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Review: The Abbey Hotel in Bath, a Marriott Tribute Portfolio property

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This is our review of The Abbey Hotel in Bath, which is part of Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio.

Marriott Bonvoy is currently running its ‘Week of Wonders‘ promotion to remind you of the joys of travel.

Head for Points is supporting ‘Week of Wonders’ with a number of special features including FIVE fantastic competitions which will launch next week.

Abbey Hotel Bath review

Today’s theme is ‘Wonders of Rejuvenation’. In need of a break after working flat out on the HfP website redesign for the last six months, I was delighted to accept an invitation to try out the the Abbey Hotel in Bath, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel.

The Abbey Hotel is a recent addition to Marriott, joining its Tribute Portfolio brand in July this year after a complete refurbishment.

There had been very little publicity about this – it came as a surprise to us in the HfP office when Marriott suggested it – so we were keen to take a look. It is the only Marriott property in Bath.

(This is a common theme with these unbranded properties. New hotels tend to get a lot of publicity during construction and opening, and of course have the chain’s signage outside. When existing hotels slot into these ‘soft’ brands, no-one knows about it.)

What is Tribute Portfolio?

It is worth taking a minute to explain what Tribute Portfolio actually is. Marriott inherited this “soft” brand when it merged with Starwood, who launched Tribute Portfolio in 2015.

Tribute Portfolio is a loose collection of independent, boutique hotels which have chosen to use Marriott’s marketing and booking system. Tribute Portfolio hotels are not restricted by brand standards and are more autonomous than “hard” Marriott brands. As Marriott says:

“Tribute Portfolio is a growing global family of characterful, independent hotels drawn together by their passion for captivating design and their drive to create vibrant social scenes for guests and locals alike.”

There are now 53 hotels as part of the collection, with more than half in the United States. Whilst Marriott classes both its Autograph Collection and Tribute Portfolio as premium brands, you can expect Tribute Portfolio hotels to sit slightly below Autograph Collection hotels such as The University Arms in Cambridge (reviewed here by Rob last month).

Review of The Abbey Hotel, Bath

Back to the review.

The Abbey Hotel is very well located, literally a stone’s throw from the Roman Baths and Bath Abbey (hence the name!). There are just 65 rooms which have recently been refurbished.

It is situated on the edge of the pedestrianised city centre and is easily accessible by road or train. The walk up from Bath Spa station only takes a matter of minutes.

Built in 1739, the hotel is spread across three Georgian town houses. I imagine no two rooms are the same given this is a conversion of a historic building which means you can expect a spread of unique rooms, corridors and staircases.

There are two check-in desks in the small lobby, currently kitted out with plexiglass screens:

Abbey Hotel Bath review

The Abbey Hotel makes a strong first impression with a huge variety of art that helps to soften the industrial chic style of the refurbishment. It is a real contrast to the exterior of the hotel and indeed the rest of the city.

Check in was a breeze and although I arrived at midday, I was told my room was ready, no doubt thanks to it being Tuesday night stay during coronavirus!

My Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status was recognised and I was told I could make use of the late checkout benefit.

My Gallery Family Room at the Abbey Hotel, Bath

Abbey Hotel Bath review

I was upgraded to the ‘Gallery Family Room’ which can accommodate up to four guests.

The room was quite spacious, featuring a king size bed as well as a sofa bed:

Abbey Hotel Bath review

The rich decoration of the room certainly makes a strong first impression and gives the hotel a lot of character, which I liked.

The TV at the foot of the bed is MASSIVE – almost as wide as the king size bed itself! There is another TV mounted on the wall above the sofa.

On the reverse side of the TV stand is a small desk:

Abbey Hotel Bath review

…. with a proper wheely chair, desk lamp and mirror. Behind this is another chair and luggage rack.

My room overlooked the front of the building with attractive views of the city:

Abbey Hotel Bath review

Despite being on a road, the room was totally silent.

