AN INVESTIGATION has been launched after a row over noise at the Oxford Castle complex.

Guests staying at the Malmaison hotel in New Road have complained of the racket coming from the Living Room bar below.

Oxford City Council officials are now looking into the allegations.

The row came to a head after a couple’s weekend break turned into a “nightmare”.

Craig Steel and Kerry Young were looking forward to a relaxing night at the Malmaison but instead said they were kept awake until 2am by “thudding” music from the Living Room.

The couple, who live on the Waterways estate in north Oxford, had paid £230 for their Saturday night away last month and specifically requested a quiet room.

They complained repeatedly to Malmaison staff from 11.30pm onwards but nothing was done until the Living Room closed at 2am.

In a letter of complaint to hotel general manager Chris Steadman, seen by the Oxford Mail, Ms Young, 43, said: “I felt sick with tiredness but the music was thudding through the room. What was meant to have been a lovely treat had turned into something really unpleasant.”

Mr Steel, 45, a lecturer at Reading University, added: “If it was your neighbour at home, then you would be upset and you would do something about it.

“I just got the impression this would happen next weekend and the weekend after.”

The cost of their room was reimbursed by staff. The council said it had received seven noise complaints about the Living Room in the past six months.

Malmaison bosses have contacted the council about the noise levels, while Living Room management blame them for failing to provide adequate insulation.

Mr Steadman, who has been general manager for just three months, declined to comment.

But in a statement, Scott Harper, brand director for Malmaison, said: “Unfortunately, from time to time we have experienced noise complaints due to noise emanating from the Living Room.

“We are working with the council to ensure that there is no repeat of such issues. We are genuinely sorry when our guests have been disturbed and have dealt with them empathetically and compensated them appropriately.

“However, our aim is to ensure that our guests are not disturbed in the first place.”

Malmaison and the Living Room have been tenants at the Oxford Castle complex since it was constructed in 2006.

Richard Kyprios, general manager at the Living Room, said: “Unfortunately, the hotel rooms were constructed without an appropriate level of insulation between the rooms and the bar.

“We’re working closely with Malmaison to find a solution. We’ve already had a sound engineer and a full acoustics report.”

Under the terms of its licence, the Living Room can play live or recorded music until 2am on a Friday and Saturday, 1am on a Thursday and midnight on other days.

City council spokesman Louisa Dean said: “The matter is still under investigation but formal action is not planned at this stage.”

The Trevor Osborne Group, which owns both buildings, declined to comment.