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Ilchester hotel and restaurant, The Ilchester Arms, is to relaunch following a £250,000 refurbishment and expansion funded by NatWest.
Situated in the village just north of Yeovil, the Church Street hotel will officially reopen on 25 March following a three-year redevelopment.
Husband and wife owners Brendan and Lucy McGee were supported by NatWest in acquiring the business’ neighbouring residential dwelling.
The property has since been converted following a large scale refurbishment project which started in 2015. The development includes nine new en-suite rooms, some of which are equipped with specific facilities to enable them to better cater for disabled visitors, families and dog owners.
The couple have also finished refurbishment of the reception and garden areas as well as two new meeting and private dining rooms.
The McGee’s also own the nearby restaurant the Bull Inn. Both sites currently employ 28 members of staff, which increased when The Ilchester grew its restaurant capacity from 60 to 100 covers.
Lucy McGee said: “From the start, we were intent on acquiring the next door residence to expand our business. We’re thrilled that we are now able to re-launch The Ilchester and expand our offering to our customers.
“Without the care and attention of the NatWest team we wouldn’t have received the support we needed. We’re now looking forward to delivering an enhanced experience and attracting new customers.”
Alexandra Henderson, NatWest relationship manager, added: “Brendan and Lucy have worked extremely hard to develop The Ilchester Arms into a strong and popular business. Following its expansion, the venue now has the facilities to build on its success by offering a heightened customer experience which will help to attract visitors from far and wide.”