Connectivity in the room is excellent, with dual USB and three pin plug sockets on either side of the bed as well as at the desk. You won’t be hunting for a place to plug in.

Storage options include an open rail with hangars as well as some mini cupboards complete with hairdryer, iron and ironing board and safe.

Abbey Hotel Bath review

You also have a fridge, kettle and nespresso machine:

Abbey Hotel Bath review

There are a lot of lamps in this room that add to the ambience rather than using the main overhead lights. All in all it is a spacious yet cosy room.

The bathroom

Abbey Hotel Bath review

The Abbey Hotel features a decently sized bathroom. This has also been refurbished, although to my eyes the bath tub has been retained, albeit with a new shower head and glass screen.

As you can see, the bathroom features a Thomas Crapper-style toilet which I thought tied in nicely with the rest of the historic character of the building and gives a very powerful flush!

Toiletries provided are in re-usable pump action bottles from Natural Spa Factory, a local Bath company.

Abbey Hotel Bath review

The Abbey Kitchen restaurant

For a hotel of its size, The Abbey Hotel has quite a sizeable dining room, socially distanced for now:

Abbey Hotel Bath review

Over the summer months the hotel has had quite a large terrace area outside, and there is also more casual seating around the ‘ArtBar’:

Abbey Hotel Bath review

The bar itself features a lovely suspended ‘chandelier’ made of hanging glasses and decanters. This was all far more modern (in a good way) than I was expecting from a hotel in Bath.

Abbey Hotel Bath review

Whilst the Abbey Hotel used to have a chef-lead restaurant called Koffmann and Mr White’s in collaboration with Pierre Koffmann and Marco Pierre White, it has now refocused on a more classic and less fussy menu. Take a look at the menu here.

The food offering is basic with a pubby mix of fish and chips, burgers, burritos and buddha bowls. An odd mix, but it should cater for all tastes. The good news is that the value for money is high based on what I ate and there are a number of vegetarian options.

In the end, I went for the Salt & Pepper Squid to start:

Abbey Hotel Bath review

…. as well as the ‘Build your Own Burrito’:

Abbey Hotel Bath review

I also tried the Chocolate Brownie dessert:

Abbey Hotel Bath review

The quality of the food was good, so with a little bit of thought and refinement I think it could do quite well for itself. The hotel did say that the menu above is about to be replaced with a new Autumn menu.

The bar is very impressive. I was in the middle of a course of antibiotics (thanks to my wisdom teeth!) and had been warned to stay off alcohol or suffer horrifying consequences, so I requested a mocktail.

Despite not being on the menu, the bar staff came back with a number of options and I have to be honest and say I was very impressed.

Abbey Hotel Bath review

In the end I went for a Virgin Mojito which was virtually indistinguishable from the real thing.

Breakfast

Due to coronavirus restrictions, breakfast is being served in sittings with each slot 50 minutes long.

Abbey Hotel Bath review

This probably wasn’t strictly necessary on the morning I was there, as the breakfast/dining room was virtually empty but for myself and one other couple. I imagine it is quite different at weekends, however.

Thanks to coronavirus, breakfast is being offered as either a cooked-to-order meal, or you can pick up one of the ‘grab bags’ featuring a continental selection.

The options are a Full English (with veggie and vegan alternatives), mushroom and poached egg on sourdough toast or a bacon, sausage and egg roll.

I’m never one to say no to a Full English:

Abbey Hotel Bath review

The size of the portion is deceiving thanks to the gigantic plate, although it was just right in terms of size.

Conclusion

You may be unable or unwilling to fly abroad at the moment, but the UK has many great options if you want a relaxing domestic break.

Whilst the sun may have disappeared for the year, there is never a bad time for a city break in a place like Bath. The low level of tourists at the moment means that you can enjoy the city in a way that is rarely possible.

The Abbey Hotel in Bath has a lot going for it. It is well located, the refurbished rooms are lovely and the hotel has a distinct character and design which sets it apart from many of the tired hotels in Bath.

