Hotel Concept of the Month – The Old Railway Station

The Old Railway Station describes itself as the “destination for a nostalgic break for those who yearn for the romantic era of luxury steam travel and an altogether gentler pace of life”.

The hotel was previously a train station itself, built for then Prince of Wales who later became King Edward VII so he could visit a friend at Goodwood and has been described as “the most beautiful railway station in Britain”. After its closure in the 1960s it fell into disrepair and was renovated in a Colonial style, although it still contains many of its original features. The old platform is used to form part of what is now the hotel’s gardens where guests and visitors can enjoy a cream tea or a drink. The AA award-winning breakfast is silver service and served in what was the station’s old waiting room.

ROOMS

Guest accommodation has been provided at the hotel since 1995 with two rooms in the Station House. In 1998, two Pullman railway carriages, Mimosa (1914) and Alicante (1912), were brought to the site and renovated to provide four guest rooms and a third Pullman car, Flora (1923), was brought to the site some three years later.

A fourth Pullman carriage, Montana (1923 and sister car to Flora), was brought to the site and renovated, bringing the number of guest rooms to a total of 10, eight of them in the Pullman cars. The decor is in keeping with the original era of Pullman travel styled with wood panelling and original marquetry in places. All the room furniture has been carefully chosen to seamlessly fit in with the hotel’s unique aesthetic. All the Pullman rooms have en-suite bathrooms, while the two station house rooms offer large walk-in showers.

Jennie Hudson, the new owner of  the hotel said: “We all love showing guest to their carriage as we always get a fantastic reaction – the most common word is “wow”.

This article first appeared in the October 2018 issue of Hotel Owner