The Francis Hotel Bath has recently received a £6 million refurbishment, the hotel itself is set across 7 former townhouses and boasts ample parking to the rear, while travellers on foot can easily access the hotel from the train station and various coach stops in the city. As you would expect for a Bath hotel the architecture is stunning and the location is central to many attractions such as the world renowned Roman Baths, Royal Crescent and the Thermae Spa.
Our visit to the newly refurbished Francis Hotel was on July 27th the same night as the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. An impressive central location, grand building and a traditional, slightly old world, revolving door greets you. But once inside the lobby you are greeted with a contemporary interior which delivers both style and history. The hotel markets itself as a city centre boutique residence and there has clearly been some thought put into the décor. The traditional features remain but are decorated in bold deep tones with thick lush fabrics.
The rooms are furnished in keeping with the boutique image, thick patterned carpets, four poster bed and a well finished shower room. The beds are large and comfortable with the only disconcerting part being the picture on the ceiling above the bed, which may be a design step too far.
The hotel does have a Raymond Blanc restaurant for the use of patrons and the public though we did not use it on this trip. Bath is a city of great culinary diversity so you will have no problem finding a great restaurant, you may however have trouble deciding which one to visit first.
Later in the evening we retreated to the hotel lounge where table service offers you the chance to sample some of the hotels fine wines, cocktails and beers from around the world, we chose a couple of cocktails which were mixed superbly by the barman. We had our last drink of the evening served in our room and enjoyed an hour of the Olympics opening ceremony.
Breakfast is served in the main dining area of the hotel which is light and airy and makes a perfect location to ease into the day. The selection of food is superb and really would cater for any taste, finding it hard to ignore a good English breakfast I ordered just that while my wife being the more health conscious took the continental option and enjoyed some fantastic granola, fresh fruit and some interesting breakfast smoothie shots which in her words were “fabulous”.
To sum up, the Francis Hotel has to be up there with the best city centre hotels in Bath, the location is superb and the rooms, although not the biggest, will offer you a supremely comfortable base from which to explore the city and the many sight the South West has to offer.
