Lifestyle hotel opens in former Oxford department store

An iconic Oxford retailer has been reimagined as a luxury lifestyle hotel, four years after its closure. 

Boswells permanently shut its doors in 2020 after more than 250 years in business, citing ‘adverse retail conditions’ as the primary reason for its closure. Plans to convert the premises into a boutique hotel were approved by Oxford City Council in 2021, and on Tuesday, the building was officially re-opened to the public. 

Situated on Broad Street, The Store is a modern hotel that pays homage to its department store roots by offering clients an experience of ‘intrigue, unexpected fun and curiosity’. 

The restored property has 101 guest rooms across seven floors, three dining spaces and two bars, including a rooftop lounge with outdoor seating and views of the historic city. A spa offering treatments from British brand Oskia as well as a sauna, steam room and a studio space, can be found on the ground floor. 

The Store’s signature restaurant, Treadwell, serves up ‘untraditional’ British cuisine with global influences to reflect the city’s multicultural scene. Named after the ‘Treadwell Passage’ off Cornmarket Street, the modern eatery experiments with local, sustainable produce.