Shepherd Neame is to spend £1.4 million redeveloping a hotel at one of the most picturesque spots on the Thanet coast, regularly used as a film location.

The Fayreness Hotel, overlooking Botany Bay at Kingsgate, will be renamed the Botany Bay Hote.

Work starts in the late autumn with a phased refurbishment of the hotel’s 30 bedrooms, which will be decorated to reflect the coastal setting using natural sand and blue-green colours, artefacts, and artwork of local scenes.

The hotel will close for 10 weeks from January before re-opening in time for Easter. The two UPVC conservatories at the front of the building will be replaced by an elegant orangery and the existing brick exterior will be clad in traditional Kentish weatherboarding.

A wrap-around deck exterior will afford better sea views, while the interior will be fitted with additional windows to allow more natural light and fresh air.

The main bar area will be entirely refurbished and divided into comfortable seating areas, including a coffee lounge and a cosy fireplace. The function room and integral bar will be upgraded, along with the adjoining restaurant, enabling the hotel to cater for private functions and wedding parties of up to 150.

The sea view restaurant will serve modern English cuisine using locally-sourced seasonal produce, with seafood a speciality. The bar will serve high-quality meals as well as Shepherd Neame’s Kentish ales, a choice of international lagers and a selection of wines from family-owned vineyards around the world.

Walkers will have an area to wash their boots in the revamped garden which will also feature a bicycle park. Botany Bay is a Blue Flag quality beach with more than 200 metres of golden sands, cliffs and rock pools, made famous by TV and film productions such as Dan Snow’s D-Day: The Last Heroes and Sky Atlantic comedy Hunderby as well as the iconic Visit Kent poster campaign produced by Saatchi.

Shepherd Neame retail director Nigel Bunting said: “Botany Bay is probably the finest beach in Kent and a stunning location. It makes sense to rename and redevelop the hotel as a favourite choice for the many local residents to drop in for a meal or a drink and as a great venue for short breaks, weddings and functions.”