A HOTEL slammed by health inspectors for ‘greasy’ kitchen equipment and ‘poor knowledge’ by staff has gone on sale for £2.5m.

The Victoria Hotel in Oxford, which has also been described by guests as ‘very dated’ and ‘tired’, was given a one star rating, the second lowest possible score and which means ‘major improvement necessary’, when the Oxford City Council team visited in July.

A catalogue of issues were highlighted during the inspection to do with a lack of evidence the hotel, which is less than mile from the city centre, was following legally required food hygiene procedures.

Now business consultants Christie & Co is marketing the hotel, which is set within almost half an acre of land off Abingdon Road, as a ‘family-run guest house’ with 16 en-suite rooms, spread over two floors.

The owners were contacted but did not respond to questions about the reason for selling the business.

Christie & Co, in its description of the hotel added the ground floor has a reception and lounge area, bar, and dining room which can seat up to 70 people, and is catered for by a commercial kitchen.

It was these facilities that received the bulk of cleanliness concerns in the health inspection report, stating: “The filters on the extraction fan were very greasy. Clean these filters.”

In addition, the property has a self-contained, three-bedroom owner’s accommodation, which is attached to the main hotel.

Outside, there is parking space for 17 cars and two ‘sizeable’ outbuildings, which have previously been used for accommodation and could be used for this purpose again after renovation.

On review site TripAdvisor guests have been mixed in their assessment of the hotel.

A woman who stayed for said she ‘surprised and pleased’ by the quality of the accommodation. She added: “I normally don’t like to stay in anything less than a 4* hotel, but the Victoria Hotel was nice and clean, and included a tasty breakfast for a very reasonable price compared to what else is available around Oxford.”

Others, however, were less impressed with the state of the hotel, with one calling the decor ‘very dated’ and ‘tired’, adding: “The room was pretty awful for the money.”

Tom Orchard, business agent at Christie & Co’s Reading office, said: “Victoria Hotel provides a fantastic opportunity to acquire a business which has potential to grow and will appeal to either a hands-on owner operator or a multiple operator looking to add to their portfolio.

“Hotels in Oxford make an extremely attractive investment due to the city’s reputation as a tourist, business, cultural and academic hotspot, drawing in a huge volume and range of visitors every year. Victoria Hotel’s proximity to the city centre is sure to make it even more appealing and we anticipate high levels of interest.”

The property company is seeking offers from a guide price of £2.5m.