Rhodes House

What Rhodes House does

Rhodes House is a Grade II* listed historic venue in central Oxford, England, founded in 1929 and operated by Rhodes House Ltd, a trading subsidiary of The Rhodes Trust (registered charity, No. 232492). The business functions as a venue hire operator offering five function rooms with capacities ranging from 50 to 250 guests (Conference Suite, McCall MacBain Hall, Beit Room, Reception Room, and the Glass Pavilion), 34 en-suite bedrooms, in-house catering, and the building itself as a filming location. Customers span corporate event clients, wedding parties, academic and conference organizers, private diners, and film productions.

The commercial model is built around event hire fees, accommodation revenue, and catering concessions, supplemented by filming location licensing. The venue maintains accreditations with Mia, Conference Oxford, and Venues Of Excellence, which provide channel access to institutional and corporate event buyers. Benefactor relationships with the Second Century Founders, John McCall MacBain O.C., and The Atlantic Philanthropies have funded the property's modernization and contribute to a recurring pipeline of Rhodes Trust-affiliated institutional and alumni bookings.

The business is asset-heavy and single-site, with the Oxford heritage building itself serving as the primary differentiator and inventory constraint. The small operational team (approximately 11 employees) reflects the venue's scale rather than a technology-first operating model. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and there are no external funding rounds, acquisitions, or product launches beyond the physical refurbishment of the property.

Name

Rhodes House

Legal name

The Rhodes Trust

Website

https://rhodeshouseoxford.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rhodes House is a Grade II* listed historic venue in central Oxford, England, operating event spaces, 34 bedrooms, and catering under the Rhodes Trust charity for corporate events, weddings, conferences, and film productions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Venue Services

NAICS

Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (72111), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty & Historic Venues (Landmarks, Estates) (THAHAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Historic/Heritage Conference Hotels (THAGALAL), Multi-Purpose Event Halls & Community Centers (THAHAAAI), Venue & Banquet Hall Catering (THAFAIAC)

Keywords

• Event venue hire
• Conference facilities
• Wedding venues
• Historic event spaces
• Corporate hospitality

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Venue Space Rental: Rental income from booking function rooms and outdoor spaces including the Conference Suite, McCall MacBain Hall, Beit Room, Reception Room, Glass Pavilion, and Gogel Gardens for various events such as conferences, weddings, dining, and special occasions.
2. Catering Services: In-house catering team providing seasonal menus using fresh, local ingredients for served dinners (up to 150 guests), outdoor events, Christmas celebrations, and traditional cream teas.
3. Accommodation: 34 en-suite bedrooms available year-round for booking individually or as part of residential conferences and events.
4. Filming and Photography: Rental of unique architectural spaces for filming and photo shoots, leveraging the historic character and central Oxford location.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Rhodes House is a historic Grade II* listed venue in central Oxford that rents its function rooms, private gardens, 34 en-suite bedrooms, and in-house catering services for corporate conferences, meetings, weddings, private dining, special occasions, and filming/photo shoots. The venue blends sensitively restored 1929 heritage interiors with modern conference technology, including AV and global streaming capabilities, to host events ranging from intimate 50-person gatherings to 250-person conferences.

Product overview

Rhodes House is a unified venue hire service offering a portfolio of historic event spaces for hire. The venue comprises five core function rooms: the Conference Suite (237 m², capacity 250), McCall MacBain Hall (189 m², capacity 200), Beit Room (70 m², capacity 60), Reception Room (62 m², capacity 50), and Glass Pavilion (63 m², capacity 50), supplemented by Gogel Gardens and 34 en-suite bedrooms. Core services include conference and meeting hosting, wedding ceremonies and receptions, private dining (up to 150 guests), special occasions, filming and photo shoots, and team building events. The venue provides full catering services and a virtual tour offering. Rhodes House blends Grade II* listed historic architecture with modern conference facilities and advanced technology for 21st-century events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Conference Suite

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• The Randolph Hotel, Oxford (Graduate by Hilton): Iconic Oxford hotel offering meeting rooms, banquet halls, and accommodation. A direct competitor for conferences, weddings, and accommodation in central Oxford with comparable prestige positioning.
• Christ Church, Oxford: Oxford college that hosts events, weddings, and filming within its historic grounds. Competes for the same Oxford heritage event business and benefits from the same tourism and academic demand.
• Warwick Castle Weddings & Events: Historic UK heritage venue offering weddings, corporate events, and filming. Highly comparable on the historic landmark venue model and the mix of celebration, corporate, and film revenue streams.
• Examination Schools, University of Oxford: Historic Oxford venue used for conferences, weddings, and events. Direct competitor for the same Oxford-based conference and celebration market, with overlapping halls and catering capabilities.
• Keble College Conference & Events: Oxford college venue offering meeting rooms, dining, and accommodation for events. Comparable on the conference/wedding product mix and on shared access to qualified academic and corporate clients.
• Blenheim Palace Events: UNESCO heritage site hosting corporate events, weddings, and filming. Directly comparable on the historic-landmark venue model with high-end premium positioning within driving distance of Oxford.
• Leeds Castle Estate: Historic UK heritage estate offering corporate events, weddings, accommodation, and filming. Comparable property type, revenue mix, and premium positioning, though outside Oxford's primary catchment.

Broad incumbents

• ETC Venues (etc.venues): Established UK venue operator with multiple city-center conference and training sites. A broader incumbent in the UK MICE space, competing for the same corporate event planner demand via similar accreditation channels.
• Natural History Museum (London) Venue Hire: Major UK landmark venue offering premium corporate events, filming, and celebrations. A larger-scale incumbent in the heritage venue hire segment, competing for the same prestige-led corporate and film clients.

Others

• Conference Oxford: Network operator that aggregates and markets Oxford conference venues to corporate and academic buyers. Functions as both an indirect channel partner and a meta-competitor that shapes buyer decisions across the local venue set.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rhodes-house
• Instagraminstagram.com/rhodeshouseevents

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rhodes House