The Speech House Hotel

We had a fairly major issue when attending the Eras Tour in Cardiff - the hotel we'd booked had somehow shut down without our knowing. At 1am we telephoned Speech House, and were told there was a room available for the four of us, so we drove the 45 minutes there. We were greeted by the night porter, who checked us in in a very friendly and professional manner (especially considering the time), and the hotel staff extended the breakfast time due to our circumstances meaning we wouldn't be awake for the usual time. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

We stayed for a two night break in one of the outside Courtyard rooms and had a wonderful couple of days exploring the forest and enjoying the warm and friendly welcome we had from all the staff. From the moment we walked in to when we checked out, the staff were so lovely to us and made us feel like we were part of the family. We'd recommend the walks from the doorstep, we were given maps and enthusiastic instructions. The food was superb, we ate in the Orangery on one night, and the Verderers' the second with all the history in the Courtroom. Both nights the service was fantastic and the food was beautiful. I was a big fan of the burger and Chocolate chilli desert! You can tell that the family who own it are investing in the property and upgrading the bathrooms, we had one of the new ones which was very smart. It's good to see happy, friendly staff in such a difficult time with the economy, and an independent business still doing the best they can with all of the increasing cost pressures. Well done Speech House team!

We were allocated room 26 .It was in a separate house to the hotel and as we opened the door if smelt damp. It proved to be a suite,a small lounge, bedroom and bathroom. The bedroom contained 2 single beds with clean linen and was fine. The walls throughout were wallpapered,overpainted with emulsion,which in some places was separating from the wall. The lounge had a settee and armchair,which were fairly worn and stained. The bathroom was small. Where the bath met the wall It had been sealed with a plastic ***** ,which had black between it and the bath ?dirt?black mould. The toilet roll holder,the towel rail and they rail above the wash basin were all loose. The door between the toilet and lounge was an old sapele door which had clearly been reused since it had a large hole in it where a previous lock had fitted.. The tiling in the bathroom on the window sill was,to say the least amateur,and the dead fly behind the curtain remained throughout our 2 day stay When we complained the settee was covered with a loose cover but not the chair , the toilet roll holder was tightened but the other fitting remained loose and the manager told she was supprised as this was her favourite room. We were celebrating a. 60th wedding anniversary and thought we had booked a luxury hotel

We had a lovely Afternoon Tea today. The food was vey good and the service was excellent from start to finish - special thanks to Sue for her attentiveness, as nothing was too much trouble. The Speech House is a very special Hotel set in the heart of the Forest of Dean loved by locals and visitors alike.

My sister in law, cousin & I had a wonderful stay at Speech House, made even better by the staff who could not do enough for us. We were attending a family wedding at a nearby castle in the forest, so we arrived the day before. We each had rooms in the Cottage annex. They were spotlessly clean, facilities were great (one room had a small sitting room as well!) & were very cosy. We dined in the main restaurant for dinner; the meal was tasty, well presented & service was excellent. We also used the same restaurant for breakfast each morning & it was just as good. The stand out for us were the friendly, efficient & helpful staff; this went from reception to restaurants to housekeeping, nothing was too much trouble for them. We were let down by our pre-ordered car service who didn’t turn up to take us to our wedding venue & they moved heaven & earth to get us there, despite it being nothing to do with them. The hotel is in a great spot for a visit to the beautiful Forest of Dean, but it’s the staff that made it a memorable visit for us.

Decided to stay two nights in a superior (dearer) room so we could relax. Room 10 looked terribly tired and needed a good lick of paint so it definitely didn't feel like its 'superior' title. It was very dusty in places (windowsills, radiators, heated towel rail). The carpet might or might not have been clean but so badly stained it was impossible to tell and made us feel unsettled. The bed throw had a large, sticky stain on it (felt nauseous at this point) and a chair was so badly stained we stayed clear. Decided not to unpack because we didn't want to touch anything in the room. We complained and was told we'd be moved the next morning. We certainly didn't have a relaxing night. In the morning we had to move all our stuff to room 36 by ourselves. In the past when we once moved rooms because of faults with the room, we got an apology and our bags etc were moved for us. Room looked OK initially but why is there a urinal taking pride of place in the bathroom? Generally, women don't like seeing urinals as they walk in and why position the bathroom bin directly underneath it? Hygienic?Not. We didn't unpack as by this time we were already tired of it. First find in this room was a stone under the bed (couldn't miss it as the bed is high in there). We didn't bring it in so presumably high beds aren't hoovered under (they should be). To the left of a bedside cabinet was a very large and very obvious black thing (looked like an extending cord for a bag maybe, or a weird extendable shoelace). Either way, it wasn't ours and we can only assume it was a gift from the previous occupants, missed because that area of the room wasn't hoovered either. Dust on bathroom floor and towel rail. Didn't want to keep complaining so decided to give up. Final straw was being charged more because we'd been moved to a dearer room. It wasn't our fault the first room wasn't clean. We never asked for or wanted a dearer room, just a clean one. Shame on you Speech house for making us pay more, especially since neither room was clean. To be fair and end on a positive, the service, ambience and food was all excellent in both The Orangery and the breakfast room.

An excellent hotel - quite quirky! Bedrooms are comfortable, staff were wonderful, food was excellent. If you have access problems speak to reception and book with them as some rooms are up a steep staircase. There is a special access room complete with electric scooter!

Just back from a visit to the Speech House with the family, the food and service were very good, they couldn’t do enough for us. Special mention for Chaz who was exceptionally helpful. Location is superb, we tend to stay here as we have family close I think it would be fair to say the rooms we stayed in, in and around the courtyard/cottage area could do with investment, quite tired and shabby. But I’m sure it’s in the plans.

Perfect location for forest walks. Location a fairly busy road junction. But right in the middle of the forest, so plenty of walking right outside the door. Good food, choice of a la carte or a more bistro Restaurant . Wine list and a coupe of local ales Nice to have a reading room as our bedroom was a little small. Comfy bed and very well appointed bathroom Friendly staff, particularly the young ladies in the Orangery Restaurant