A LAKE District hotel is set to undergo a major transformation which its owners say will create a new type of accommodation in the national park.

Work has just started on the £2.6 million makeover of the Waterhead Hotel at Ambleside, part of the English Lakes Hotels group.

Over the coming months, the Waterhead will be transformed from a 27-bedroom two-star hotel into a 41-bedroom luxury four-star establishment.

ELH managing director Simon Berry said the new-look Waterhead would be officially classified as a town house hotel, a type of accommodation increasingly popular in cities across the UK.

It was the findings of research commissioned by Cumbria Tourist Board that persuaded ELH to scrap original plans to convert the Waterhead into a three-star hotel and instead go the extra mile in terms of luxury.

“The consultants identified a clear gap in the market in the Lake District for the service accom-modation offer,” said Mr Berry.

“The Lake District is brilliant at offering the country house experience but not the contemporary, more modern style of hotel.” The findings helped to confirm ELH’s belief that the Waterhead was no longer meeting customers’ expectations and the company needed to change with the times.

Mr Berry said the company had embraced fresh thinking in the past – en-suite facilities in bedrooms were a novelty 20 years ago, along with televisions and trouser presses.

The new-look town house hotel – a distinct classification by the AA and RAC – will have a clear emphasis on contemporary style.

Business Link has recognised the innovative move by approving a £9,000 grant towards the design costs.

Mr Berry said the company wanted customers to be knocked out by the ‘wow’ factor – guests’ rooms will be twice the size of existing accommodation, feature under-floor heating and be equipped with broadband internet access, high quality sound systems, televisions and DVD players.

Each room will be named after a waterfall in the Lake District, and even tea and coffee crockery, pictures and artwork will sport images of the same waterfall.

The hotel will increase the number of full-time equivalent staff from 22 to 31, and a new chef, Jed Quinn, is already busy drawing up menu ideas for an enlarged restaurant.

Mr Berry said the Waterhead would combine the style of a classic Lakeland building with a modern, contemporary feel inside, including many state-of-the-art features.

“There is nothing else like it in the Lakes. That’s why we received support from Business Link and we are talking to the Rural Regeneration Company about support for marketing.” V.E. Piningtons of Lancaster is the main contractor for the project, and the hotel is due to reopen in two phases, first on Good Friday, April 9, with the remaining new bedrooms available from mid-May.

“It’s part of the company strategy to operate in the top end of the three to four star market with larger hotels in the Lake District and north Lancashire. It fits perfectly with our company strategy,” said Mr Berry.