Many may have noticed a difference to Malmesbury’s Kings Arms Hotel in the last six months and not just aesthetically.

The building has had a makeover, thanks to its owners, Arkell’s Brewery, adding four new bedrooms while the hotel’s main area and reception has been given a lick of paint, a new bar and furniture.

But it is also the service and menu that has been given a ‘spruce up’ by new husband and wife team – Simon Haggarty and Marianne Hofstra.

Simon, 56, is no stranger to the hospitality trade as has previously run the towns Old Bell and worked at some of the finest hotels in London and in Europe. Since taking over the business in May, he and his wife have worked with the regions suppliers to bring something different to the towns’ food offering with a sharing, tapas style menu.

“We offer grazing and sharing dishes but from any of the 21 countries with a Mediterranean coastline,” the experienced manager said. “It has been a long six months but we can already see the people of Malmesbury, and surrounding areas are coming to try something new.

“Marianne and I have lived in Malmesbury for awhile now, we have friends here and know other businesses and this helps when settling into a new role within the town.”

It is not just the food element of the Kings Arms Simon wanted to change but to bring in more entertainment. “We have been hosting live music,” he said. “We now have music acts booked all the way until June with two acts a weekend over Bank Holidays, we are trying to bring some great new music, acoustic and other to the town as we have this great new bar space to house them.

“Due to the nature of the work it is sometimes hard to get away especially as we are so new here but we love our new roles and we hope that Malmesbury is appreciating our efforts.”