The 101-bedroom boutique hotel on the site of the former Boswells department store opened in Oxford on May 7 and visitors have been flocking to its stunning rooftop terrace. The Treadwell restaurant on the ground floor, led by head chef Andy Robinson has also been very busy and he is now creating a winter menu ready to be launched in November. While roast dinners will remain, together with some classic dishes including fish and chips, there will be new game dishes, tagine stews and winter cassoulets "with a British twist".
Manager Simon Drake said he was excited by the prospect of the new winter menu and expected the Treadwell to compete with the best restaurants in the city. "The barbecues have been removed from the roof terrace because it's the end of the summer and we are switching to an apres-ski mood, with eggnog lattes," he added. Mr Drake said hotel bookings have exceeded expectations throughout June, July, August and September, and Balliol College and the Bodleian Library have asked the hotel to host guests for wedding receptions.
He added: "We have surpassed our budget expectations and are already seeing a significant number of repeat clients booking for 2025/2026." The manager said Oxford University students now returning to the city were dining with parents who remembered Boswells. It is now almost five years since the news broke that Boswells would close, and it did not reopen following lockdown in 2020.
Mr Drake said Sarah Pearson, one of Boswells' managing direc.