Early nighttime on the Z Hotel Bath the reception and living room are full of clinking and chatter with people guzzling wine and munching cheese. It will be a special event – a convention, maybe? Except, the crowd is an uncommon mix: glamorous fowl parties,
American vacationers and younger couples. Daily, between 5 pm and 8 pm, it’s cheese and wine time on the lodge – and they arrive loose for visitors. Far from dry slices with curled-up corners, this kind of aperitivo time functions local producers (Somerset goat’s cheese and Paxton’s Cave-Aged cheddar, from Gloucestershire) and decent wine: a preference for reds, two whites, and a rosé. No wonder each person’s filling their boots.
It’s been a high-quality success,” says duty supervisor Betsy Cardozo. “Sometimes, we can have more than 200 human beings and get through dozens of bottles. We need people to socialize, and each person is, without a doubt, friendly. For a price range motel (doubles from £ forty-five in the week; weekend prices can rise to £150), it’s a pleasant touch and an amusing manner to begin an evening out. I also overhear human beings swapping pointers on locations to head next. Bath has long had a hotel problem: there are luxurious alternatives, such as the Gainsborough Bath Spa and the Bath Priory, and a few uninspiring finance chains but little notice among (the brand new Eight Motel and shortly-to-come Broad Street Town House may additionally make extraordinary exceptions).
Z Bath, which opened ultimate September, gives something exciting at the inexpensive stop. Launched in Soho in 2011, the Z brand promises “lower-priced luxury” and a welcoming ecosystem in relevant town places. There are 8 in the capital, with two greater comings nearby, as well as residences in Liverpool and Glasgow. The Bath Hotel is in the middle of the motion: opposite the Theatre Royal and less than 10 minutes’ walk from Bath Spa railway station.
I arrive on a sunny Saturday afternoon, and the place is crowded with vacationers packing out the terraces of the restaurants around Saw Close. Despite all that cheese and the wine, there isn’t a bar or eating room at Z. There is, but a food-and-drink menu is served 24/7 and brought to your room – or added to the foyer until 1. The concept is that you sleep here and spend most of your time out: the 149 rooms are small, and the inner ones haven’t any windows, which is a bit claustrophobic but nice for an evening or two.
The design makes the most of the confined area, though, with an emphasis on necessities. My room, with views over the town’s rooftops to hills beyond, is minimally embellished in white and gray however has a massive secure bed with natural linen and an en suite with a power shower and complimentary toiletries. The towels are of a caliber you’d find in a far posher hotel, and there’s a kettle with hot chocolate and espresso selection, plus a few superb blackout blinds. I heard the atypical reveler heading to the mattress in the early hours. Still, other than that, each one was quiet, notwithstanding the parties taking place nearby – gig and comedy venue Komedia Bath is next door.
