A 179-year-old hotel at the gateway to the Lake District is being given a new lease of life in a project expected to create up to 100 jobs.
The former Windermere Hotel is undergoing a £10 million restoration and renovation before reopening as Elysium Windermere in early 2027. It will be part of The Elysium Collection, a new group of British hotels.
A Lake District hotel with a local focus
The revamped hotel will have 74 bedrooms, a restaurant overseen by Stéphane Delourme, formerly head chef to Rick Stein, and a large spa. Planned facilities include a horizon thermal pool, gym, sauna, hot tubs, steam rooms, cold plunges and six treatment rooms.
Work so far has included repairing the roof and chimney stacks, replacing tiles and guttering, and restoring windows to their original style. The building’s façade is also being repointed using lime mortar from the same company that supplied the original material around 180 years ago.
The interior will draw on the area’s writers, walks and Lake Windermere, with four room designs intended to give the hotel a distinctly local identity.
The owners say the year-round operation should support around 80 to 100 full-time and part-time positions, including more skilled roles supported by investment in technology. A restaurant and spa are also expected to bring visitors and spending to the wider community.
Why it matters for Britain
The project will preserve a prominent historic building while adding jobs and hospitality skills in Windermere. Its year-round focus could also help reduce the area’s reliance on seasonal tourism.
