Hoteliers in Bath are keeping their fingers crossed that the city's £7.8m Thermae Bath Spa will finally open next month, six months after it was first due to be up and running.
The spa was set to open in February but delays in its construction and planning mean it's now due to open "in the first two weeks of August", although August 7, when a concert by the "three tenors" is planned, is a likely candidate for the opening date. Hoteliers have complained that the uncertainty has made it harder to take bookings from people keen to visit the new attraction, although overall they welcome its arrival.
Thermae Bath Spa, the operating company, is hoping the spa complex will encourage more people to stay overnight in the city rather than just visiting for the day - on average some four million tourists visit Bath each year, but about three million of these are day trippers. It is also hoped that the spa, which will be open all year round, will boost tourism out of season.
"We will be encouraging people to stay overnight, if they are visiting for the day, or to extend their stay," said sales and marketing executive Fiona Humphreys.
Susan Pow, general manager of the 14-bedroom Harrington's hotel, the closest hotel to the spa, said she had already had a lot of enquiries. "It's a shame that the opening has been constantly delayed. We are nervous to tell people that it will be open. But I am sure it will make a difference," she said.
Martin Kendall, general manager of the 140-room Hilton Bath City hotel was also certain the spa would be good for trade, particularly among domestic tourists. "We are very positive about it," he said.
Once open, the spa, which was funded by the Millennium Commission, will be the only one of its kind in the country heated by natural spring waters. It will offer indoor and outdoor bathing, steam and massage rooms, a visitor centre and a 40- to 50-seat café/restaurant led by local chef Dylan Davey.