PRESTIGE hotel brand Abode has launched in Chester.

The four-star hotel, complete with a fine dining restaurant on the fifth floor, overlooks Chester racecourse and the Grosvenor Bridge.

The 85-bedroomed modern design hotel employs 70 permanent staff and is the first luxury instalment of the HQ complex which will soon accommodate 550 council staff and new businesses.

Abode and its accompanying signature restaurant is the vision of Michelin- starred chef Michael Caines, who was mentored by Raymond Blanc and entrepreneur Andrew Brownsword.

Mr Caines has employed head chef Stuart Collins who worked with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey in New York.

Abode is established in Chelsea, Canterbury, Exeter, Glasgow and Manchester and its modern design and bespoke interior decor will draw in high spending tourists and short-stay visitors.

Abode is the latest ‘attack brand’ in Chester’s flotilla of boutique hotels which includes the five star Grosvenor and Spa, Hotel Dragonfly, Green Bough and Doubletree by Hilton with the Queen Hotel, Crowne Plaza and Macdonald New Blossoms Hotel all increasing the city’s reputation as a heritage short stay destination.

The fifth floor Michael Caines’ fine dining restaurant and champagne bar is the centrepiece of the hotel.

Themes of the hotel rooms are Comfortable, Desirable, Envious and Fabulous with three suites named after famous racehorses Ormonde, Hyperion and Sea Pigeon.

The ground floor features a café and grill fronting the central piazza with outdoor seating while a lounge bar facing the courts aims to be ‘young and funky’.

Visit Chester and Cheshire, Chester Renaissance and Cheshire West and Chester Council members were joined by guests from the hospitality/leisure sector for a VIP tour.

Managing director Nick Halliday hailed last Thursday’s launch as “A fabulous evening of fabulous views”, and claimed that Abode will be fully operation in time for the launch of Chester Racecourse’s opening May festival.

He said: “With Abode Chester we have created something that is the very true essence of what we originally intended it to be.

“Abode is still fronted by entrepreneurs which is becoming rarer and rarer in our industry and it gives it that family feel for those that work for us.

“Abode is the vision of two individuals, Andrew Brownsword, our chairman and our owner, and Michael Caines, both the visionaries that launched this business six years ago.”

Michael Caines added: “This is a three year project that is something different to the market but complements what is already here in Chester.

“This is something new and modern and at the same time adds a huge amount of value to our brand of Abode and Michael Caines restaurants.