Hotel Hit Squad: is this the most glamorous hotel in the Cotswolds?

The venerable Lygon Arms, in picture-perfect Broadway, has been revamped and it’s not just its guests who are pleased. “Everyone in town is thrilled,” said the friendly man selling ice creams outside the hotel from his pink and white “Icicle Tricycle”. In unseasonably warm autumn sunshine he told me: “We’re all so glad it’s back on form, especially as it’s an important local employer.”

Hotels are so much more than simply places to lay one’s head. Back in the day, The Lygon Arms brought not just local employment but glamour too. “I’ve seen John Wayne (when I was a child), Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand walk through those doors,” my pink-clad friend continued, “but then the place went downhill and until these new owners came along, it was such a dump that we’d watch guests arriving with their clothes stuffed in Tesco bags. Not what we want in Broadway.”

No indeed. But those dark days are now over and Broadway can once more be proud of its historic coaching inn where both Charles I and Oliver Cromwell dallied during the Civil War and whose former guests also include Edward VII, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Evelyn Waugh and Prince Philip. 

The rot set in when it was sold by the Savoy Group in 2003; since then it has changed hands no less than six times, but two years ago it joined Chewton Glen and Cliveden House in the stable of Iconic Luxury Hotels, owned by the billionaire Livingstone brothers and run by hotelier Andrew Stembridge. A multi-million pound programme of refurbishment and redecoration is now complete.

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The smiling doorman, in his flat cap and country clothes, struck just the right note, friendly and natural, and he correctly guessed our names – always impressive. Check-in was admirably swift and we soon found ourselves in our Courtyard Suite, newly decorated, like the rest of the hotel, by Anita Rosato.

To be honest, I prefer her work at Chewton Glen. Here, in a hotel whose roots date back to the 14th century, the slick, dark, metropolitan feel is a little at odds with the building, and I found myself yearning for a more artistic, country-casual touch, despite the deft mix of new furniture and inherited old brown pieces. 

Some of these are by Gordon Russell, one of Britain’s leading designers in the Thirties whose workshop was in the hotel when his father owned it. Our grey room, with busily patterned carpet (found throughout) felt smart, opulent even, but not uplifting and very dark. The “Cosy” rooms are pretty small, while the Charles I Suite is pretty special: the very room where he stayed, with his Coat of Arms above the fireplace and a fabulous four-poster bed.

I like hotels that deliver surprises, and The Lygon Arms, which I had never visited before, delivered plenty. First of all, it’s huge, with nearly 90 bedrooms in the creaky and sloping-floored main building and extensions from the Twenties and Fifties, plus more lounges (for cocktails, light meals, afternoon tea) than you can quite believe (enough for 150 bottoms). Then there’s the hidden garden, again huge, that needs some TLC, with a tennis court at the end (ditto). And the revamped spa, tucked away (I had a blissful massage from Maddie). Walk in to the changing room and out the other side and you’ll find a gorgeous swimming pool, with Jacuzzi and a spa bar above.

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Best of all, though, is The Lygon Bar and Grill, a huge space with barrel ceiling and minstrels’ gallery, once a dance hall. Here Anita Rosato’s talents are shown off to their best, with a wall of historical paintings at one end and impressive antler chandeliers. It’s glossy, glamorous and fun; what a pity that the waitresses have to wear sometimes unflattering jeans with striped shirts tucked in. The food is similarly relaxed – pastas, grills and so on – and very good.

There’s yet another place to eat, with on-street entrance. The Lygon Wine Bar has been done up in moody black leather – no doubt sexy at night but hardly very Cotswolds for a lunchtime bite. Weirdly, the waitresses are accoutred in flat tweed caps and waistcoats. What’s the message? Urban cool meets country casual, I suppose. Well, if you are urban cool and want a country-casual weekend, then Broadway now offers two addresses: Dormy House if you prefer countryside outside, and The Lygon Arms if you prefer the Cotswolds’ loveliest town.

Doubles from £240 per night, including breakfast. Access possible for guests using wheelchairs. High St, Broadway, Worcestershire WR12 7DU (01386 852255; lygonarmshotel.co.uk)

• Read the full expert review: The Lygon Arms, Cotswolds