North West Premier Hospitality

Bridge Street Townhouse

Bridge Street Townhouse
Written by Roma Publications

Bridge Street Townhouse

Bridge Street Townhouse

Formerly known as the D Hotel, a beautiful Georgian house built in 1699; it has been refurbished and rebranded as the Bridge Street Townhouse. Located within the city walls of historic Chester and 100 metres from the charming River Dee, this hotel is the ideal spot for visitors to stay whilst sightseeing, shopping or experiencing the drinking and dining scene that Chester has to offer.

Free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel is available and en-suite rooms are comfortable and stylish, offering flat-screen TVs, tea and coffee making facilities and complimentary toiletries. A mixture of superior, family, king, twin and double rooms are available. 18 bedrooms are located within the townhouse itself, as well as 11 within the annex – a modern purpose-built block situated at the rear of the hotel. Additionally a two-bedroom apartment is used as a guestroom for families.

Premier Hospitality spoke with Hotel Manager of Bridge Street Townhouse, Robert Cooke, to discuss the hotel’s recent transformation. Robert commented:
“The project began in summer last year, when the refurbishment and modernisation of the hotel commenced; the developments are now complete. All the bedrooms have been fully refurbished as well as the public areas.
“All of the bedrooms were given a makeover with new décor, new bathrooms and soft furnishings.
“The hotel remained open during the various stages of the project, ensuring that there was no loss of trade. The final process that took place was the essential rebranding of the townhouse, marking the start of a new venture. We’re going to carry out a soft relaunch soon once we have finished the marketing and opened more channels with the local businesses for increased bookings.
“We tried to maintain and enhance many of the original features that the house presents, such as a Victorian fireplace, mouldings around the ceiling and large Georgian sash windows. Our plan was to blend the traditional Georgian and Victorian styles with more modern twists – so we went for a modern palette of greys with light accents, wooden flooring and leather Chesterfield sofas. There are winged arm chairs in the bar area in a contemporary grey with red piping – so they’re bold and modern yet still a very traditional style of chair.”

A mini gym has been incorporated within the hotel for guest use, featuring as a new addition utilising the ground floor basement area. The fully licensed bar is ideal for rainy periods or guests who wish to indulge in a nightcap before bed. Once awake, guests can visit the breakfast area within the hotel that serves a tasty continental breakfast each morning. The hotel is currently not serving any lunchtime or evening meals.

Robert commented on this matter, revealing that:
“We’re looking at expanding the food offering however we just need to work out what will fit in the market at present. Obviously within Chester there is a competitive market with so many restaurants to choose from and so many different bars; so it is just about positioning ourselves once we have worked out how we would best fit in with the tourist-driven city.
“It feels almost like a new build, so it is exciting to be part of it and to able to shape it going forward. It has been a very enjoyable project to work on.”
Nearby attractions include Chester Cathedral, Roman Amphitheatre, Chester Castle and the stunning Grosvenor Park. Golf courses are less than 1.5 miles away, with Chester Zoo and Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet both under a 15 minute drive away.

Bridge Street Townhouse

Acting as main contractor, Lingar Group delivered the refurbishment project on the new hotel. Having been in operation for over 25 years, Lingar Group is a property developer business that works on a broad spectrum of development projects. The company’s client base includes Hickory’s Smokehouse, Marstons, Legat Owen Chartered Surveyors, Cleardata, Ralawise and many hotel chains.

Gary Poole, of Lingar Group, commented:
“We specialise in negotiating development contract work delivering sometimes more awkward projects, on time and in an orderly fashion.
“Working on Bridge Street Townhouse we carried out a full fit out package including mechanical and electrical developments, and structural works. It’s an iconic Chester city building that has suffered decades of underinvestment, so it was an important project for us to work on and we are delighted that we were given the opportunity.
“As a company, we pride ourselves on offering negotiated packages delivered on time to a high standard that is maintained throughout our group.”

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Roma Publications