New spa for Down Hall as part of £6m refurbishment

26 October 2015 by
New spa for Down Hall as part of £6m refurbishment

Down Hall, the four-AA-star hotel near Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, where two people drowned in its swimming pool in 2013, has announced a £6m renovation programme.

Work has already begun on the project which will involve the creation of a new spa, and the refurbishment of its 100 bedrooms and kitchen. The improvements are due to be completed by mid-2016.

The new Eden Spa will include four treatment rooms, a hydroptherapy pool, sauna and gym. Meanwhile the bedrooms are being decorated in a style described as "classic country house-meets-contemporary chic". Improvements to the kitchen, designed by head chef Matthew Hill, will improve the efficiency of service to the hotel's one-AA-rosette Grill Room restaurant.

Andrew Oxley, general manager of Down Hall, said the investment will reinforce the hotel's position as a four-star superior hotel. "The combination of experienced staff, premium products and therapeutic treatments will ensure guests are provided with a first rate leisure experience."

Earlier this month, a health and safety prosecution relating to the deaths of Josephine Foday, 22, and her married lover, Komba Kpakiwa, 31, at Down Hall in April 2013, were dropped against hotel management company ThenHotels.

However, Veladail Hotels, the owner of Down Hall, has pleaded guilty to two offences: failing in its duty not to expose guests to risk in that they permitted them to use a swimming pool without having sufficient regard to risk assessments, and failing to make a sufficient and suitable assessment of the health and safety risks.

Veladail Hotels, which also owns Flemings hotel in Mayfair, will be sentenced on 4 January 2016.

Hotel pool deaths case dropped at 11th hour >>

Down Hall Country House hotel hires Andrew Oxley as GM >>

The Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email

Start the working day with The Caterer’s free breakfast briefing email

Sign Up and manage your preferences below

Check mark icon
Thank you

You have successfully signed up for the Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email and will hear from us soon!

Jacobs Media is honoured to be the recipient of the 2020 Queen's Award for Enterprise.

The highest official awards for UK businesses since being established by royal warrant in 1965. Read more.

close

Ad Blocker detected

We have noticed you are using an adblocker and – although we support freedom of choice – we would like to ask you to enable ads on our site. They are an important revenue source which supports free access of our website's content, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.

trade tracker pixel tracking