Hotel Indigo Bath drops contractor after works suspended for two months

Hotel Indigo Bath has dropped its principal contractor after work on the site was suspended for more than two months.

Phelan Construction stopped work on the 166-bedroom property at the end of February for reasons unknown. The hotel said the company's contract has now been terminated and it is no longer involved with the project.

A new contractor has been appointed by owner St James's Hotel Group, which is a subsidiary of the Jersey-based real estate company Somerston Group, and it is hoped works will recommence in the next two weeks. The hotel was originally slated to open in spring 2018 and is now anticipated to open by the end of 2019.

General manager Simon Hall (pictured) told The Caterer: "We're hoping it's going to be starting up in earnest from the beginning of June and we're optimistic to have the hotel finished very quickly.

"It's been delayed for a number of reasons, a lot of them due to the fact that it's a 300-year-old building. This latest delay is obviously very frustrating for us but hopefully we've got over that challenge and we look forward to getting it finished."

He added: "We're really excited… That's part of what's going to make it fantastic when it's finished is it is an old building."

Phelan has been contacted for comment.

When the property opens, it will be the second Hotel Indigo to feature a restaurant operated by co-owner of the Michelin-starred Harwood Arms, Mike Robinson. Robinson opened the Woodsman at the Hotel Indigo Stratford-upon-Avon earlier this year.

Like the Woodsman, the Elder at Hotel Indigo Bath will focus on British cuisine and will be overseen by Robinson as executive chef. Named after John Wood, the Elder, an architect who worked principally in Bath, the restaurant will have a nose to tail focus serving venison and old breed beef, lamb and pork. Fish will be sourced from local rivers and fisheries in Cornwall; fruit and vegetables from local farms and markets.

St James's Hotel Group also owns the Hotel Indigo Stratford-upon-Avon, the Royal Cambridge hotel and the Winchester Royal hotel.

Hotel Indigo is InterContinental Hotels Group's boutique brand and Hotel Indigo Bath will be operated under a franchise agreement. There are 103 Hotel Indigo properties open globally, including 19 in the UK.

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