[dropcap size=small]T[/dropcap]o call YTL Corporation “vast” would be an understatement. Headed by Malaysian Francis Yeoh, it was originally a construction company that expanded into utilities, property development and cement manufacturing, among other things. It also owns a slew of luxury boutique hotels and resorts worldwide, including the award-winning Pangkor Laut Resort, the Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur, and the Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel.

And thanks to its acquisition of a UK-based water and sewage treatment business called Wessex Water, it gained direct access to Bath’s famed natural hot springs, which led to the subsequent addition of The Gainsborough Bath Spa to its hotel stable last year.

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This heritage hotel, which offers the only natural thermal spa within a hotel in the UK, is YTL Hotels’ first property there. It makes business sense, when you consider not just its spa heritage (it already has a good number of acclaimed Spa Villages scattered throughout Malaysia), but also its penchant for history and nostalgia, as seen in its Classic Hotels collection, which includes The Majestic Malacca and the Cameron Highland Resort. But, while its hotel properties may be diverse and eclectic, the YTL Hotels philosophy of delivering inspired experiences to guests is the common thread that runs through the properties.

At The Gainsborough Bath Spa, part of the “inspired experience” comes from the location itself. The hotel is right smack in the middle of picture-perfect Bath, a mere 90-minute train journey from London, home of the universally adored Jane Austen, and also a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Since pre-Roman times, people have come to Bath to bathe in the naturally occurring thermal waters. The water is believed to have fallen as rain over around 10,000 years ago, where it seeped 2km into the ground and is continuously heated up by hot rocks before rising into the famous hot springs of Bath.

The two buildings that house The Gainsborough Bath Spa also have a deeply intriguing past – these 18th-century Grade II listed buildings were formerly the Royal United Hospital. An excavation in 1864 uncovered several rooms belonging to an ancient Roman spa complex, which included the remnants of 4th-century Roman mosaic. In more recent times and up until 2005, the building was used as the Bath College of Art & Design, and then in 2007, a hoard of 17,500 coins dating as far back as 32BC was discovered among the building’s foundations.

As with its other Classic Hotels, YTL Hotels has made every effort to stay faithful to The Gainsborough Bath Spa’s historical roots. The Roman mosaic remains preserved underneath an exact replica in the hotel today, and part of the hoard of coins is on display as well. Artworks by the Bath College of Art & Design students adorn the public areas of the hotel, as a nod to the esteemed 18th-century artist Sir Thomas Gainsborough, after whom the hotel is named.

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But far from being a dusty throwback to the days of yore, The Gainsborough Bath Spa is a glamorous 99-room five-star establishment which has been recognised as a Leading Hotel of the World, a title bestowed on the most exceptional luxury hotels.

Here, guests luxuriate in custom-furnished chambers, savour Asian-inspired cuisine by Michelin-star chef Johann Lafer, and indulge in ancient Roman bathing rituals. The latter is particularly exclusive because no other hotel in the UK is able to offer access to Bath’s natural thermal waters.

In fact, thanks to The Gainsborough Bath Spa’s private water reserve, its Spa Village guests can go through the ritualised bath circuit just like the Romans did, moving through thermal pools to the sauna, steam room, ice alcove, and relaxation room, before finishing off with a water ritual ceremony.

Naturally, YTL Hotels is already waist-deep in development plans for upcoming properties. Ritz-Carlton Koh Samui is in the pipeline, as is a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Niseko Village, a 50-room ski-in and ski-out resort which will be its fourth Niseko property. “Luxury as we know it today has become so accessible that consumers seek more unique, personalised and increasingly unattainable experiences,” says Geraldine Dreiser, vice-president of marketing at YTL Hotels.

“YTL Hotels will continue to craft inspired experiences… where guests can fulfil their personal ideas of luxury, whether this is more time to themselves, more pampering, or experiencing something new with loved ones.”

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