Category: Blog

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The Burleigh Court Hotel in Gloucestershire sold for nearly £1.9million

Burleigh Court, described as a ‘forgotten gem’, on the edge of the Cotswolds has been sold to management consultants Corinna and James Rae. They have partnered with Simon Austin, formerly with the Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath, to buy the 18-bedrrom Georgian hotel from Louise Noble.

Corinna has said that the new owners’ philosophy would be based on the motto ‘eat well, sleep well, feel well.’ She continued: “We promise a haven of heaven with captivating warmth and a splash of luxury served by a highly skilled team.

“The three of us share a great passion for hospitality and knowledge of what good hosting looks and feels like. At Burleigh Court we now have the opportunity to create a place of intimate hospitality that will be truly special.”

The Raes will be taking on the established business with business partner Simon Austin at the helm after he recently left his management role at the Royal Crescent in Bath.

Burleigh Court was built around 1800 and remodelled 100 years later by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis – who created the famous coastal village of Portmeirion in North Wales. It stands in three acres of grounds and has excellent views over the Golden Valley.

The sale was brokered by real estate advisor Colliers International. Peter Brunt, a hotels director at Colliers, said: “It is quite rare to be able to offer a small country house hotel in the Cotswolds to the market and, predictably, interest levels were strong.

“Burleigh Court is in the heart of the Stroud Valleys, once the woollen mill capital of the Cotswolds.

“It makes an excellent place to stay for visitors attending National Hunt Racing at Cheltenham and the Badminton Horse Trials.”

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Academic Venue Solutions continues to widen its choice of venues

Academic Venue Solutions (AVS) is delighted to welcome two new members, Ashorne Hill and DMU Venues to its growing portfolio of exceptional meeting and event venues.

Ashorne Hill is a dedicated conference centre in Leamington Spa, set in 35 acres of stunning Warwickshire countryside and based around a Grade II listed Manor House.

The venue boasts 40 dedicated conference rooms and has over 100 bedrooms which are a mix of executive and standard rooms.

Perfectly located just a few minutes’ walk from Leicester city centre, DMU Venues can provide the perfect setting for a diverse range of events including meetings, conferences, exhibitions, performances and celebrations. Making them the ideal venue to host an event.

Natalie Williamson, General Manager of Academic Venue Solutions said: “We’re delighted to welcome these high-quality venues to our collection of academic venues. Their range of meeting and conference spaces provides event planners with a unique and diverse range of options.”

They join a list of other supreme venues that have joined membership of AVS over the last 12 months including; Senate House, Northumbria University, Cardiff University, Robinson College, Unique Venues Birmingham, University of Law, to name but a few.

Academic Venue Solutions will be showcasing the exceptional spaces available at its member venues at the Conference and Hospitality Show on the 30 April. An ideal opportunity for event organisers to meet the team as well as three of its members King’s Venues, Nottingham Conferences and Keele University Events and Conferencing. Visit stand RB2 and discover why academic venues are a smart choice for your events.

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Fattal Hotel Group announces Bristol hotel

The Fattal Hotel Group, the owner of the Jurys Inn and Leonardo hotel brands, has announced that it has signed a lease agreement to open a new property in Bristol.
The 200-bedroom hotel will be part of the Glassfields development close to Bristol’s business district. It will mark the Jurys Inn and Leonardo group’s debut in Bristol.

The hotel will be managed by Jurys Inn and Leonardo Hotels UK and Ireland, but branding of the hotel has not yet been confirmed. The site will include a restaurant and bar and meeting facilities and is expected to be complete in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Fattal Hotel Group has made a number of UK acquisitions in recent months. These include Southampton’s Grand Harbour Hotel, and the Midland Hotel on Manchester’s Adair Street. The company is also investing £32 million in the redevelopment of the existing Jurys Inn Edinburgh, along with its adjacent site, which will convert a listed building into a new 131-room Nyx Hotel.

The group also announced it has acquired the leases for four Grange Hotels properties in central London. All four will be rebranded under the Jurys Inn and Leonardo and Nyx portfolios.
Jason Carruthers, managing director of Jurys Inn and Leonardo Hotels UK & Ireland, said: “This is a truly exciting time as we expand our offering in the UK with this key site in a major city like Bristol.

“2018 was another year of substantial growth for Jurys Inn and Leonardo Hotels UK & Ireland, and we have ambitious plans to continue this in 2019 across the group as we offer an exceptional experience, in fantastic city centre locations across the UK.

“We continue to look to grow and strengthen the Leonardo brand and hotel network and will pursue further appropriate and commercially attractive new potential development and acquisition opportunities as they arise.”

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De Vere signs up to Room to Reward charity

Room to Reward has announced that De Vere hotel group is the latest group to join its unique hospitality charity. All properties in the group’s portfolio, with locations from Surrey to the Cotswolds, will donate a percentage of unsold rooms in order to give a ‘thank you’ break to some of society’s Hidden Heroes.

“We are very proud to join Room to Reward,” said Gail Hunter, Group Human Resources Director for De Vere. “It’s a brilliant initiative that enables us to recognise the extraordinary dedication of these wonderful volunteers and give back just a bit of the time they have selflessly dedicated to helping others.”

Founded in 2015 by Nicolas J. Roach – Chairman of Harbour Hotels – Room to Reward works on a simple premise. Hotels across the U.K donate their anticipated unsold rooms, charities and voluntary groups nominate their Hidden Heroes for a break, Room to Reward makes it happen.

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome De Vere to the Room to Reward journey,”said the Charity’s Director, Adam Terpening. “Their wonderful support will give the inspirational volunteers nominated to us an amazing selection of hotels to choose from.”

