A Sign of the Times: Michael & Nicola’s Chace Story

At The Chace Hotel, Coventry (formerly The Iliffe), we’ve seen plenty of weddings, reunions and after-work catch-ups over the years — but every now and then, a story comes along that really makes us smile.

Michael and Nicola recently got in touch with a request that says a lot about what this place has meant to them.

Long before they were newlyweds, they were regulars. As locals, they spent many evenings at the hotel — usually on the sofa next to the stairs, enjoying a drink after work. It became their spot. A familiar routine. The kind of place you return to without even thinking about it.

In 2020, in the middle of Covid restrictions, they chose The Chace as the place to get married. Like many couples that year, their plans had to adapt — smaller numbers, guidelines to follow, and a very different atmosphere to what anyone would have imagined. But it was still their day, and still the right place to celebrate it.

When the old entrance sign from the grounds Michael reached out and asked if they might be able to have it.

His plan is to mount it on the fence in their back garden. A reminder of evenings spent at the hotel, their wedding during an unforgettable year, and a place that has been part of their lives for a long time.

We’re pleased to say the sign has found a new home. It’s probably the only back garden in Coventry with its own official hotel entrance policy.

As The Chace prepares for its next chapter, Michael and Nicola are already planning to return — hopefully staying with us on opening night next year.

Nicola did joke that if the building had been converted into a retirement home, she had plans to move Michael in. So she’s very glad it’s reopening as a hotel — and, we suspect, so is he.

We look forward to welcoming them back and seeing a few more familiar faces walk through the doors again.