Imagine a weekend where the bar is all yours: you pour your own beer, settle onto the sofa and, when you decide to close the establishment, head upstairs to the bedroom. This model is gaining popularity in the UK, where former pubs are being turned into holiday homes with preserved bars and original beer pumps.
The change comes amid the continuing crisis facing British pubs. According to the British Beer and Pub Association, approximately one pub closes in the country every day. Some historic buildings, however, are being given a new lease of life after their owners convert them into venues for group stays.
One example is Alderfalls, located near the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales. The building had been in Dallas Jones’s family for 33 years, but was initially in “very poor condition”. The walls were damp and covered in mould, and there were even mushrooms.
“This was certainly not a transformation that happened overnight. We invested time, money and a huge amount of hard work to bring the building back to life,” Jones told Daily Mail.
The place was originally known as the Prices Arms Hotel. It was a popular stop for Welsh miners and railway travellers because of its proximity to Coelbren Junction, which discontinued passenger services in 1962. Alderfalls later offered home-cooked food, while four apartments were created on the upper floors.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the rising costs that followed changed the owners’ plans. Instead of a traditional pub and restaurant, they chose an exclusive group-stay model, in which the entire building is rented by a single company or family.
“The group-stay model allows us to focus on delivering a quality experience for larger groups, without the same day-to-day operational demands as a pub and restaurant,” Jones explains.
Alderfalls accommodates up to 19 guests in four bedrooms and has four bathrooms, a private bar, lounges and a large professional kitchen. Prices start at £650 per night.
The original beer pumps are still in place. Guests can request kegs in advance and pour their own beer during their stay. This means the building has not simply been converted into an ordinary holiday home, but retains its role as a pub and the centrepiece of the experience.
Alex Wilson, co-founder of the Host Unusual platform, says that the page for private pubs and inns is seeing “a sharp rise”. Searches for similar properties have increased by more than 120 per cent in one year, while more properties of this type have also appeared on the market.
According to him, some of them also offer saunas, hot tubs, games rooms, private dining rooms, cinemas, simulators and gyms. In this way, buildings that can no longer operate sustainably as everyday establishments retain part of their character and continue to attract visitors.
Source: dailymail.com