Southsea restaurant Carter & Co opens 7 boutique hotel rooms after more than £100,000 revamp

Carter & Co, on Great Southsea Street, has opened seven hotel rooms based on a nautical theme to give visitors the ‘full experience’ of what Portsmouth has to offer in a ‘prime’ location.

A team of about 15 to 20 craftsmen have been transforming the upstairs area since the restaurant’s opening in May 2021 and the team say they are pleased to finally open the rooms to the public for bookings.

Each En Suite room takes inspiration from the seaside, with seagull wallpaper, beach huts and a mix of blue and cream and heritage colours.

Father and son, Steve Kingsley and Tom Kingsley Cannell took over the grade II listed building in December 2020, alongside Michael Forfar, when the upstairs had been left derelict for more than two years.

So when Tom, 32, saw the £100,000 plus renovation complete for the first time he was amazed at what the team had achieved.

He said: ‘My first impression was, "wow", just because from looking at the before and after photos you'd never know it was the same place.

‘Our initial thoughts were, how are we going to change this and make it something people want to visit?

‘But Mick and the team did an excellent job. If you go in now it's light and fresh and really looks excellent.

‘It adds rooms to Southsea which is obviously in need and it's located in one of the prettiest streets in Portsmouth so we're really happy.’

Carter & Co provides six double rooms and one family room, which Tom says are ‘perfect’ for family visiting a child studying at the university, or coming to Portsmouth for work or a staycation.

General manager, Abbie Robinson, added: ‘We are in a prime location in Southsea and we wanted to be able to give the full experience so we can provide everything.

‘We do a full brunch as well and also the casual fine dining experience in the evening.’

The newly established hotel has already has an ‘incredible’ response since opening.

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January and February this year saw visitors flock to the restaurant which Abbie explains is ‘quite unheard of in hospitality’.

She explains: ‘We've had really good feedback on our food because it’s locally sourced and pretty much all made in house.

‘It’s the same with our cocktails as well, they're all locally sourced as much as possible.

‘The feedback has been amazing. Our reviews are really, really good.’

Carter & Co is a vibrant hotel with a restaurant and bar serving British and European inspired cuisine and exclusive spirits, artisan cocktails and wine.

Rooms do not include breakfast. Visit carterco.co.uk for bookings.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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