Radisson Edwardian, Guildford – Review

Guildford has had a much needed development makeover and with it, a new civic centre (G Live) as well as a much needed luxury hotel in the shape of a contemporary Radisson Edwardian 4*. Living just a few miles from Guildford, it made sense to get in touch with the hotel and go and see what all the fuss was about.

For those who have never been to Guildford, it`s a medieval market town with a lot of character, charm and history. It`s also a town with very few quality hotels it has to be said. It`s a great place to live, work or play. In fact, Guildford is attracting a growing business community thanks to its cutting edge research and business parks and a great road, education and transport infrastructure.

The hotel opened just a few months ago and is already attracting good numbers throughout the day, every day and when you visit it`s clear to see why. The hotel has private parking below it (very handy as Guildford can be tricky to park at the best of times), a fully kitted out gym (complete with a personal trainer), conference rooms, a luxury Spa, cocktail bar and fine dining restaurant. It is appealing to so many markets, especially business travelers who can rely on the strong brand that is Radisson Edwardian.

On arrival we were shown our room, a very stylish, contemporary living space (suite) with all the mod cons you could ask for. A king sized bed with fitted cotton sheets was a most welcome site. After a short spell of relaxation it was off to the Spa for us – a facial and a back massage awaited. The Spa offers Espa treatments as well as The Pinks Boutique treatments – if you know your spas you`ll know that this spells quality! Our masseurs were incredibly friendly and we both emerged 45 minutes later incredibly relaxed. Personally, my massage was one of the best experienced – and I`ve had a few!

We mooched back to our room to relax a little more and prepare for a culinary treat – DINNER!

The bar and restaurant are situated on the ground floor and open to the public to come and enjoy at their leisure. A great place for lunch meetings or socializing after work, the rooms are tastefully decorated. We went mid week and therefore the restaurant was quiet meaning a slight lack of atmosphere it has to be said (possibly because Guildford is still waking up to the facility), however at weekends you can be assured of a cosmopolitan hive of activity. We had a crab and a rabbit terrine starter, great start. This was followed by the most incredible Chateaubriand, WOW! Absolutely delicious and something I pray they never take off the menu. We were too full for deserts unfortunately, but the selection was fantastic.

To summarise – thank goodness for the new Guildford Radisson Edwardian, it`s just what the town needs to attract new business and help grow its economy. Definitely take a look at the G Live line up, and if you fancy coming to check out a music artist, be sure to make a weekend of it and stay here. You won`t be disappointed!