Look inside The Bull hotel at Burford after reopening

Mr Freud, who lives in Burford Priory, bought The Bull Hotel and the adjoining former Burford News when they came up for sale in 2020.

The former coaching inn counts Lord Nelson, Lady Hamilton, King Charles II and his mistress Nell Gwynne among its previous VIP guests.

Mr Freud, chairman of Freuds Group, said: “When The  Bull opened in 1536, it was a coaching inn for tired horses to recover and prepare for the next long ride. 

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“The new Bull aspires to offer the same service to anyone on a journey who might need a moment to catch their breath.

“We have worked hard to provide guests with an extraordinary experience and the response we’ve had to date has been heart-warming."

He praised the work of contractors Campbell West whose work was complicated by the Bull’s status as a Grade II-listed building.

The team installed new bathrooms at the hotel, stripping out and re-piping the whole complex, installing three plantrooms and introducing a new sanitation system.

He said: “On every occasion the medieval building threw a proverbial gauntlet their way they picked it up and rose to the challenge.

"They have worked smartly and diligently with my own team and the outcome has been exceptional.”

Since opening, Bull has won praise from visiting media.

The Times journalist Simon Mills said it was a ‘gorgeously appointed, jet-set bucolic, boutique hostelry with 18 beautiful rooms and Waystar Royco-grade suites’ after its opening, in his September 2023 review.

Waystar Royco is a nod to hit Sky TV series Succession which is said to be based on the Murdoch family.

Mr Freud is the ex-husband of Rupert Murdoch's daughter Elisabeth.

The 18-room hotel is decorated in 'earthy tones and decorated in velvets and linens', with a mix of vintage and new furniture, plus plenty of rugs and artworks by the likes of Damien Hirst, Harland Miller and photography from Mr Freud’s homes. 

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The super-chic 'mind-expanding' retreat offers activities like perfumery, sushi roll-making, Padel tennis, acting, GarageBand, bee keeping and ceramics, delivered in one-hour sessions.

Mr Freud, who is the great-grandson of Sigmund, hopes the activities will distract the left brain that analyses and critiques your thoughts and movements, and allow everyday worries to melt away.

Guests are also encouraged to eat with other guests, sit together and talk to one another.

However, some visitors were not taken with the idea that meals are eaten at the communal dining table in the evening.

One tricky customer told a reviewer that although they did not mind eating with strangers for one night they wouldn't repeat it as they "weren't particularly interested in hearing the life story of people they would never see again".