THE owner of the Georgian Lodge Hotel, Bradford on Avon is hoping his new look bar will encourage the locals in for a drink.

Brian Howe, 55, who has run the hotel for 18 months, has extended the downstairs bar and introduced speciality beers and a cocktail menu.

He said: "The changes are in addition to the restaurant. Guests can now not only enjoy the food, but also come in for a drink and I want to encourage the locals in. We've also got a nice comfortable seating area upstairs where we'll be serving homemade fresh cakes.

"We've got more speciality beers, things like Bishop's Tipple, Chimey and Leffe rather than just bottled beers. There's also an extensive wine by the glass menu."

The bar has been extended and there are plans to move the dining tables and chairs out during the day to make more space for casual callers.

The hotel has 10 bedrooms for guests and an acclaimed restaurant but Mr Howe is hoping the changes will mean more people from the area will pop in for a drink, taking advantage of its town centre position.

"We're aiming for much more of an informal, cosy atmosphere," he said.

"It's still quite formal at the moment because we've still got the tables and chairs but we're waiting to see how things go.

"We have had a few more people dropping in since I made the changes."

Mr Howe has been involved with hotels all his life, after starting out in London as a contract caterer.

He has owned a number of different hotels before moving to Bradford on Avon to take over at the Georgian Lodge.

"I started off buying a country hotel in the 1980s. I tend to keep hotels for about five years before moving on," he said.

Tom Bury, a waiter at the hotel, said he was enjoying the new relaxed atmosphere in the bar and said the new beers and cocktail menu were proving popular.

"We've brought in some sofas to make a snug area and started to remove some tables and chairs," he said.

"We're aiming for more of a drinking atmosphere in the bar."