Gainsborough Bath Spa Lands on Travel + Leisure’s ‘It List 2016′

By Liana Lozada

Gainsborough Bath Spa Lands on Travel + Leisure’s ‘It List 2016,’ solidifying it as one of the world’s best, must-see hotels

The Gainsborough Bath Spa’s globally lauded, 2015 opening has made Travel + Leisure’s coveted “It List 2016: the Best New Hotels on the Planet.” The publication’s annual recap is a benchmark for luxury hospitality, highlighting the world’s best new accommodations and chronicling premier amenities and design. Gainsborough’s must-see locale and elegant outfittings will tickle history buffs, spa-seekers, and jetsetters alike.

Thanks to its Roman and Georgian architecture, Bath, England has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. Despite its centuries-old roots, Gainsborough Bath Spa was the first – and currently the only – hotel property in the United Kingdom providing guests with direct access to the region’s underground thermal water source. As reported by Travel + Leisure, “Millennia have passed since the Celts and Romans first discovered Bath’s underground mineral springs.”

Converting Gainsborough’s historic edifices was no simple feat. YTL Hotels partnered with New York-based firm, Champalimaud Design, to restore the site’s two buildings and divert the submerged, mineral-rich waters to the spa and suites. The finished product kept the city’s ancient integrity intact while also reimagining the possibilities for luxury hospitality.

While the Spa Village Bath anchors the property, Gainsborough’s rooms and suites are not to be overlooked. Champalimaud draped the interiors with warm blues and greys, combining modernized stylings with original ancestral details. The results balance the old with the new: Visitors can enjoy heated bathroom floors or open up their rooms to their adjacent courtyard patio. Germany’s celebrated Michelin-star chef, Johann Lafer, helms Gainsborough’s cuisine: His delicate but deliberate hand has crafted a unique Asia-meets-England experience.

Prior to making 2016’s “It List,” Gainsborough’s pleasing pillars also ranked amongst Travel + Leisure’s “13 Experiences Every Traveler Should Have in England” and “Best Places to Travel in 2015.”

This feature originally appeared on spafinder.co.uk.