Modern take on a classic motel by Soho House Group outside Oxford
Mollie’s Motel / Faringdon / Oxfordshire / England / Great Britain
Yes! I am a motel lover. There is a kind of romantic, nostalgic feeling that I always get when staying at a motel. I feel like I am transported back to some 1950’s film like American Graffiti living my best motel/diner dream. Nowadays there are actually a fair amount of newly renovated motels out there but when it comes to newly built ones, they are not as common. Especially not in the UK.
This exciting motel project opened its doors in 2019 and the man with a plan is Nick Jones, who once upon a time started world wide phenomenon Soho House Group. He wanted to reinvent the British roadside experience. This Mollie’s is located near Oxford, a perfect location for all Londoners heading to their country houses in stunning Cotswolds. A second Mollie’s has opened outside Bristol in 2021 and a third one in Manchester is on the way.
The motel has everything you might expect from a classic motel with red neon signs and that typical casual vibe. But the inside is contemporary with natural oak, terrazzo floors, vintage lamps and a mix of furniture from Conran and antique pieces. Our room was very sleek and clean painted in a pale green but where the main feature is the grooved timber panel. Simple, good looking and functional. And one of the best thing is the price. There are 79 rooms at Mollie’s and they start at around 70 GBP which is a really good price considering the standard and the design.
And even though this blog is all about hotels I also have to mention the diner since they are a kind of packaged deal. The inspiration for Mollie’s Diner is American vintage with leatherette banquettes, booths, tiled floors, a long bar and high bar stools. And of course this also shows in the menu which has all the classics. A recommendation is to come hungry. Very hungry.
Welcome to Mollie’s Motel & Diner! This is the view that greats you when you exit the main road. This is actually the diner. The hotel…
…is located right behind. It is made up of a central part and two wings where are the rooms are.
The reception and lobby area is small but it has everything you might need. A large table (where I started on this blog post), a lounge area and a reception/bar/shop where you can hang out, have a beer and just relax.
The lounge with that typical quirky Soho House mix of furniture.
Some light reading.
I love to people watch and I found a perfect spot in the reception to do it from.
The design in the room is modern and very paired down. The vertical, thin wooden panels are beautiful and feel like a great way to soften up the look.
Some soft lighting in combo with the wood panels creates a cozy feeling in an otherwise fairly strict looking room.
A clever well-designed way to display the hairdryer (and something else which I have no clue what it might be. Do you?) from Dyson.
A little tray with the most important thing for all hotel rooms: coffee!
The in-room products are from Cowshed, like at all Soho House hotels,
The exterior has a very clean look with dark wood and sharp angles. To me it almost look a bit Scandinavian.
Our room photographed from the outside.
And behold, one of the main reasons why people stop here, the Diner.
The mix of vintage and contemporary is excellent with geometric floor tiles, booths with vinyl sofas, a wooden wall and a modern take on diner lamps.
And the place doesn’t just look good. The food they serve is sooo delicious.
This I what M and I managed to devour between the two of us. Yum! The Mac & Cheese made my mouth do a dance.
And after dinner we took the short walk back to the hotel (which looks even better in dusk when the neon lights are on).
I just love this view. Probably my favorite photo from our stay at Mollie’s.
If you want to go to a great place nearby, I can highly recommend Daylesford Farm. Their shops are amazing!
This must be the best looking tinned fish packaging in the world. I was close to buying some to bring back home to Sweden but luckily M stopped me.
RG inside info
This place is perfect if you…
…like me are a motel-lover and you want to experience a modern version of a classic American hotel located in England. If you are roadtripping in the UK and you want to stay at a cool place at a really good price where you can get an excellent burger and shake, then this is your place.
My favorite thing about this place…
…is the price. It is rare that you find hotels with this level of tasteful design at such a low price. This makes me happy to see. At my old company, IKEA, we used to call this democratic design.
What not to miss when staying here is…
…to eat. The food in the diner is truly excellent. We had both breakfast and dinner here and I understand why people come here just to eat. I still have wet food-dreams about the Mac & Cheese.
If you like this hotel you might also like…
Anvil, Jackson, WY, USA
Timber Cover, Jenner, CA, USA
Ace Hotel & Swim Club, Palm Springs, CA, USA
