Celebrating its opening in July 2010, The Oxfordshire Golf Club’s 50-bedroom Hotel & Spa will provide a state-of-the art destination close to the M40 at Thame for business and leisure travelers alike.
Golfers in both categories are likely to be attracted by The Oxfordshire’s existing championship golf course, the only one in the country to be designed by Rees Jones, pioneer of the modern American ‘parkland’ style. But the four-star hotel will also attract general tourists and business travelers with its luxury spa and 15-metre pool; and a signature restaurant overseen by Head Chef Richard Buy.
The Oxfordshire will be managed by Tim Pettifer, formerly General Manager of world-famous Cliveden House, who has been brought on board for the purpose.
The styling of the hotel has been personally overseen by Jennifer Gibbons, joint owner along with Paul Gibbons, its design a contemporary interpretation of traditional English Country House style.
“I have been involved since day one. Paul and I have put our hearts and souls into this because we want it to be perfect,” she says. “The hotel has a country-club feel, with soft furnishing and fabrics in the rooms.” She adds that the rooms will fall into one of four distinct colour and fabric themes that she has developed, drawing on her own experience of staying at some of the world’s best hotels.
“We already have a world-class course at The Oxfordshire and we wanted world-class accommodation to go with it,” says Paul Gibbons, co-owner with Jennifer of Leaderboard Golf, which is behind the hotel development. Paul Gibbons has built up Leaderboard Golf – which now extends to four stunning golf clubs across the South East – since selling his founding stake in Autotrader Magazine (the world’s most successful classified ads publication) in 1998.
Tim Pettifer, General Manager of the new hotel, says: “This is a very good period for us to be opening. Being this close to Oxford – and its newly renamed London Oxford Airport – we will be top of the list for luxury tourism and business travel, especially for those travelers interested in trying a championship golf course during their stay.
“Being positioned within arguably the UK’s top region for heritage tourism – and with as good food as you can find anywhere locally – we really have an unbeatable combination.” He adds that the UK golf travel industry has recently been helped by the strong euro and a preference among UK golfers to book high-quality golf breaks in the UK; and will continue to grow in popularity in the run up to the first Olympic Golf Tournament in 2016. Full golf training and a quality Pro shop will be available to hotel guests.
The Oxfordshire Golf Club Hotel & Spa www.theoxfordshiregolfclub.com/hotel