Hotel Indigo Bath

The IHG-owned Hotel Indigo brand is a global concern, but it’s probably fair to say that its finest and most fully realized hotels are close to home, in the UK. Hotel Indigo Bath is a fine demonstration of how it’s done: take a type of building that’s characteristic of its setting, in this case a row of honey-colored Georgian townhouses dating to 1740, and transform it into something that’s roughly one part modern luxury-hotel sheen and one part authentic local color.

In the interiors and in the branding and design they’ve gone to great lengths to pay tribute to their Georgian inheritance, often in a stylized way that goes beyond strict period correctness. But at the same time, the rooms and suites display unmistakably anachronistic elements as well, from their focused color palettes and era-spanning decoration to their occasional Modernist-inspired flourishes. They’re equipped with lavish Hypnos beds and Nespresso machines, among other modern conveniences; the subterranean suites display rough-hewn stone walls.

And it’s only with the addition of a restaurant that is rather more than an ordinary hotel kitchen that the package is complete. The Elder is the contemporary British restaurant par excellence, conceived by restaurateur Mike Robinson and serving “field to fork” cuisine with an emphasis on whole-animal butchery, all in a colorful and intimate setting.