Travel / Hotels
Brilliant new boutique hotel in Bristol has been worth the wait
Justin Salisbury sits in one corner of a room at Artist Residence and takes a deep breath.
It has taken him six years from when he first got the keys to this former boot factory to opening up the boutique hotel to paying guests, with individually designed bedrooms now set across three floors.
Each room is individually designed by Justin and his close-knit team, containing limited edition art prints and vintage and reclaimed furniture.
Anyone can now pop into the hotel’s library overlooking Portland Square in St Paul’s for a drink, with the rest of the ground floor including a spectacular new bar due to open to the public in 2022.
Listen to more from Justin Salisbury on the Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
“We love Bristol and we are very lucky to be where we are,” Justin told the Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast.
“Portland Square and the building itself is fantastic. It’s a fantastic location.
“And I think with the ethos behind Artist Residence, we want to create somewhere that is slightly different, somewhere you can stay that is creative, really fun and down to earth.
“As with all of our other locations, to be part of the community is our next step. We like to be somewhere you can come in to work, eat, drink all day everyday for whatever occasion.”
The artist suite at Artist Residence – photo: Artist Residence
Enjoy a drink at the library overlooking Portland Square in St Paul’s – photo: Artist Residence
In 2008, Justin dropped out of an accountancy degree at Leeds University to take over the running of a seafront guesthouse his mother owned after she was involved in a serious accident.
Artists were invited to redecorate the rooms in exchange for board, and the idea was born for Artist Residence, with Justin and his wife Charlie now owning hotels in Brighton, London, Oxfordshire and Penzance.
For their newest hotel in Bristol, the pair took on a building that was previously on English Heritage’s At Risk Register.
“With a building that has so much character and so many different layers of history, it’s been very important for me that the best features are retained, on show and enjoyed and that takes time.”
All bathrooms contain organic Bramley bath and body products – photo: Artist Residence
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read more: Boutique hotel finally ready to welcome guests two years behind schedule
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