A boutique hotel in the heart of St Pauls has been named the best place to stay in the south west region by The Sunday Times, Best Places to Stay 2023. Artist Residence Bristol has been open for just 12 months and has already secured the title of the best in the region for the newspaper's lauded travel guide.
Set inside an old boot factory and Georgian townhouse on the historic Portland Square, Artist Residence Bristol is perfectly located for Bristol city centre and the creative quarter around Stokes Croft. Founders Justin and Charlie Salisbury took over the Grade I-listed building for their "largest and most challenging restoration project to date".
The couple, who own the luxury hospitality group Artist Residence, had planned to open in October 2019 but were delayed due to the pandemic, opening in November 2021. Artist Residence has five hotels in its portfolio promising an "eccentric bunch of fun and friendly places to eat, drink and sleep", with Bristol being the newest addition.
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The hotel's General Manager Nick Ledgard said: "We're over the moon to have been recognised as the best in the South West, we've had such a great response since opening our doors fully this year and becoming part of the Bristol community. Our wonderful team works so hard and we're all really proud of what we've achieved so far."
Speaking on the guide, Claire Irvin, Head of Travel of The Times and The Sunday Times, said: “Best Places to Stay 2023 is a celebration of the incredible properties we have here on home soil and, most importantly, the hard-working teams that have made each one of them such a singular success. Our recommendations are not easily won and all 100 hotels in this year's list – including the incomparably cool Artist Residence Bristol – should be extremely proud of the guest experience they've created."
The entry in the guide read: “The fifth opening in the expanding portfolio of Artist Residence hotels, this converted boot factory in St Pauls, one of Bristol’s hippest districts, is the ultimate base for the young and young at heart. The 23 rooms are fun, the food is first rate and the highlights of the city, including the happening Harbourside and gritty Stokes Croft, are just a few minutes’ walk away.”
Each room is decorated in its own distinctive style with contemporary decor, splashes of colour and beautiful artwork. Room-only doubles at the family and dog-friendly hotel start from £115 stretching up to £365 for the luxurious for the Artist Suite.
The restaurant-bar area is open to the public as well as guests offering a broad all-day brunch menu - that BristolLive rated four stars - and main courses in the evening starting from £12. It also has a well-stocked bar making it a suitable venue for a cocktail or two.
Another Bristol nod in The Times' guide was budget luxury accommodation Mollie's Motel situated just off the M5. The hotel is right next to Cribbs Causeway and was signposted as the "perfect stopping place for West Country-bound motorists and tourists seeking a bargain base away from the city centre".
You can view The Times and The Sunday Times Best Places to Stay 2023 guide in full here.
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