Rose Dykins visits the distinctive venues that make the spa city ideal for memorable events.
Surrounded by Seven Hills, the honey-coloured 18th-century terraces that comprise Bath’s city centre provide a beautifully gentile backdrop for events. The buildings within this UNESCO World Heritage site are used for the same purpose as they were 300 years ago – people still queue for a table at the Georgian Pump Room restaurant, a perfect people-watching hub, and the elegant spaces that were previously frequented by wealthy unmarried women lend themselves to themed events such as candlelit balls and banquets.
Tourists, meanwhile, come to take a dip in the UK’s only natural thermal water pools, and to see the setting that inspired Jane Austen’s satirical stabs at social climbers in Persuasion.
As well as grand traditional venues, the city boasts trendy eateries that can be hired for small groups – the arty Society Café (society-cafe.com), for example, allows exclusive use of its downstairs area, where budding businesses need only bring along their laptops for a meeting.
A one and a half-hour train journey from London, the south-western city provides a charming alternative to hosting an event in the Big Smoke. “Because we are a leisure destination, our midweek prices are quite low,” says Corinne Reynolds, regional sales manager for the Royal Crescent hotel. “So for a 24-hour delegate rate, you’re going to get good value.”
Independent properties dominate the hotel scene, though the 98-room Francis hotel was to open at the end of last month under Accor’s M Gallery brand. Here is a selection of venues.
Royal Crescent hotel
Occupying the two central houses (15 and 16) of the iconic Royal Crescent, this five-star, 45-room hotel overlooks Victoria Park, a ten-minute walk uphill from the centre. Passing through the entrance, which blends in with the rest of the houses along the crescent, you will feel surprised to be led into a walled garden with a croquet lawn, across which lies the other half of the hotel, formerly coach houses.
Here you will find the Montagu suite, a neutral space holding 50 delegates theatre-style. The cosy library can be hired for meetings of up to 15 people, and the decadent yet homely Sir Percy Blakeney Suite accommodates 40 guests theatre-style.
The property stays true to its Georgian roots, from its ionic columns and marble busts to its tuxedo-clad concierge. The hotel spa boasts seven treatment rooms, a 12-metre pool heated to 35°C and barrel-style hot and cold plunge pools. The hotel’s 1920s river launch, “Lady Sophina”, can be hired exclusively for champagne or tea cruises down the Avon for eight people, and hot air balloon rides from Victoria Park can also be arranged. Wifi is free throughout.
- 16 Royal Crescent; tel +44 (0)1225 823 333; royalcrescent.co.uk
Roman Baths and Pump Room
Rediscovered in 1878 and restored to how they may have been in 43AD, the Roman Baths at the heart of the city contain spring water packed with more than 40 minerals, which has been naturally heated by the earth’s core to 46°C. The hypnotic swirling steam above the water’s surface creates an atmospheric backdrop for events – particularly the open air, torch-lit Great Bath, which can host 320 for a drinks reception on the walkways around the water (available from 7pm). Light projection shows and operas on temporary bridges are examples of the types of events that can be arranged.
A terrace above can be used for dining for 80 people, and the baths’ interactive museum is available for private receptions. The beautiful Pump Room could host a sophisticated dinner for up to 200 people. Open to the public during the day as a British gourmet restaurant, delegates could opt to take afternoon tea here while enjoying live classical music.
- Stall Street; tel +44 (0)1225 477 786; bathvenues.co.uk
Assembly Rooms and Fashion Museum
Located on the north side of the town centre, the elegant Assembly Rooms were used for socialising and matchmaking during the 18th century. The 500-capacity sky-blue ballroom feels authentic and grand – the crystal chandeliers are worth £1.5 million each – with classical features including key pattern plasterwork.
The light-filled Octagon room, which holds 120 people theatre-style, has a high ceiling and yellow walls, while the Tea Room can host 170 delegates for a banquet. Free wifi runs throughout the Grade I Listed building.
Below the Assembly Rooms is Bath’s Fashion Museum, which displays iconic pieces (its “Dress of the Year” exhibition celebrates definitive fashion moments of the past half-century) and is available for exclusive hire in the evening.
- Stall Street; tel +44 (0)1225 477 786; bathvenues.co.uk
Queensbury hotel
Available for exclusive hire, this
29-room boutique hotel is a short walk from the Assembly Rooms. Themed around “the Queensbury rules”, a set of standards denoting good boxing etiquette, the hotel’s character comes from the city’s history of attracting dandy-types who flocked here for sports and gambling during the 18th century.
The property has the feel of an inviting home rather than a hotel, and the comfy drawing room and part of the bar area are used as meeting spaces. These both cater for 12 people, and the quirky Old Q bar can host gin and vodka tastings. The Olive Tree restaurant serves modern British cuisine and has a private dining area for 60 people. The guest rooms are smart and airy and all differ slightly in décor. Wifi is free.
