The Holt Hotel in Steeple Aston, Oxfordshire, hosts conferences, meetings, private dinners and weddings. It has four named meeting rooms holding from 18 to 120 people, function rooms for weddings and evening parties of up to 200 guests, and 87 bedrooms, so a group can work, eat and stay under one roof.
Seminars and company events
The hotel sells day delegate rates and conference packages with accommodation. Meetings run from one-to-one interviews to theatre-style presentations for 150 delegates. Wi-Fi is free throughout the building, and there is free parking for up to 200 cars, which matters when a whole team drives in. Team building, special events and celebration of life gatherings are also offered.
Weddings and receptions
The hotel is licensed for civil ceremonies. The Aston Room is the ceremony room, on the ground floor with daylight, coloured lighting and built-in Bluetooth speakers, opening onto the garden. The Cherwell Room takes receptions of up to 120 guests and can extend into the adjacent restaurant for larger groups. Weddings and evening parties of up to 200 guests are possible across the function rooms. The bar licence runs until 12:30 am, and the landscaped gardens are used for canapes and photographs.
Rooms and capacities
Cherwell Room: 13 m x 10 m, ceiling 3.5 m, air conditioning, private bar and toilets. Theatre 120, cabaret 50, classroom 40, U-shape 35, boardroom 30, finger buffet 150.
Churchill Room: 9 m x 9 m, newly refurbished, overlooks the courtyard garden, with a 90-inch projector screen and a 65-inch TV. Theatre 60, finger buffet 40, U-shape 30, boardroom 24, cabaret 24, classroom 24.
Aston Room: 11 m x 5.6 m, ground floor, natural light, garden access. Theatre 80, finger buffet 30, boardroom 20, classroom 20, cabaret 18, U-shape 16.
Marlborough Room: 9 m x 9 m, exposed timber beams and garden-facing windows. Theatre 20, boardroom 18, cabaret 18, U-shape 16, classroom 14, finger buffet 20.
Accommodation
The hotel has 87 bedrooms in single, double, twin and family formats, many newly renovated, in Standard, Deluxe Double and Superior categories. The Blenheim Suite is suited to wedding parties and special occasions, and a four-poster bridal suite is offered to the couple. Rooms for wedding guests can be held at pre-agreed rates.
Catering
Catering is in-house. The restaurant, Du Vall's, serves breakfast, and the Highwayman's Horse bar and restaurant serves lunch daily and dinner in the evening. Private dining spaces are available for group dinners, with menus built by the chefs for the event and dietary needs handled on request. Afternoon tea is served in the lounge or garden.
History and setting
The building dates from 1475 and began as a coaching inn. It is linked to the 17th-century highwayman Claude Duval, a local folk hero. It stands on Oxford Road in Steeple Aston, on the edge of the Cotswolds.
Getting there
The hotel is reached by car: about 10 minutes from Blenheim Palace, 25 minutes from Oxford, and close to Bicester Village. The address is Oxford Road, Steeple Aston, Bicester OX25 5QQ.
