Ok guys! I spent over three hours with Lucy and Heidi at Horwood House today and they are so keen to help us to make this a success that I am willing to give you my personal undertaking that we have the right venue! That is easy for me to say but to write up everything that we covered will take me a lot of time. I think the important things are that I saw a number of rooms and I have no problems recommending the cleanliness. Further than that on the rooms will be forthcoming with photos (taken by me that are rubbish pictures as I took the wrong camera) in a document that I will write up in the next week or so.
Due to the responses that have been made on the meal choices the hotel have made suggestions to help us. Again that I will try and put together in the document. But I have asked gazhyde to close the two threads that I started for meal choices.
Lucy and Heidi are going to generate a hidden web page on their web site specifically for us and they will let us have that URL in the next two or three weeks. They are very aware of the trip advisor comments and are very hurt by them and are trying to get some of them removed as untruthful. ( and from what I saw it is obvious that have just cause)
With respect to bar prices. I was waiting to meet the two ladies I was seeing and took the advantage to do two things one was have a good look at he bar prices and for a hotel I did not think they were bad but when I spoke to Heidi and Lucy they volunteered to do a special deal for us which will be coded into our room keys (10% discount is where they hope to go for us and the normal price list I will post at a later date when I can put everything together.) The second was to grab a quick chat with some of the customers that were in the coffee room/bar, I do not know where they were from or what they were doing but they all said they were happy with both the service they had had so far and the facilities. They all appeared very happy and comfortable, I think that spoke volumes!
There is a lot more to say but it will take me time to write it up and I want to get something up here as quick as I can.
The car washing facility can deal with two cars at a time though it is limited to one tap/hose so we will need to work together. It is allocated to Zroadster.org and Zroadster.org will be identified on our room keys codes to staff, at a minimum.
They are going to supply a special area for us to relax and be together and if we want to they will supply breakfast there as well if we want. I think we are better off having breakfast in the main restraunt area where they will reserve tables for us with our logo. The breakfast will be a buffet type so we do not have a problem with waiting for plated meals to arrive. If we want to they will lay on a grab and go which is what they do for the F1 teams, including Pirelli when they have to leave at 5:00 am. I said that I thought we were unlikely to need that facility, but they are happy to close the option closer to the time.
They like the idea of supporting us as it would expand their car club contacts. They have Bentley, VW, vintage and veteran car clubs mentioned among others that I cannot remember.
They have a 70 rooms that have not been refurbished since they bought the hotel in 2007 but I have to say I will take one of the non refurbished room with no concerns. They were still clean and bright and pleasant. I do not think any of the rooms are very large but they were nice and clean and I have no problem with them as rooms that we are after all just going to get some sleep in.
The hotel would like us to send them individual requirement in terms of if people would like to be close to reception, or have porters available, or well away from everything, or near particular friends or have access requirements/ special needs. I have would like to suggest that they Jion the forum as Horwood House so that people could PM them with this information what do people think? I think it better than sending that information through a third party... Me for instance who may not understand the real needs.
We have access to the pitch and put, the tennis courts, leisure room with a pool table and football table (not a big room but it did not need to be, again I took pictures), and all the other facilities.
I think I shall stop here and say that I recommend the hotel as suitable for what we need and that they are trying to help us be able to get together, have a few beers, socialise, feel free to have fun at Silverstone and have the hotel support our needs.
Please do post all your thoughts without reservation! I will do a full report and the hotel is also going to prepare stuff for us as well.
I also went to one of the two police authorities for clearance to all leave in convoy and they have approved us (but a second authority approval may be required), I also went to silverstone circuit to make sure I had the right Silverstone Classic organisation team to try and get timing details so that I can post for people to let me know when they want to leave for the circuit. That affects breakfast time of course.
That sounds like I am looking for approval and that is not so, I am just trying to make sure that people now that I am trying to help make the event a great success and am listening to comments.
Regards
Duncan :-! :-bd :-j
Ps those that might be waiting to book the silverstone tickets do it even if you have to wait for my fuller report before booking your hotel reservation. But I really do recommend that this hotel is not represented by the trip advisor comments at all!
:martini :cake 
