A storied hotel where history meets distinctive hospitality

Conwy, a jewel in the crown of North Wales, where stone walls cradle a town rich in legend and legacy. And nestled proudly within these walls stands the Castle Hotel, a building that has witnessed centuries of history and hospitality.

Originally the site of two separate inns, the King’s Head and the Castle Inn, this location has served weary travellers and noble guests alike since at least the 15th century. Over time, these two inns merged, evolving into a grand coaching inn that catered to visitors arriving by carriage along the growing network of roads that connected Britain’s rising industrial towns. But unlike many coaching inns demise, it was with the arrival of the railway in the 19th century that the Castle Hotel entered a new era.

In 1832, a young Princess Victoria and her mother, the Duchess of Kent, visited the town and dined at what would become the Castle Hotel. It was an event that cemented the inn’s prestige.

Sixteen years later, in 1848, the hotel played host to a lavish banquet to celebrate the completion of the Conwy Railway Bridge, a marvel of engineering spearheaded by George and Robert Stephenson. That evening, the clinking of glasses echoed through its halls as the great minds behind Britain’s railway revolution were toasted by dignitaries and townsfolk alike.

The building’s current façade, an elegant expression of the neo-Jacobean style, was crafted in the 1880s by John Douglas, the famed Chester architect. His design gave the hotel its distinctive character, tall gables, ornamental brickwork, and a sense of permanence befitting a town as storied as Conwy.

Today, the Castle Hotel remains a beacon of comfort and charm, where the elegance of the past meets the warmth of modern hospitality, an ideal stop for any traveller retracing the steps of railway pioneers and royalty