St James's Hotels to open Bath boutique on site of Pratt's and Halcyon hotels

St James's Hotel Group has announced plans to open a 117-bedroom boutique hotel in Bath in the New Year.

Hotel Indigo Bath will open in spring 2017 and operate under a franchise agreement with InterContinental Hotels Group and St James's, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Somerston Group.

The hotel will occupy a number of Grade I-listed Georgian buildings on South Parade following a major renovation project. These include Pratt's hotel (4-8 South Parade), The Halcyon (2-3 South Parade) and a neighbouring property (1 South Parade).

Pratt's hotel will be temporarily closed from 4 January 2016 and the Halcyon from the end of January for the refurbishment. The closures will result in 36 redundancies, but the new hotel is expected to create around 60 jobs.

Shaun Robinson, managing director of St James's, commented: "It is good to be starting on site after many months of planning. This is such a good opportunity to create an outstanding boutique hotel right in the heart of Bath, one of the UK's most popular tourist destinations, and Hotel Indigo is just the right brand."

Pratt's Hotel was a part of a portfolio of Forestdale hotels acquired by St James's in 2014. The Halcyon was acquired from Giles Thomas.