The Grove hosts conferences, meetings, team building days, weddings and private parties for groups from a handful of people to 450 guests, with 16 event spaces and bedrooms on site. The hotel stands on a 300-acre estate at Chandler's Cross, Hertfordshire, 18 miles northwest of London, and the whole estate can be booked for exclusive hire.
Seminars and company events
The event spaces are naturally lit, air-conditioned and grouped close together, and many open directly onto the gardens. Two meeting packages are offered. The day delegate package covers the main meeting room, refreshments on arrival and through the day, lunch, stationery, in-room technology, event support, parking and WiFi. The overnight package adds dinner, a bedroom with full English breakfast and access to Sequoia Spa. A team building program is offered, and the grounds host outdoor activities such as archery and axe throwing. Jemima's Kitchen Garden, a working kitchen garden on the estate, is reserved for conference and event guests for private dining and cooking masterclasses, outside its winter closure.
Weddings and receptions
A team of wedding planners handles ceremonies and receptions, from small gatherings to large parties, using both the indoor rooms and the formal gardens. Menus range from buffets to three-course dinners and can be adapted to dietary needs. For large events, including Indian weddings, the hotel works with selected kosher caterers and with Madhu's, a specialist Asian caterer.
Rooms and capacities
The Amber is the largest space, for up to 450 guests. Cinnamon, linked directly to the Amber, takes up to 100 and can serve as a green room or preparation area during large events. The Cedar Suite holds up to 166 and the Ivory up to 120, with its own entrance and terrace. Silk and Ochre take up to 48 and can be used together or separately. The Potting Shed suits evening parties for up to 72. In the mansion, the Donneraile takes up to 28 and the Garden Room, overlooking the formal gardens, up to 30. Ten small meeting rooms seat up to 12 each around fixed boardroom tables, with daylight and whiteboard walls. Outdoors, the Walled Garden covers 13,048 square meters, with a swimming pool, a beach, tennis courts and a kitchen garden.
Accommodation
Guests stay in bedrooms and suites on the estate, with king-size beds, and the hotel also rents cottages. Sequoia Spa has a 22-meter pool tiled in black mosaic and offers Bamford treatments. The 18-hole championship golf course hosted the British Masters in 2016. Families attending a celebration can use Anouska's Kids Club, which is registered with Ofsted.
Catering
Food is prepared by the hotel's own kitchens, which run five restaurants, among them The Glasshouse, The Stables and Madhu's at The Grove.
History and setting
The house at the center of the estate is an 18th-century mansion, once the country home of the Earls of Clarendon, set in formal gardens and parkland.
Getting there
The address is Chandler's Cross, Hertfordshire WD3 4TG (WD17 3NL for satellite navigation). The estate lies close to the M1 and the M25. Watford Junction station is a five-minute drive, with fast trains to London Euston. London Luton and London Heathrow are the nearest airports.
