A short walk from Oxford City centre and you are transported to the relaxing rural luxury of voco Oxford Spires hotel. Set within the historic grounds of Eastwyke House, a 16th Century farmhouse also now part of the hotel, offering a unique place to stay and enjoy the surroundings. Acquired by IHG in 2018, Oxford Spires was identified as part of their re-branding scheme and in 2019 was transformed into a voco offering
The voco identity was applied to the entire hotel to ensure the brand values were consistent throughout to maximise the guest experience. However, the majority of the hard refurbishment works were to the 186 guestrooms, with over half being fully renovated including bathrooms. One of the main challenges for the design team was the installation of air conditioning into the guestrooms as part of the voco brand requirements. HLM Architects worked closely with the M&E Engineers, Main Contractor and hotel staff to ensure disruption was minimised as the hotel remained open during the works. A complex phasing scheme was developed to enable the hotel to function, ensure guest and staff safety without adversely affecting the high occupancy rate.
Understanding the requirements of the voco brand was essential in developing and delivering the scheme. The result was a scheme true to the brand values, dependable but distinctive, a place for friends and family as well as business travellers, confident without being pretentious and respecting each hotels individuality.