- Russel Street; tel +44 (0)1225 447 928; thequeensbury.co.uk
Thermae Spa
For a relaxing incentive, delegates could make use of Bath’s natural thermal spa, a modern, bright space housed within five original Georgian buildings, in walking distance of the Roman Baths. The mineral water sourced from three natural hot springs is cooled to 33.5°C and pumped into the spa’s rooftop, indoor Minerva and treatment pools.
As well as traditional spa therapies (there are 20 treatment rooms), it’s possible to try water-themed ones, such as Watsu, where a therapist gets in a private pool with you and gently stretches your body. There are four steam rooms, each with different scents, and across the corridor is a meeting room for 12 people with free wifi.
The Cross Bath is a private walled open-air pool filled with thermal water that can be hired for up to 12 people for an hour and a half – canapés and champagne can be provided.
- Hot Bath Street; tel +44 (0)1225 331 234; thermaebathspa.com
Holburne Museum
Centrally located at the end of Great Pulteney Street, the Holburne Museum, which specialises in cutting-edge and historical artworks, added a glass cubed extension to the back of the original stone building last year. The new space introduced more exhibition areas and the modern Garden Café, which can be used for informal breakout sessions.
The Picture Gallery displays gold-framed Gainsborough paintings upon teal walls, and seats 80 people for dinner. All galleries can be hired exclusively in the evenings, some for drinks and canapés, leaving delegates to explore a smorgasbord of exhibits including Renaissance bronzes, Wedgwood silhouette brooches and Chinese vases hanging from the ceiling, as well as changing contemporary shows.
- Great Pulteney Street; tel +44 (0)1225 388 549; holburne.org
Macdonald Bath Spa hotel
A five-minute walk from the museum brings you to another five-star hotel. Despite being on the edge of the city centre, the considerable size of the landscaped gardens at this former nurses’ home make it feel like a country house hotel.
There are six meeting spaces, all of which have natural daylight and free wifi. The Avon room is the largest, holding 130 guests theatre-style, while three accommodate between 12 and 50 people, and the other two are boardrooms for 12 delegates. The 129 spacious guestrooms feature calm, classic décor, and there are 24 Imperial Suites in a separate building that receive full butler service.
The hotel has a fitness centre and a 20-metre indoor pool with a spa bath that links to an outdoor heated pool surrounded by decking. The spa has seven treatment rooms, plus an ice room and a rock sauna.
- Sydney Road; tel +44 (0)844 879 9106; macdonaldhotels.co.uk
American Museum
Bath is home to the only museum of Americana outside the US, perhaps a testament to the city’s popularity with American tourists. A ten-minute drive from the centre, and surrounded by 50 hectares of grounds and woodland dotted with wild flowers, the museum overlooks stunning gardens in which a marquee for 150 people can be set up. The Coach House conference facilities comprise a wooden-beamed, 120-capacity lecture theatre and two rooms holding 35 and 70 people theatre-style. All are wifi equipped.
Back in the museum, the Airlie Judkyn Suite has a boardroom for 12 delegates (no wifi) and a stylish lounge area. The Orangery café has a private dining space for 60 people, and it is possible to hire the museum galleries exclusively in the evenings, allowing delegates to browse the permanent exhibition, which includes vintage posters, hand-sewn quilts and artefacts from throughout America’s history.
- Claverton Manor; tel +44 (0)1225 460 503; americanmuseum.org
Longleat House and Adventure Park
An Elizabethan stately home that features a safari park within its 364-hectare estate, Longleat House is a 30-minute drive from Bath. It remains the home of the Lord of Bath, who has been known to make an appearance while group tours of the property are taking place. The high-ceilinged Great Hall is a rustic space lined with oil paintings, stag heads and weaponry – it can hold 100 people for an evening banquet. The Green Library hosts 20 for a boardroom meeting.
For a more contemporary setting, there’s Lord Bath’s Banqueting suite, where psychedelic paper-mâché paintings of England’s monarchs created by the Lord himself are mounted on ice-blue walls – wifi is only available in this room and it can hold 50 delegates theatre-style. The 100-person capacity Orangery beside the “love labyrinth” garden can be hired for receptions in the evenings.
The grounds can be used for teambuilding activities or festivals, and Longleat Safari park also offers fun group incentives such as VIP safaris, where guests can feed giraffes or hang out with meerkats. Jungle riverboat cruises can also be arranged, offering barrier-free viewing of the zoo’s new gorillas – drinks are served on board.
- Longleat Estate; tel +44 (0)1985 844 328; longleat.co.uk
GETTING THERE
First Great Western operates a two-hourly service from London Paddington to Bath Spa, with a fastest journey time of one hour and 23 minutes. Visit firstgreatwestern.co.uk
See businesstraveller.com/tried-and-tested for a review of the Royal Crescent hotel.
Visit bathconference.co.uk for more information on holding events in the city.
