Hotel du Vin Exeter

Hotel du Vin Exeter has five private rooms for 6 to 80 guests, 59 bedrooms and a day delegate package from £45, in a former eye infirmary on Magdalen Street, close to Exeter Cathedral Green.

What suits a small business event here

This is a hotel for board meetings, away days, interviews, training and client dinners rather than large conferences. You get your own events organiser from planning to the day, free wi-fi, AV equipment and the hotel’s tuck shop of sweets, pads and pencils in the room. Because the meeting rooms sit beside the bar, bistro, walled garden and spa, delegates can stay on for dinner or overnight without moving venue, and the brochure says the whole hotel can be taken exclusively. You can also add a wine tasting in your private room.

Meeting packages

The day delegate package starts at £45 and covers meeting room hire, conference stationery, mineral water, the tuck shop, a fruit bowl, flip chart and pens, an LCD screen, wi-fi, tea and coffee breaks with home-baked snacks and a hot and cold buffet lunch with dessert. The 24-hour package adds a three-course dinner, an overnight room and a full breakfast. Menus range from canapés and buffets to sit-down dinners, and the brochure says the kitchen uses fresh, seasonal ingredients wherever possible.

The rooms

The Magdalen Lounge is the largest space, with a botanical wall painting by the artist Hugo Dalton and doors to the terrace and walled garden. It takes 80 for drinks, 60 for dinner or 48 cabaret. The Library overlooks the garden and suits 12 round a boardroom table, 16 theatre style or 25 for a reception. Chapter One, a ground-floor boardroom with high ceilings a few steps from the bar, seats 16. The Potting Shed stands in the walled garden with its own entrance and terrace for a boardroom meeting of 10, and The Circle, a private room off the bistro, seats 6.

Bedrooms for delegates

The 59 rooms and suites are individually styled and range from classic and deluxe rooms to junior suites, each with air conditioning and a monsoon shower according to the hotel. That makes the 24-hour package practical for a two-day board session or a training course that starts early.

Parking and arrival

On-site parking is for residents only, must be booked with the hotel and costs £25 a night. Magdalen Street Car Park (EX2 4HZ) is a two-minute walk, charging from £4.50 for two hours to £19.30 for a full day between 8am and 10pm, with free parking overnight. Drivers from the north leave the M5 at junction 29 and from the south at junction 30, following Topsham Road. The hotel advises booking taxis ahead, as they can be limited in Exeter.

How it compares

Among Exeter conference venues, Sandy Park suits a larger meeting with an 825-seat theatre layout and a 250-room hotel, and Event Exeter handles plenaries of 1,433. Within the group, Hotel du Vin Brighton has six rooms for up to 120 and Hotel du Vin Newcastle hosts up to 75 on the Quayside. See more conference hotels and historic event venues across the United Kingdom, and check our guide to venue accessibility before booking an older building.

Source: hotelduvin.com