Stepnell refurbishes Shakespearian hotel

The construction company Stepnell have completed a restoration project, costing £13.2M, of the Grade II listed Hotel Indigo, previously known as the Falcon Hotel, in Stratford-upon-Avon, entailing the upgrading of internal facilities while preserving the historic exterior.

The project was commissioned by St James’ Hotel Group with Stepnell’s office in Rugby and the architecture firm Hitchman Stone Partnership contracted to design and carry out the refurbishment of the sixteenth century building which lies in the heart if Shakespeare’s birthplace.

The three-storey building with 93 boutique bedrooms now has three styles of rooms, the Tudor rooms, the Georgian townhouse rooms, and contemporary rooms, in additional to a state-of-the-art gym, private dining room, snug lounge, cocktail bar, meeting rooms and the Woodsman Restaurant.

The operations manager at Stepnell, Paul Fish stated: “It’s been amazing to work on such an interesting project, helping to preserve a piece of history that can be enjoyed by the public. The work was incredibly specialist from a refurbishment perspective, so we had a real sense of achievement upon completion.

“We faced a few challenges during the build regarding conservation and access to the site due to the historic nature of the hotel, but the team managed to push forward with the works and the outcome is truly stunning.”

Initially, plans outlined the refurbishment of the hotel’s roof but, upon discovering that said roof was beyond repair, the project was rethought to entail the complete removal of the roof along with internal plastering, which was reinstated by a specialist company.

Furthermore, steps were taken to preserve and replace the external beams and timber flooring of the hotel which are it’s defining features.

The Operations Director at St James’s Hotel Group, Simon Hall said: “While this extensive project has been challenging, the completed hotel is incredibly satisfying. Together we have brought a wonderful piece of local history back to life.

“The fantastic design from the architects and then the professionalism and dedication of Stepnell to deliver such a high quality finish has given us all a great sense of achievement which we are very proud of and excited to share with the many guests now coming to stay.”

If you would like to read more articles like this then please click here.