All over Europe there are old, luxury hotels called Hotel Bristol. Why did C19 hoteliers choose Bristol as a name ? Was it associated with royalty or luxury then or was the city itself a byword for 5 star service?
I'd always heard the story about the Earl of Bristol that mightyWBA links to. But I notice that Wikipedia isn't entirely convinced, because of the 50-year gap. I can't think of any other explanation, though (I don't know of any tradition that Bristol was a particularly luxurious town, though I believe it was second only to London in size in the Middle Ages). Perhaps there were Bristol Hotels that Wiki isn't aware of.
Curious, ain't it ? Perhaps there was an original and luxurious Hotel Bristol,so named for no reason other than that it sounded British and familiar to the travelling British gentry, and other hoteliers took the name to suggest that their new establishments were similarly well appointed. Question then is 'Which?'
this appears to relate to a book telling their s, but I can't find any answers on the website itself (except that the hotels aren't related except in name)
Dave, allegedly, there's a Bristol Hotel in Prince Street, Bristol. It was formerly the Jury's Bristol Hotel from which I deduce that it was something else until Jury took it over and renamed it, for ease of booking and reference, as their hotel in Bristol. Their other hotels take the name of the town or city they're in