Mollie’s Motel & Diner Oxford: Soho House’s super stylish new £50 a night budget hotel revealed
Soho House has officially opened the doors to its latest venture, a budget motel in Oxfordshire with rooms starting at just £50 per night.
Mollie’s Motel & Diner features a diner, drive-thru and general store and is located off the A420 between Oxford and Swindon.
Soho House, which owns a series of members-only clubs across London, Los Angeles, Amsterdam and Istanbul, hope that their budget-friendly motel will take on the likes of Premier Inn and Travelodge.
Guests can enjoy the same mattresses and Egyptian cotton sheets as in the hotel chain’s higher-end locations, which can see members paying upwards of £2,665 per year for access.
In the bathrooms you’ll find a luxurious rain forest shower and Cowshed products to help you unwind and relax.
The cool comfort isn’t just confined to the rooms, either. In the general store, there’s space to work with WiFi and charging points, with tea and filter coffee provided on the house.
It’s no fun travelling on an empty stomach, so guests and passers-by can enjoy American classics at the Fifties-inspired diner. Dishes include a Dirty Burger, free-range rotisserie chicken and mac ‘n’ cheese. And if you’re vegan or vegetarian? No problem – there’s a selection of plant-based plates on the menu, too.
There’ll be no frantic searches for lost keys either because you can reserve a bedroom or diner table, check-in and even unlock your room via the motel’s official app.
The roadside motel, which opened on Wednesday, attracted celebrity guests such as Declan Donnelly, Paloma Faith, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Bacon to its widely-covered launch event.
Speaking to the Times, creator and SEO of Soho House Nick Jones, who is married to former Desert Island Discs’ presenter Kirsty Young, said of his decision to open a roadside diner: “There are more cars on the road than there ever have been. But the offering on the side of the road seems to be diminished.
“Maybe this is the time for an attempted reinvention of the roadside. I think there is a gap in the market for something affordable, something stylish and something a bit different.”
Soho House, which was founded in 1995, opened its original location on London’s Greek Street and now has 23 outposts worldwide.
Jones has also revealed ambitions to open more Mollie’s motels in Bristol and Manchester.
He commented: “It’s been a long-standing passion project of mine to have a go at reinventing the British roadside experience.
"From opening Café Boheme in 1992, to Babington and Soho Farmhouse, I like looking at how we can change the way things are done and improve them for the customer.
"My aim with the first Mollie’s Motel and Diner is to offer affordable style for everyone to eat, drink and sleep over.
“I want this to be the blueprint for the future of Soho House; using technology to create an even more streamlined experience, from the moment you book right through to closing your door for the night.”