A Northumbrian Renaissance
Rich in heritage and steeped in history, Matfen Hall is a magnificent country estate nestled in the heart of majestic Northumberland, a prime location for romantic escapes, family getaways and indulgent afternoons. In this interview, we engage in conversation with James O’Donnell, Head of Commercial Development at Matfen Hall about the significant undertaking on site in recent years and what it now offers its guests.
The last six years have been spent transforming Matfen Hall from principally a wedding venue in a country house setting that also featured a golf course and a spa within its premises, to an international, five-star standard destination that brings these three separate elements together to curate an offering that is cohesive for the luxury independent traveller.
When this undertaking began six years ago, Matfen’s core client was very group-led, whether it was people attending a wedding or a conference. The independent luxury market was kind of secondary to that before the transformation started.
“The first milestone was the refurbishment of the bedrooms, which began in 2020 but due to multiple interruptions, did not complete until 2023, at which point the site went through a period of significant construction to expand the hotel, adding more rooms and another restaurant space,” explains James O’Donnell, Head of Commercial Development at Matfen Hall.
When this was complete, they then built a new golf clubhouse before moving onto the development of the golf course and then finally the spa, which is the latest addition to the estate repositioning.
The spa is a monumental part of the overhaul and O’Donnell feels it will be transformative in the overall guest experience, opening the site up to an all-year-round audience. The spa will feature a subtle blend of wellness and enjoyment, pairing up the traditional spa experience of the swimming pools with the thermal experiences. Alongside this, investment has been made in technologies such as cryotherapy, hyperbaric chambers and red light therapy and there has been a focus on longevity and wellness.
From a domestic point of view, golf has been a feature on site for nearly three decades. The investment into this part of the Matfen Hall proposition in the last three years has been significant on the logistical side to improve the course. So elements such as drainage and irrigation have been improved, meaning the course itself is in far better condition than it ever has been. Meanwhile, the course itself has been redeveloped and redesigned and in digging up existing greens and bunkers, it now presents a much more exciting challenge for participants.
“Our belief is that, in the international market in particular, guests do not just look at the quality of the course, they look at the quality of the accommodation, the service, the spa and the wider offering and increasingly we see a more discerning golf market finding their way to Matfen. While some destinations like ours focus on large, predominantly male groups, we see ourselves in the smaller group market and the couple’s market. People can come away for a nice weekend, or a 3-4 day golf and spa trip in an incredible setting and all of this renovation has been done to make this an international destination for people around the world,” O’Donnell says.
In such a unique building that is so rich in character and heritage, O’Donnell and the team felt it was important to modernise the building where possible. With this in mind, they implemented a layout that was more akin to when the Hall initially opened, returning to more prominent rooms and spaces for the guests. They also made the ground floor fully accessible to all and introduced a new lift to the original building. It was about bringing the site into 2026, without compromising the grandeur and history of the building.
“Our priority is to make this a successful destination. We feel our investment has put us in a strong position to bring what is a fairly well-known hotel locally to a national and international audience that will visit and return regularly to the area. We feel it is a great base to explore not just the North of England, but the wider area as well and our focus moving forward is to offer guests a luxurious way to do that,” comments O’Donnell.
With hospitality increasingly moving towards experience-led travel, Matfen Hall is well-positioned in this area because of the experiences that can be had not only on property, but off property as well. Collaborating closely with tour guides, the site is positioned near both a local gin distillery as well as a local whisky distillery. Heritage and history is a huge part of the area of Northumberland, particularly Roman history with Hadrian’s Wall and various Roman encampments a short drive from the hotel.
As he continues to look at the wider hospitality sector, O’Donnell notes that the growth of AI and how that will influence people’s decisions and how they make decisions in the coming years will be massive.
“We have spent a lot of time developing an app so we get direct access to our regular clients, but the growth of AI in terms of how people will build itineraries for trips and find recommended places to stay will be huge and we are very focused on being ahead of the curve with that.”
Before we finish the interview, we just have time to ask James, ultimately, what does he want Matfen Hall to be known for?
“I think Matfen Hall should be known for exceptional service, somewhere that you feel you want to come back to regularly, either for the same reason or a multitude of reasons. We have implemented a number of unique new features and with our team ready to present these to guests, there is no reason we cannot have an international clientele returning year after year.”
