IT’S been a busy couple of months for The Parr’s Bank Hotel – peak wedding season with brides and grooms celebrating in the town centre Victorian building and the opening of their luxury new bedrooms.

Pavan and Yaad Johal welcomed the first overnight guests to the hotel in the middle of August with ten modern and stylish bedrooms being unveiled.

Guests have been leaving five-star Google reviews for the venue saying they can’t wait to make a return visit.

The rooms are stylish and modern but in keeping with the buildings rich history

The rooms are stylish and modern but in keeping with the building's rich history

One happy customer said: “The hotel is absolutely stunning. Everything is such a high standard.”

Another said: “Such a personal experience given by the staff, particularly owners Yaad and Pavan – we really enjoyed hearing about the restoration project.

“It’s such a fabulous building, steeped in history, and they’ve done so well to make it such a stylish hotel.

“It’s kept the very history of the bank, but tastefully fused with subtle Asian touches and interior design flair throughout.”

The Parrs Bank has been lovingly renovated over the past few months

The Parr's Bank has been lovingly renovated over the past few months

The boutique hotel on Winwick Street has been lovingly restored over the past three years by the Appleton couple, who bought the grade two listed building just as the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

The Victorian building dates back to 1877 and had been vacant since the bank closed its doors in 2015, falling into a state of disrepair.

Husband-and-wife team Yaad and Pavan, whose backgrounds are in the hotel and fashion industries, converted part of the downstairs floor into a coffee shop serving takeaway drinks as well as hot and cold food and turned the banking hall into event space for weddings and corporate events.

Ten rooms are available for overnight stays with another five scheduled for completion in January

Ten rooms are available for overnight stays with another five scheduled for completion in January

The original plan was to focus on the upstairs space and rent out the downstairs but this was quickly shelved when the country – and the rest of the world – was plunged into lockdown.

Each of the new bedrooms is modern and stylish but in keeping with the building’s rich history with elegant and luxurious décor and accessories.

TAKE A QUICK TOUR OF ONE OF THE NEW LUXURY HOTEL ROOMS

The muted colour palette is complimented by natural wooden furniture with black and gold trimmings and perfectly placed greenery to add a homely feel.

Ten rooms opened for overnight guests in the middle of August with a further five scheduled to be completed at the beginning of 2024.

The couple bought the old building just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit

The couple bought the old building just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit

Pavan said: “Our vision was always to create a truly unique leisure experience in the town centre.

“We have lovingly restored The Parr’s Bank after it had been empty for eight years and had fallen into a state of complete disrepair.

“We wanted to open a boutique hotel aimed at business travellers and event guests but when Covid hit we had to rethink our plans and opened Counter’s Coffee Bar instead.

“The banking hall opened the following year and now we’re ready to open the first of our hotel bedrooms.

“We have restored as much as possible and ensured the renovation was in keeping with the historical feel of the building.

“The final stages of our dream of creating a brand throughout the building promoting luxury and quality is now coming to fruition and we’re excited to see what the future holds.”

The banking hall before Pavan and Yaads renovations

The banking hall before Pavan and Yaad's renovations

She added: “The first few months have been brilliant and we have had excellent feedback so far.

“People seem to love the location, the luxury feel of the building – inside and outside - and the personal service.

“We have many more exciting new plans for the rest of this year such as launching a new winter and festive menu over the next few weeks.”

One overnight guest recognised that Pavan and Yaad had “worked really hard to deliver a top notch hotel with so many gorgeous features” and another highlighted the “absolutely beautiful hotel with extraordinary friendly staff” and loved the entrance to the building where you’re met with “fabulous grandeur, showing the building’s rich history”.

Counter’s Coffee Bar opened in April 2021 and the couple hosted corporate events and celebrations later that year before becoming a licensed venue for weddings last summer.

There’s a heated garden terrace to the side of the hotel and Counter’s is now a fully licensed cocktail bar.

Each of the rooms was stripped back before being completely revamped

Each of the rooms was stripped back before being completely revamped