To celebrate 20 years of our hotel, we hosted a variety of exciting events throughout the year. From foodie masterclasses to wellness workshops.
Supporting Playskill
This year, we have chosen to support Playskill, a local Hertfordshire charity that provides expert support, training and respite for pre-school children who have physical delays or disabilities. Throughout the year we will organise various fundraising initiatives, the first of which includes donating £1 from every special Mansion on the Hill cocktail purchased at our bars.
Try our 20th year cocktail, ‘Mansion on the Hill’’ created by Tom Doherty, The Stables Manager. Inspired by his ten years working at the Grove and the hotel’s rich history, the cocktail contains The Grove Gin, Cointeau, crème de violette and grapes. £1 from each drink will be donated to local Hertfordshire children’s charity, Playskill, our charity of the year.
We are always striving to enhance our guest experience and offer the most stylish and modern facilities. We’ve continuously invested in updating the hotel over the years, and since 2019 the hotel will have seen a complete refurbishment of all bedrooms, restaurants and facilities, with the Mansion being the final area to be renovated.
Redesigned and refurbished in 2017, the Potting Shed offers a beautifully rustic space to relax, and is home to our stunning restaurant pop-ups – from the current sharing concept to our Italian Verde Kitchen which will be returning this summer.
In 2019 we renovated The Glasshouse restaurant, bar and kitchens with the help of Martin Hulbert Design, reinventing our live-action food stations to deliver the ultimate interactive dining experience. A year later, the team at Martin Hulbert Design returned, helping us refurbish our Lounges. The aim was to make each space feel more relaxed, so you will notice hand-painted wall coverings, reupholstered furniture as well as new and antique items from all over the world. The Lounges are now truly unique, eclectic spaces, each with their own colour scheme.
189 West Wing bedrooms were refurbished by Martin Hulbert and his team in 2020 and 2021, with the interior design inspired by nature and bringing ‘the outdoors in’. From stylish interiors to exceptionally comfy beds, these bedrooms have been redesigned with your comfort in mind.
Our spa was recently refurbished in 2022 with the help of StudioJill. We now have Sequoia Kitchen, brand-new heat experiences, a new Tranquillity Room and much more.
In October 2022, we joined forces with interior designer, Martin Hulbert, to begin work on refurbishing the mansion bedrooms and suites. The mansion renovations form part of the final phase of our hotel’s extensive three-year refurbishment. Dating back to the 16th century, the mansion will be home to nine signature suites and sixteen bedrooms. The re-imagined interiors of the suites will blend antique and contemporary, and will make the most of the original Georgian features, including mouldings, ornate fireplaces and curved bay windows with spectacular views over the Hertfordshire countryside.
We are currently renovating some of our golf facilities, including the golf locker rooms, Halfway House and toilet facilities. We recently introduced TrackMan Range, a game-changing piece of technology, and have also welcomed several new golf buggies that can play music via Bluetooth speakers.
In addition to this, we began extensive works at The Stables, including an extension of the bar, installation of new high-tech appliances and equipment in the kitchen, and the refurbishment of the courtyard and terrace.
The Team Behind It All
The hotel certainly would not be as we know it without the dedicated team of staff. Did you know that 25% of our team members have more than five years’ service? Some members, including our IT Technical Manager, Philip Hallam, and our Front of House Manager, Sally Humphrey, have even been with us since the hotel first opened in 2003!