To date, approximately 350 hotels have joined the initiative. Collectively, the hospitality industry has pledged in excess of £350,000 worth of breaks. Over 500 Hidden Heroes from the charity sector have benefitted from a Room to Reward break.

“We have been overwhelmed by the way the hospitality industry has taken Room to Reward to its heart,” said Mr. Terpening. “Having another prestigious hotel group on board is further demonstration of the wonderful support we receive. We are hugely grateful to Gail and everyone at De Vere.”

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Growth set in Middle East and Africa for Marriott

Marriott International expects to add 19 new properties and more than 3,000 rooms to its Middle East and Africa portfolio in 2019. Underpinning a strong demand for its diverse brands, the new additions are in line with the company’s expansion plans to add more than 100 new properties and nearly 26,000 rooms across the region by the end of 2023. Marriott estimates its development pipeline through 2023 represents up to $8 billion of investment from property owners and is expected to generate over 20,000 new jobs across the region.

“Our growth across the Middle East and Africa is fuelled by a strong demand for our diverse range of well-established brands, each offering different attributes that cater to this region’s ever changing and evolving marketplace,” said Jerome Briet, Chief Development Officer, Middle East & Africa, Marriott International. “This region continues to present us with opportunities to further grow and enhance our portfolio across new and established markets. While the majority of our growth will be through new-builds, we are seeing an increasing number of conversion opportunities, especially in the luxury space.”

Year-to-date, the company has opened five new properties in the region and is expected to add 14 more – bringing its portfolio across the Middle East and Africa to nearly 270 properties and over 60,000 rooms – by the end of the year.

Unwavering Demand for Luxury Brands that offer Unrivalled Experiences

The company is poised to expand its luxury footprint in the region by more than 70 percent by the end of 2023, with more than 25 luxury properties under development. The company expects to grow its luxury portfolio in 2019 with seven anticipated openings across four brands:

  • With the recent opening of W Dubai – The Palm and the anticipated openings of W Muscat and W Yas Island, W Hotels should double its portfolio in the region.
  • St. Regis anticipates debuting in Jordan and Egypt with the openings of The St. Regis Amman and The St. Regis Cairo.
  • The iconic North Island is expected to of world-renowned hotels and resorts.
  • JW Marriott anticipates marking its entry into Oman with the opening of the JW Marriott Muscat Convention Center.

Substantial Growth across Premium Brands

The growth of Marriott’s premium brands remains steady across the region with more than 30 hotels expected to be added to the portfolio by the end of 2023. By the end of 2019, the company expects to have added four new hotels under its premium portfolio for the region:

  • The Autograph Collection anticipates marking its debut in Kenya with the addition of Sankara Nairobi.
  • Marriott Hotels and Marriott Executive Apartments strengthened its presence in Saudi Arabia with the recent openings in the Diplomatic Quarter of Riyadh. Marriott Executive Apartments is also expected to open a new property in Madinah later this year.
  • Marriott Hotels is also planning to open its second property in Algeria, in the capital city of Algiers.

In addition to the openings in 2019, Marriott is also focused on the transformation journey of Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, the company’s most global brand. In the region, Sheraton Jeddah Hotel and Sheraton Grand Hotel, Dubai are currently undergoing renovations that represent the brand’s vision for the future.

Regional Demand for Select-Service Hotels Continues to Fuel Growth

Currently representing over 40 percent of the company’s development pipeline through 2023, select-serve brands continue their rapid growth trajectory across the Middle East and Africa. Building on the momentum from 2018 – with ten properties added across the region, including four Aloft hotels in the UAE – the company expects to add seven new properties by the end of this year:

  • Four Points by Sheraton anticipates expanding its portfolio with a total of four openings in 2019.The brand recently opened properties in in Sharjah (UAE) and Setif (Algeria) and is on-track to open two more properties this year including, Four Points by Sheraton Dar es Salaam New Africa in Tanzania and Four Points by Sheraton Lahore in Pakistan.
  • Residence Inn by Marriott expects to make its debut in Algeria with the opening of Residence Inn by Marriott Algiers
  • Protea Hotels by Marriott plans to expand the brand in Uganda with the opening of Protea Hotel by Marriott Naguru Skyz.
  • Element Hotels is set to launch its first property in Africa with the opening of Element Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.
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VisitBritain boosts business events team to grow international market

As part of its strategy to grow international business events in the UK VisitBritain has added two key roles to the team.

Jamie Ades, who will continue working closely with UK destinations to grow international events, has been promoted to the role of senior destination manager. Ades will be responsible for managing strategic partnerships with North American membership organisations, working collaboratively on events and engaging with the membership to win more events for the UK. With over 10 years’ selling experience in the meetings and events industry, Ades will use his expertise to deliver results. Previous roles include working for some of London’s leading venues; The Barbican, ExCeL London and the QEII Centre.

Marian Tabera has been appointed to the role of bid researcher & event pipeline executive, having spent three years in VisitBritain’s Commercial Division as E-Commerce Executive. In her new role, working with destination partners, Tabera will be responsible for developing a pipeline of international events, with a key focus on targeting international association events that have a good sector fit with the UK and have not been held here for 10 years or more. Before joining VisitBritain Tabera worked for Marriott International in London and Yourtour.com Belgium.

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£180 million development project for second Art’otel in London

PPHE Hotel Group (Park Plaza Hotels Europe) has received planning permission to begin construction on a £180 million development project that will house the Art’otel London Hoxton – the brand’s second property in the capital.

The group calls the site a key opening for the Art’otel luxury collection across Europe. The next phase of construction is set to begin this summer, with plans to open the property in 2023.

The 27-floor building will feature 343 guest rooms and suites, as well as five floors of office space.

The top storeys will offer a lounge, bar, gym and restaurant with views of the London skyline. