with his boss later. This morning he agreed that it was a bit steep and has implemented a new policy:
Still £20/night, but only £10 if rafted
20% off all purchases in the bar and restaurant
Electricity provided free at the moment but he is reviewing that too.

A very popular mooring for us was nearly lost for ever!
Click to expand...

...you may wish to send the Manager a link to this forum to show him how quickly word spreads amongst his customer community.....and how his revenues are likely to be impacted.....
 
How many of them had the "shock" I wonder? And will any of them go back?

Everyone was in shock and complaining and saying they would not be back. One boat had done a deal £50 three nights
 
Forestdale Hotels

Brayman said:
Moored here yesterday to be shocked with an overnight mooring fee of £20, with no refund for any spend in the hotel. Getting nowhere with the receptionist who held her ground admirably we managed to arrange a meeting with the new manager. He agreed to review it and fortuitously had a meeting with his boss later. This morning he agreed that it was a bit steep and has implemented a new policy:
Still £20/night, but only £10 if rafted
20% off all purchases in the bar and restaurant
Electricity provided free at the moment but he is reviewing that too.

A very popular mooring for us was nearly lost for ever!
Click to expand...

Head Office:-
Forestdale Hotels,
C/O The Lyndhurst Park Hotel,
High Street,
Lyndhurst,
Hants,
SO43 7NL

customercare@forestdale.com

02380 283 114

Now owned bu Akkeron Hotels, Matthew Welbourn, MD
 
We have had similar situations in recent years with the Runnymede Hotel and the Compleat Angler at Marlow (they originally wanted £50 for me to moor overnight if I attended an evening function at the hotel!).

As they are all privately owned establishments they are free to charge whatever they like for moorings and our only sanction is staying away. I think the Oxford Ditch CC have used the Shillingford Hotel as a venue for laying up suppers in the past so perhaps a letter from the club secretary pointing out that their establishment had been under consideration for next year but will not now be so might add a little more force to the 'lost business' knock on effect?

Although some of these establishments belong to the River Thames Alliance Marketing Partnership I suspect it is more for advertising benefits than any sense of a benign attitude to boaters.

Unfortunately, there will always be enough people prepared to pay whatever the price so our protestations will mainly fall on deaf ears. Brayman may have wrung a concession out of them but its still a damn sight more than it was previously.

If Agatha Christie was still alive she might write a sequel to 'Death On The Nile' called 'Death Of The Thames' :(
 
We are off later today for a weeks trip up river and were planning to stop here, I think that has just changed my mind!

If anyone sees a Bayliner 285 - 'Akvavit' please say Hi :)
 
Same here. We have a few days booked for August and I think the only way I will visit their mooring will be as I cruise past.

Thanks for posting the information.
 
Not knowing that area to well, are there other moorings that give you access to Shillingford?

Also, apart from the hotel, what is shillingford like? any other pubs / restaurants / shops etc?
 
inlandnewbie said:
Not knowing that area to well, are there other moorings that give you access to Shillingford?

Also, apart from the hotel, what is shillingford like? any other pubs / restaurants / shops etc?
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I seem to remember you can moor up bankside just a few hundred yards upstream of the hotel.

Read about Shillingford HERE but I dont think there's much there. I think you can catch a bus to Abingdon quite easily.
 
inlandnewbie said:
what about Dorchester, just a bit further upstream. I seem to remember there was quite a few moorings there, and looking at the map, just a short walk into Dorchester itself.

Any recommendations for the town of dorchester - found this pub http://www.thegeorgedorchester.co.uk/
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Yes, you can moor bankside (quite high banks) just upstream of the bridge over the river Thame and its a 20 mins to half hour walk across the fields into the village. Very sleepy little place and didn't visit the pub so cant comment - nice church.
 
boatone said:
I seem to remember you can moor up bankside just a few hundred yards upstream of the hotel.

Read about Shillingford HERE but I dont think there's much there. I think you can catch a bus to Abingdon quite easily.
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Yes as I posted earlier go one tree up and off the Hotels lawn and you moor for free, a bit of space on the bends and round the corner as well.

ODCC did indeed use it for many years as their "Dinner's" venue because it was local and you could bring your boat, food and service had deteriorated so they have now gone elsewhere and unlikely to return.

The management should indeed take note of this thread its a small river and with the Forum and various clubs the Shillingford Bridge will be black listed rapidly, unless of course that is the intention and they only want the odd "posh" boat moored there to give a nice view.
 
inlandnewbie said:
what about Dorchester, just a bit further upstream. I seem to remember there was quite a few moorings there, and looking at the map, just a short walk into Dorchester itself.

Any recommendations for the town of dorchester - found this pub http://www.thegeorgedorchester.co.uk/
Click to expand...

Dorchester well worth the walk at least 3 quality pubs and Hotels and a Co-op. You can moor by the entrance to the Thame or above Days lock on the right.
 
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