Spa at the Coniston hotel and country estate opens today
The owners of the four-AA-star, 71-bedroom Coniston hotel and country estate in Skipton, North Yorkshire, believe the opening of a £2.4m spa will complete the property's development over 40 years.
Built within the hotel's 1,500 acre estate, the spa launches today with eight treatment rooms, an indoor swimming pool, thermal suite, gym, dance studio, and outdoor spa pool and terrace.
It will also offer the Nourish dining area, where the menu is being prepared in consultation with dietician and naturopath Elizabeth Peyton-Jones.
The spa, which will use products from Aromatherapy Associates, Jessica Nails and Kissed by Mii, has created 35 jobs and already signed up 200 members.
Spa general manager is Sam Wilson, who previously worked as a spa director for Ritz-Carlton for nearly nine years in the USA and Jamaica. She has also spent time as a spa manager on a number of cruise ships operated by Holland America, Princess, Regency, Disney and Royal Caribbean.
The Coniston hotel is owned by Michael and Ethne Banniste, with operations headed by hotel director Louise Bolton and general manager Norbert Stump.
Michael Bannister said: "Taking The Coniston from a small hotel and farm shop to one of the north of England's top country resorts has been a labour of love, and to a large extent the spa is the piece that completes the jigsaw for our guests, local residents and dedicated staff.
"We look forward to welcoming literally thousands of new visitors to the spa and continuing to promote the Dales tourism product locally, nationally and internationally in the years ahead."
Mark Green of Yorkshire-based Curveline Design and spa consultant Nicki Kurran, worked with the project team to deliver the spa, which was built by East Lancashire-based Barnfield Construction. Yorkshire Bank financed the project.
