Bath and North East Somerset Council is being asked to approve plans to refurbish the reception, lounge and bar areas of the Francis Hotel in Queen Square, along with changes to the breakfast dining room, improved access, and the creation of a new restaurant with a separate entrance.
Property investment firm the Moorfield Group, which bought the three-star hotel and around 20 others in 2007, has already given many of the 95 bedrooms a facelift.
But, in documents submitted to the council, the firm says more work is needed on the ground and lower ground floor public areas.
The firm, which contracts out the day to day running of the hotels to the Mercure chain, has been talking to council planning officials for more than two years about its plans for the grade one listed building.
A planning statement submitted to the council says: “Parts of the building are still looking tired, and there are some internal spaces (particularly at lower ground floor) which are under-utilised or completed unused.
“Additionally, the hotel restaurant has difficulty in attracting non-hotel visitors and provides great potential for enhancement.
“There is also a need for improvements to be made to the reception, to make it more visible to arriving guests.”
The document says Moorfield wants to “rejuvenate the Francis Hotel and bring the building back to its former glory.”
It adds: “The scheme that has been submitted ensures that the overall character and appearance of the listed hotel building and its setting would be conserved and enhanced.”
The hotel developed out of a lodging house opened in around 1860 in one of the houses designed by John Wood the Elder in the 1730s.
The statement goes on: “The proposals meet the ongoing needs of an established hotel, which has a long history in Bath, and will assist in ensuring the long-term viability of the business. The proposed restaurant facility would also assist in providing associated benefits for the local tourist industry and economy.”
The new entrance to the restaurant would be in Barton Street.