Barnett Hill offered the most idyllic setting to get married, with attentive staff and fab service. It surpassed both our expectations and we will certainly return. Along with all round excellence, it was extremely good value for money. Should you decide to get 'hitched' here, you'll never look back.

We had the misfortune of hosting our wedding at Barnett Hill, part of the Alexander Hotel Collection, and it was an experience riddled with incompetence, unprofessionalism, and outright negligence. Despite lofty promises of a stress-free, seamless wedding experience, what we received was a series of miscommunications, breaches of contract, and poor service that turned what should have been a joyous occasion into a frustrating ordeal.

1. Incompetent Wedding Coordination
The wedding coordinator assigned to us, Tori, demonstrated a shocking lack of professionalism and competence. Despite initial promises to guide us through the planning process, Tori disappeared for months at a time, leaving us scrambling to fill in the gaps ourselves. Her attitude during the final meeting was dismissive and unprofessional—she came unprepared, repeatedly asked questions she already had answers to, and failed to acknowledge the work we had done to compensate for her earlier absences. It was clear she did not take her role seriously, and her lack of involvement caused unnecessary stress and confusion.

2. Breach of Contract: Incorrect Menu and Wine
We experienced multiple breaches of contract that ruined key aspects of our event:

- Menu Failures: Despite providing confirmed vegetarian options for our guests (and printing bespoke menu cards at our own expense), Barnett Hill served a completely different dish without prior notice. This not only embarrassed us in front of our guests but also rendered our meticulously designed menu cards useless. It was an avoidable mistake that highlighted their lack of attention to detail.

- Wine Debacle: The agreed-upon wine, which we had carefully chosen during a tasting months in advance, was not served at the event. Instead, we were forced to accept subpar substitutes on the day of our wedding. To make matters worse, the hotel misrepresented the available options and used leftover wine they had mistakenly over-ordered. This dishonest practice was deeply disappointing, especially as we had paid for premium wine. The lack of transparency and accountability left us feeling deceived.

3. Negligence Regarding Allergies
One of our guests has a life-threatening allergy, which we communicated clearly to the hotel well in advance. Despite this, the hotel failed to accommodate their dietary needs, putting their health and safety at serious risk. This level of negligence is unacceptable and reflects poorly on the hotel's hiring and training practices.

4. Unresolved Refund Issues
The hotel's refund process has been a nightmare. Despite agreeing to refund certain costs due to their numerous failures, they repeatedly revised the amount without justification and ultimately refunded a fraction of what was promised. Their accounts team cited "internal administrative errors" as the reason for the discrepancies, but this excuse fails to address the root issue: the hotel’s inability to honor agreements and resolve issues efficiently. It has taken months of back-and-forth emails, and the matter is still unresolved.

5. Unprofessional Communication
The lack of communication and coordination among Barnett Hill’s staff is staggering. Emails went unanswered for weeks, and when responses did come, they were riddled with contradictions and excuses. Even simple matters, like retrieving a lost item, were mishandled. It’s clear that the hotel’s staff are either overburdened or simply don’t care.

6. Emotional Distress
The incompetence and lack of accountability from Barnett Hill caused significant emotional distress on what should have been the happiest day of our lives. My partner was forced to deal with wine-related issues on the morning of the wedding, detracting from their ability to enjoy the day. The entire process—from planning to execution—was far more stressful than it needed to be, all due to the hotel’s inability to provide the service they promised.

Final Thoughts
Barnett Hill and the Alexander Hotel Collection market themselves as providers of luxury experiences, but our wedding was anything but. From unprofessional staff to contractual breaches and a complete lack of accountability, this establishment utterly failed to deliver on even the most basic expectations. If you’re considering Barnett Hill for your wedding or event, I strongly urge you to look elsewhere. No amount of picturesque surroundings can make up for the incompetence and stress they will bring to your special day.

Rating: 1/5

Gemma was always so quick to respond when planning the big day, the venue are really flexible and accommodating. The day was absolutely perfect, the food was outstanding even surprised me how well they did with mass food. The staff on the day were so professional and so nice and made all the guest so comfortable. Anything you needed they would accommodate.

Only problems we had was around them not setting up everything we had previously agreed in the brief, so it was mad rush to set everything up which was really disappointing. Unclear why so much time is spend writing a brief for the day and them not to follow it...

And ensure you look at the bar menu prices as the drink as very expensive and are the prices you pay for all the guests drinks IE toast, dinner etc.

