Tea room to open at Ludlow's Feathers Hotel two years after Legionnaires' death
An historic hotel in Ludlow that closed after a guest died of Legionnaire’s Disease is set to partially reopen.
The Feathers Hotel was forced to closed in 2017 after the death of pensioner Elaine Brown, who suffered a stroke as a result of contracting the disease which was linked to bacteria in the plumbing at the hotel.
However Crest Hotels bought the 17th century Bull Ring building late last year and have since set about refurbishing it, with the aim of providing a modern and welcoming setting while retaining the heritage of the original hotel.
The first phase of the revamp is now nearly complete and the owners are preparing to open a tea room in what used to be the hotel bar.
The tea room will have space for 34 covers and serve homemade food using locally sourced ingredients when it opens on Friday, according to chef Wayne Nell.
Delighted
Jason Hiley, group operations director for Crest Hotels said: “This has been a long time in the planning but we are absolutely delighted that the doors to the hotel are open once again with our fabulous new tea room.
"The decision to create a tea room felt like the natural choice when looking at the target demographic of both our hotel and Ludlow as a destination, we feel it really complements the high street perfectly.”
Mr Nell, group executive chef, added: “Tea rooms are quintessentially British and for us, this is all about using the right local ingredients, the freshest seasonal produce and of course, all homemade in our kitchen.
“We are launching with a choice of afternoon teas, all served with elegance and sophistication for our guests and we hope they will be delighted with the mouth-watering treats, pastries and baked items we will have on offer.”
Crest is spending more than £1 million refurbishing the 40-bedroom hotel and, with the tea room complete, management are now focusing on refurbishing all bedrooms and corridors, creating a new restaurant and hiring new staff.
Controlled by the Singh family, the Crest chain also runs the Holiday Inn Birmingham Airport, the Holiday Inn Express Liverpool/Knowsley and two hotels in Bristol.
It is not known how much the Feathers was sold for, but the hotel was put on the market in January 2018 for £2.6 million by the previous owners before it went into administration.
Anyone interested in a job at the hotel should contact the management team on office@feathersatludlow.co.uk for details of the roles available and experience required.
