The Speech House Hotel

Having looked for somewhere to eat en route, the hotel was the first place we stopped and I’m glad we did! The food was incredible and the service by Jayne was faultless. She’s a true asset to the hotel. The only minor irritation was that I couldn’t get cash back to tip her. A great impromptu stop!

Poor service. Went for morning coffee & snack in the beautiful Orangery. Shown to seat, menus on the table. After about 5 minutes another couple sat down; immediately a member of staff came & assisted them. I tried to catch the attention of the staff - to no avail. After another 5 minutes, we left.

It was my daughters 40th birthday so we booked for 6 afternoon teas. We arrived and no table clean, so cloths were put on then 3 cups and saucers and off lady went cleaning other tables. 15 mins later another 3 cups appeared. 2 with awful tea stains in, so had them changed. Coffee ordered and arrived in a dirty dented stained jug, then milk arrived and had debris floating in it, lady changed it. Tea pot arrived and a sugar jug both dusty, dirty and dented. No spoon for the sugar. It was not a good start and spoiled our special event. Wouldn't recommend, basic cleanliness not in place. Tired and dented equipment not a good setting for afternoon tea

We stayed two nights in a junior suite and had a fabulous time. Every single member of the hotel staff team that we encountered were friendly and helpful. The food was of a high quality and plentiful. We chose to eat in the orangery rather than the restaurant because we wanted a relaxed dining experience. I particularly enjoyed the cod and chips which were superbly cooked. The location is great, right in the Forest of Dean with walks directly from the hotel. Attractions are also within easy reach. We visited the heritage railway and Lydney harbour, both of which we enjoyed. We will be returning shortly to explore further.

Very disappointed with the food in the Orangery Restaurant today. I ordered the chargrilled tender stalk brocolli on a bed of greens with sweet potato fries. What arrived were 5 stems of soggy fatty brocolli which had been deep fried in batter then coated in a BBQ sauce and dumped on a tablespoon of cabbage along with 8 sweet potato fries all for £14. I've eaten at the casual dining restaurant in the past and it's always been very good but things have changed....maybe the chef? I

We just had a really tasty, good quality meal with top notch service here this evening. We eat in the orangey which was inviting and enjoyable to sit in. Menu had great variety to choose from and they also had kids menu. Wine was really nice, food tasted great, no issues at all. The service though was so impressive, so much choice even for just ordering drinks, we felt very well looked after, the lovely waitress could not do enough for us, total gem! So if you are in the area it is a great place to go along and get spoiled.

We had a fairly major issue when attending the Eras Tour in Cardiff - the hotel we'd booked had somehow shut down without our knowing. At 1am we telephoned Speech House, and were told there was a room available for the four of us, so we drove the 45 minutes there. We were greeted by the night porter, who checked us in in a very friendly and professional manner (especially considering the time), and the hotel staff extended the breakfast time due to our circumstances meaning we wouldn't be awake for the usual time. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

We stayed for a two night break in one of the outside Courtyard rooms and had a wonderful couple of days exploring the forest and enjoying the warm and friendly welcome we had from all the staff. From the moment we walked in to when we checked out, the staff were so lovely to us and made us feel like we were part of the family. We'd recommend the walks from the doorstep, we were given maps and enthusiastic instructions. The food was superb, we ate in the Orangery on one night, and the Verderers' the second with all the history in the Courtroom. Both nights the service was fantastic and the food was beautiful. I was a big fan of the burger and Chocolate chilli desert! You can tell that the family who own it are investing in the property and upgrading the bathrooms, we had one of the new ones which was very smart. It's good to see happy, friendly staff in such a difficult time with the economy, and an independent business still doing the best they can with all of the increasing cost pressures. Well done Speech House team!

We were allocated room 26 .It was in a separate house to the hotel and as we opened the door if smelt damp. It proved to be a suite,a small lounge, bedroom and bathroom. The bedroom contained 2 single beds with clean linen and was fine. The walls throughout were wallpapered,overpainted with emulsion,which in some places was separating from the wall. The lounge had a settee and armchair,which were fairly worn and stained. The bathroom was small. Where the bath met the wall It had been sealed with a plastic ***** ,which had black between it and the bath ?dirt?black mould. The toilet roll holder,the towel rail and they rail above the wash basin were all loose. The door between the toilet and lounge was an old sapele door which had clearly been reused since it had a large hole in it where a previous lock had fitted.. The tiling in the bathroom on the window sill was,to say the least amateur,and the dead fly behind the curtain remained throughout our 2 day stay When we complained the settee was covered with a loose cover but not the chair , the toilet roll holder was tightened but the other fitting remained loose and the manager told she was supprised as this was her favourite room. We were celebrating a. 60th wedding anniversary and thought we had booked a luxury hotel