I want to give a particular mention to the hotel staff, who were universally friendly and always happy to help out.

As a Category 4 hotel, Marriott Bonvoy redemptions are available for between 20,000 and 30,000 points per night. This is good value given that weekend cash prices often exceed £200 per night. Weeknights are significantly cheaper out of season.

You can learn more about the Abbey Hotel on the Marriott website here. Thanks to the Bonvoy team for arranging my stay.

PS. For comparison, Rob recently reviewed the new Hotel Indigo in Bath, part of IHG Rewards.


How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards

How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (December 2024)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

20,000 points for signing up and 15 elite night credits each year Read our full review

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.

We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

Huge 80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

and for small business owners:

The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)

Comments (60)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • BS says:

    I’m very disappointed with Marriott.
    They declined my status match from Hilton Gold, due to ‘not meeting the conditions’. I’ve read and re-read the conditions and cant for the life of me work out what I’m not meeting. Having to pay for breakfast at properties makes a big difference.

    • JOHN MATRIX says:

      Ask them?

      • BS says:

        What’s the best way to contact the status match team?

        All of their emails have been generic cut and paste messages from a no-reply email

    • Crafty says:

      Status match to Marriott Gold wouldn’t get you a free breakfast anyway. Or were you expecting to be matched higher?

    • DJ says:

      I had a multiple declines with my IHG Spire. Then what I did was to send then screenshot of the status that shows the expiry date for the status, and then the PDF of the invoice for my recent stay. It was approved within 2 days.

  • Mike says:

    What i would love to see would be miniature face masks on the two busts in the lobby check in area – that would display a sense of humour

  • Laurie Kaufman says:

    Stayed here for a short break with my wife a couple of weeks ago, and agree with all your comments. As a Titanium member we were upgraded to a lovely Gallery room. Great hotel with fantastic staff. Will definitely be returning.

  • Ian M says:

    Nice review, the hotel looks good. I’m not a fan of massive TVs attached to the bed though. I wonder if that’s a feature in all the rooms..

    I thought you still had Platinum status Rob?

  • Harry T says:

    This actually looks quite decent. I’m considering a trip here. Not a bad points redemption too. Shame it’s such a long drive from the North East.

    @Rhys with it being a Tribute Portfolio, do you know if they throw in free breakfast for Platinum Bonvoy members? I’m going to be Platinum after this weekend, and that could sway me from the Indigo.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      You get to choose breakfast as your welcome amenity.

      It’s a decent property but I think the Indigo hard product will be a step up.

    • DB2020 says:

      Harry T,

      Did you resolve the Bonvoy points issue you had recently (missing points for stays)?

      I have not been able to do it yet and wondered if you did and if it was a painful process.

      Thanks!

      • Harry T says:

        Hey, I had to do this for a few stays recently. I filled out the missing points stay form for each one. I also emailed in response to the submitted missing stay email I received from Bonvoy CS, if it took too long. Maybe best to ring if that doesn’t work – it did for me in the end.

  • ChrisBCN says:

    Nice review. I’m slightly confused by the TV layout. I get the one at the end of the bed, but why is there another BEHIND the sofa? Where could you see that from, other than from the bed (which has its own TV!).

    • Rhys says:

      I’m not sure either! I did wonder if the room is substantially rearranged when the sofa bed is used.

  • Crafty says:

    What was the purpose of the disembodied hands?

    • Rob says:

      Design innit.

    • Brian says:

      A helping hand with the coffee machine?

    • sayling says:

      Art, dahling… it’s art

    • AJA says:

      They’re different sizes too. Do the fingers move? If you’re dissatisfied with the cleaners can you turn the hand around, bend the index finger and rearrange the middle one to give them the finger?

      Either that or it’s somewhere “handy” to keep your jewellery while you sleep. 😉

  • Brian says:

    Hangars in the room? Doesn’t look THAT big…😋

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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