An independently owned boutique hotel whose top two floors are made entirely of glass, is to open in Cambridge’s Quayside area this month.
The Varsity Hotel, owned and operated by former Cambridge University student Will Davies, the entrepreneur who also owns the adjoining Glassworks Health Club and Spa, has been developed into a 50-bedroom hotel after being originally earmarked as a residential property.
Davies has now refurbished the property after securing £6m of funding from the Co-Operative Bank after the Royal Bank of Scotland stepped away from the project.
He said: “This is the first hotel I have developed and there’s a possibility of doing more, but getting this one right in such a beautiful location in this historic city is my priority.”
Designed by Terence Conran
Having been designed in a modern British style by Terence Conran’s architectural arm Conran & Partners, with individually designed bedrooms each featuring nineteenth century English wallpaper prints, the hotel will offer views of the surrounding area from the glass-encased top two floors.
Larger suites will have decked balcony areas complete with loungers, while some other rooms will feature freestanding Victorian baths and monsoon showers.
Guests staying at the hotel will also be given complimentary access to the neighbouring spa, which features a sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi that overlooks the River Cam.