New hotels in Oxford

We track three hotels in Oxford, one open and two announced, all within the compact city centre inside or just outside the ring of colleges. The Store, a 101-room conversion of a historic Broad Street department store, opened in May 2024; two further projects (a Wilde aparthotel on George Street and a Zedwell capsule hotel on Magdalen Street) are still working through demolition and planning stages, with no confirmed opening dates.

What to do

A weekend in Oxford

Oxford rewards slow walking more than a checklist of sights. Start on Broad Street and Turl Street for a look at the colleges' street-facing facades, then visit the Bodleian Library's Divinity School and Radcliffe Camera, one of the most photographed buildings in England, both a short walk from Broad Street. The Ashmolean Museum, Britain's oldest public museum, is free to enter and worth two or three hours for its collections spanning ancient Egypt to European art. In the afternoon, punting on the River Cherwell (hiring a flat-bottomed boat and poling it yourself, or paying someone else to do it) is the activity most associated with the city, with rental points near Magdalen Bridge and the Cherwell Boathouse. In the evening, the Covered Market off the High Street is worth a browse for food stalls and independent shops even outside of meal times.

A full week

With more time, several of the colleges open specific courtyards and chapels to visitors for a fee, and Christ Church, New College and Magdalen College are among the most frequently visited. The Story Museum, close to Broad Street, and the Pitt Rivers Museum, an anthropology and archaeology collection attached to the university's natural history museum, both make for a slower, less crowded couple of hours than the main university sights. Jericho, the neighborhood just northwest of the centre, is worth an afternoon for the Phoenix Picturehouse cinema and the cafes and pubs along Walton Street, at a calmer pace than the historic core. Outside the city, Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Winston Churchill and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a straightforward day trip about 20 minutes northwest of Oxford.

Where to stay

Broad Street, city centre

The Store opened in May 2024 on Broad Street, a 101-room conversion of Boswells, a family-owned department store that had traded on the site since 1738 and was among the oldest in the world. The hotel includes the restaurant Treadwell, a rooftop bar and a subterranean spa, and its Broad Street address puts guests within a few minutes' walk of the Bodleian, the Radcliffe Camera and most of the central colleges. From £180 a night, it's the only hotel on this list currently open.

George Street

Wilde Aparthotel Oxford is planned for George Street, on the site of a demolished former Odeon cinema next to Gloucester Green market and the bus station, with a 145-unit self-catering format aimed at longer stays and families. Demolition of the cinema only began in August 2026, and the project's estimated completion has already slipped from an end-2027 target at planning approval to around Q1 2029 after contractor Watkin Jones Group was appointed: worth checking for updates before booking around this address.

Magdalen Street

Zedwell Oxford has planning approval, granted 25 August 2026 subject to a Section 106 agreement, to convert Oxenford House on Magdalen Street into a 276-bed capsule hotel, Oxford's first, on the corridor linking Cornmarket Street and George Street near Gloucester Green Market and the Ashmolean. As with Wilde Aparthotel Oxford, no opening date has been set.

Which hotel for your trip

Couples and a milestone stay

The Store's central Broad Street address, rooftop bar and spa make it the obvious choice for a couple's stay built around the historic centre itself, at the higher end of the city's rates.

Families and longer stays

Once open, Wilde Aparthotel Oxford's self-catering units and George Street location, close to the bus station, would suit a family or a multi-night stay better than a conventional hotel room: for now, The Store remains the only tracked option actually open in the city.

Budget-conscious and short stays

Zedwell Oxford's planned capsule format on Magdalen Street, once built, would give Oxford its first low-cost, sleep-focused hotel option in the same city-centre area as The Store and Wilde Aparthotel.

Frequently asked questions

What is the newest hotel to open in Oxford?

The Store, which opened in May 2024 on Broad Street inside the former Boswells department store: currently the only hotel we track that has actually opened in the city.

What new hotels are planned for Oxford?

Two: Wilde Aparthotel Oxford, a 145-unit self-catering property on George Street now expected around Q1 2029, and Zedwell Oxford, a 276-bed capsule hotel on Magdalen Street approved in August 2026 but not yet dated.

Is there a capsule hotel planned for Oxford?

Yes: Zedwell Oxford, approved by Oxford City Council on 25 August 2026 to convert Oxenford House on Magdalen Street into a 276-bed capsule hotel, subject to a Section 106 agreement.

Which Oxford hotel is closest to the colleges and the Bodleian Library?

The Store, on Broad Street, sits within a few minutes' walk of the Bodleian, the Radcliffe Camera and most of the central colleges.

Why did Wilde Aparthotel Oxford's opening date slip?

The scheme's completion estimate moved from an end-of-2027 target at planning approval to around Q1 2029 after Watkin Jones Group was appointed as main contractor in June 2026: a roughly 14-month delay from the original timeline.