June 27th 2021. This was the third date we had to arrange because of restrictions. Nothing short of perfect from Barnett Hill, we felt everyone was involved in our wedding and nothing was too much trouble. The lead up was tough with flexibility needed because of the restrictions on Covid. The team took care of every detail and nothing was left to chance. The hotel received a standing ovation from the wedding party and guests. All you need to do is fall in love with the venue and the rest is taken care of.. Thank you Barnett Hill.

The venue is beautiful but we had to wait weeks at a time to get a response which for me is a huge deal breaker when it comes to planning. They also double booked us and cancelled our date without providing an explanation or offering an apology which is extremely unprofessional and has caused us so much stress having to look for another venue so close to our wedding date.

Good Evening,
I just wanted to send a message to you and your team, to say a very big ‘thank you’ for making our son & fiancée’s wedding day so special.
Freddie and Richelle had a wonderful wedding day, which all 15 of us thoroughly enjoyed.
From the first enquiry, which was only two weeks before, due to changes in Covid rules, your team have been exceptionally helpful.
Your staff, were completely professional and friendly, and your hotel is a beautiful setting for a wedding. The food was delicious and well presented.
We all stayed the night, and found the rooms spotlessly clean and very comfortable.
We would particularly like to thank several members of staff who went out of their way to be helpful. All the staff are a credit to you, but the Mâitre d’ (whose name we didn’t get unfortunately), and waitresses Chantelle & Katie stood out for us.
Thank you again for helping to make the day so memorable and special.

We had the best day ever and can't thank you and your team enough for all your hard work and help to make our wedding day the most memorable of experiences. Everyone looked after us brilliantly and all of our guests had a lovely stay at Barnett. The room looked amazing, the food was amazing and I want to do it all again! Thanks again for everything Holly. Sarah x

Can you please pass on my sincere thanks to all of your staff, it was our daughter's wedding on Friday 25th at Barnett Hill.
We had a great day and evening which was further enhanced by all of the staff at the hotel.
I would particularly like to thank Medhi who took great care of us during the day, nothing was too much trouble for him and he made the whole event run smoothly.
In my many years of utilizing hotels, for both business and pleasure, Medhi is probably the best member of any hotel staff that I have ever met, he is a real asset to your business and should be recognized as such.

We would just like to pass on our immense gratitude to all of your staff for making our wedding on the 10th August the most magical day. Everyone we interacted with from the planning process to the day itself has been truly wonderful.
A key member of staff that I'd like to personally thank is Ashleigh Lowin. Although Ashleigh only took over our account after Gemma left she instantly made us feel so much more confident with the planning of our day. She was quick to reply to all of our emails and our pre-wedding meetings were a delight. She advised us throughout the entire daunting planning process and ensured that she personalised the day to suit us.
Although we did not meet any of the catering staff we would also like to extend our gratitude to them as I imagine they often get forgotten about. Mass catering can be a bit hit or miss sometimes but your team have cracked it. Everyone was raving about the chicken saying it was beautifully moist and that the sauce was a brilliant addition to otherwise standard gravy. Going around and speaking to people it was noticeable the clean plates that were left after every course.
If we were to go back in time and replan our wedding day then I would have absolutely no doubts that we would rebook your wonderful venue again. Although the venue itself is absolutely stunning, it was your staff that made our wedding the day it was.

Hi Ashleigh,

We had the most amazing day getting married at Barnett Hill, we just want to do it all over again! Thank you for all your help in putting together such a great day for us.

Thanks again

Matt

Recently had my dream wedding here. Couldn't have asked for a better venue. Everything was perfect- from the friendly staff, to the beautiful gardens and immaculate rooms. Holly, our wedding co-ordinator was also a superstar, who helped me from day 1, and was so patient and always got back to my many questions immediately. Many friends commented what a beautiful venue it was. I highly recommend it to anyone thinking to host a wedding here. Thank you to all at Barnett Hill

Hi Holly

Great thanks - hope you’re well!!

We had the best day, everyone said the wedding BBQ food was the best wedding food they’ve ever had!

Thanks
Anél and Darrin

Good morning Holly,
We had an amazing day, thanks in no small part I’m sure, to your expertise. We all wish to thank you most sincerely for a wonderfully memorable day. We were made to feel very special. Everything was perfect, and Anita a great help, Kind regards, And again our heartfelt thanks, Elizabeth and Greg

Hi Holly,

I just wanted to send you a sincere huge thank you from me, Sam and our families for what a fantastic job you did. Everything was amazing and so many people said it was the best wedding they had ever been to. Please pass this onto the team also.

To Ashleigh & Holly,
Thank you for helping organise and making our day so special!
We had an amazing day!
Thanks again.