Wix buys Bradford's

Jonathan Wix, owner of acclaimed Leeds hotel 42 The Calls, is to buy the Victoria Hotel in Bradford from Forte Hotels.

Mr Wix, who expects to take possession of the 60-bedroom property on 9 January, declined to be drawn on the purchase price, though local sources suggested a figure of about £1m.

The Victoria, which was built in 1875 as the Great Northern Victoria, will be refurbished at a cost of £800,000 under the auspices of David Clarke Associates, the firm of architects involved in developing 42 The Calls.

According to Mr Wix, the interior will be a juxtaposition of old and new. "It will have an up-to-date interior with regard to the Victorian original," he said.

But whereas 42 The Calls is four-star, the Victoria will be a three-star concept when it reopens next May. Midweek it will target a mainly business clientele with rack rates of £55-£75 per room, while at weekends it will be pitched at about £35 in a bid to bring in leisure business and coach parties.

On the food and beverage side, the hotel's existing bar will be rebuilt as a fully-fledged pub called the Pie-Eyed Parrot at the Old Vic, serving gallettes and crêpes.

The restaurant, too, will be totally revamped and renamed Vic and Bert's Grill au Feu de Bois, serving mainly grilled meat and fish, cooked over wood, and fresh pasta. Average spend in the 90-seat establishment will be £15-£16.

Robert Barber and Stephen Smith, owners of Restaurant 19, Bradford's only Michelin-starred restaurant, are to be brought in as catering consultants to oversee Vic and Bert's.

If business goes as well as expected, another £400,000 will probably be spent refurbishing the property's long-disused fourth floor, which has the potential for a further 20 bedrooms.

Mr Wix said he hoped the Victoria would serve as a prototype for further developments in other cities around the country. He also hopes to be able to replicate the 42 The Calls concept.

"I see the way forward for me as being design-led, niche market, city centre hotels competing against the chain hotels," said Mr Wix.

Among the projects he is currently considering is a townhouse hotel located in the City of London.