Overview

A very nice modern hotel, which lies just on the outskirts of Solihull, in the West Midlands, and the countryside around here is quite scenic, with areas of open pastureland, dotted with well to do housing, and it’s quite close to the M42, so your visit here is easy to reach, especially if you have been shopping at nearby Solihull, so it’s a handy and delightful hotel to come and partake of a light lunch, or early afternoon tea, and a pleasant lounge for a cup of tea or coffee break, as we all qdeserve a little pampering now and again, and Hogarths is a blissful quiet escape for us all. In 1760, a house stood here on a plot of land, but sadly it became uninhabited for many years, until transformed into a game keepers house in the 1870’s, then in 1898 it was bought by Mr Herman Schurhoff who turned the house into a hunting lodge, and he created the Moat farm, and in the 1900’s just after the first world war ended, a summer house was brought over from Switzerland, and it is still used today as a popular wedding photo backdrop and venue. The Manor House was being used as a B&B in 2004 with just 8 bedrooms, but when Andy and Helena Hogarth bought the manor, they quickly created this lovely hotel, and today they are proud to have a 49 bedroom luxury hotel in which they warmly invite you to come and see, and perhaps enjoy an afternoon tea here, which is as they put it, the cherry on the top, and they do go to town with their delightful creations, fresh handmade sandwiches, followed by a selection of something sweet, and of course your well earned pot of tea. It seemed very popular here on our visit, and we were pleased to see a small group with disabled people involved, and over a chat with them they gave much praise to the hotel as an ideal place to visit, and they all enjoyed a stroll around the grounds and it’s pool, which certainly is a nice place for wedding photos. Unfortunately, we did not manage to join them because of the steps needed to get us down onto the path area, but could see quite a bit from our warm comfortable seat on this sunny February day. Mind you, the hotel chain would also like you to go and see their other lovely hotel, HOGARTHS Stone Manor, close by in Chaddesley Corbett, not many miles away, where we reviewed that hotel for you not long ago, and that too was a truly delightful place to stay or simply pop in to enjoy refreshments with them, and in fact our preference was this Stone Manor hotel. OUR REVIEW Once off the main countryside lanes, a long uninspiring drive (photo 1) lead us towards the riding school, and then a lovely tree lined avenue (photo 2) guided us towards two disabled bays in the car park (3). The outside didn’t do anything for us with a small low step to get off tarmac and a small step to the automatic door (4). This is the reception desk (photo 5) but the hotel was undergoing refurbishment , so this may not be the final layout, ahead is the lovely restaurant (6) with a small bar and hot drink counter (7). It is a very attractive and pleasing restaurant (8) with a few lovely view over the gardens (9) Another doorway takes you out onto the ramp (10) and out to the sun terrace (11) a lovely place on a warm sunny day, but this is as far as a wheelchair could go, due to steps down onto grass areas and path. Over to the left is a delightful garden area with view of conservatory (12). For wheelchair access, go past restaurant and along a small hallway (13) for a door and a beautiful conservatory (photo 14) with a door to get onto the terrace, and the green doors in conservatory will allow entry into the function room. Back in the restaurant a door leads out onto terrace, but four steps prevent a disabled person to ride down the path to the summer house and pool area, (15) so it’s completely unsuitable for chair users. At the side of reception desk (16) is the wheelchair lift (17) (BEWARE as you get off the lift as a small ramp is needed to get you out, my husband had gone alone and concentrating so much on lift felt himself running forward rather quickly, a bit dangerous as you don’t see it. Directly ahead is the disabled toilet (18) spotlessly clean with enough room to turn around, with grab rails and pull cord (19). Alongside toilet is a door leading to disabled room, ( which was undergoing refurbishment ) but it will be very nice when completed. We can only show you a view of bedrooms as seen outside (20). OUR FINAL THOUGHTS A delightful hotel, very relaxing and pleasing, lovely deco and furnishings, but we did not see it at its best. The only reason we have not given 5 stars for the hotel, is not being able to use grounds to full advantage, so disabled cannot enjoy facilities to the full.

Transport & Parking

Coming off a main countryside road, a long driveway led to the riding school, before a scenic tree lined avenue took us towards the car park area.

Access

Two disabled bays reasonable close to main entrance, which had a small step over curb and by door, but easily managed. Once inside hotel, everything on ground floor level was nice and flat, space to get wheelchair around comfortably, with room in bar area and restaurant for chair. The disabled bedroon is down on the lower floor, with a wheelchair lift right by reception desk, then a pull door to get you into corridor to reach your room. The lovely terrace area has a ramp for you to go and enjoy the sunny warm day, with views over the well looked after grounds, but no ramp to get you down to enjoy the walk across to pool and woodland area.

Toilets

A wheelchair lift takes you down to disabled toilet, which is very clean with all mod cons, and has pull cord and grab handles. You will be able to get in quite easily and spin around in there.

Staff

Very helpful and willing, with pleasant attitude towards disabled, and we were made to feel welcomed by them all.

Photos