My review of Brooks Guesthouse couldn’t have come at a better time. After three days of training, I was ready to put my feet up and relax.
I arrived at Brooks Guesthouse in Bath and was greeted with a welcoming smile and friendly hello. Visiting Brooks feels like coming home. A roaring fire was going in the living room, with squishy sofas to curl up on, an open honesty bar like at their Bristol Guest House and even a laptop you can borrow in case you have forgotten your own (as if I would ever do that).
Every room in the Guesthouse is unique and much of the furniture is left from when Carla and her family lived there during the renovation. My room felt more like staying at a friend’s house than in a hotel. Everything was to a high standard, whilst still keeping its uniqueness.
I stayed at Brooks Bristol Guesthouse earlier this year and absolutely loved it, so straight away I was certain Bath would be equally special. I may not have been staying in a silver rocket on a roof, but Bath’s Brooks Guesthouse was awesome too. Here are my top 6 reasons to love Brooks Guesthouse
1. It’s Close To The City Centre
OK so Bath really isn’t that big, but even so, Brooks is really well located, only a 4-minute walk to the city centre and 10 minutes to the train station. It is located on a street filled with guesthouses but even just from looking on the outside, I can tell you that Brooks is the best!
2. It’s Local, And Has Family At Its Heart
I met with Carla the owner over breakfast and loved chatting to her about how they started Brooks Guesthouses and their business ethos. They are currently developing their fourth guesthouse, which they are sure will be their last as they don’t want to lose the family-run vibe of the place. They buy all their fruit and veg from the local greengrocer, their meet from the local butcher and try to source as much as possible from the areas local to their properties.
They started with the Bath Guesthouse and have grown from there, it even turns out that Carla’s family were greengrocers back in Dublin, which is the same as half of my family here in the UK. We had loads in common and I loved hearing Carla’s stories of how they had grown! I chatted to a couple of ladies before I met with Carla and they said how homely and welcoming Carla and the team were too, so I definitely wasn’t just getting special treatment.
3. The Staff Are Happy
I recently did a talk in Poland to hotel managers and member of the tourism sector about how hotels can make the best first impression. For me, one of the most important things is to have happy staff. You can tell pretty quickly if a staff member isn’t happy with their job and it easily shines through in their work. The staff at Brooks seemed to be happy in their job. I had a friendly chat with the gentleman serving my breakfast and it turned out the receptionist was his wife. He was all smiles and super friendly and certainly made me feel welcome.
4. The Little Extras
It is all the little extras that make a hotel special and it is those little things that you remember. Brooks Guesthouse is full of little extras, from providing me with toothpaste when I forgot mine to having a collection of DVDs you can borrow to watch in your room. The living room is made as homely as possible, the laptop you can borrow I thought was a lovely touch and the stacks of magazines and the honesty bar make you feel like you’re at home, even if you had lost your entire suitcase.
5. A Comfy Bed
Ultimately what makes a stay blissful or horrendous is the bed. If you don’t get a good night’s sleep then chances are you aren’t going to go back. My bed at Brooks was definitely of the blissful variety. After a busy few days an early night’s sleep was just what I needed and I definitely got more than my recommended 8 hours and woke up feeling refreshed and rested.
6. The Best Breakfast
You always want to leave a stay on a high, and getting the breakfast right assures your customers will do just that. The Brooks breakfast is just perfect. A buffet for all the cold foods you might desire from fresh granola and juice, to fruit, yoghurt and cereal. The best bit though is the hot choices you can order. Whether it is a proper fry up you’re after or eggs Benedict or even pancakes. They cater for most tastes and dietary requirements. I do love a proper freshly made breakfast, preferable to a hot buffet any day!
Brooks is the perfect little guesthouse for a weekend in Bath, whether you’re visiting for business or pleasure I truly recommend this place. I can’t wait for their new hotel in Hereford to open later this year, which will have a spa and more airstreams. Amazing.
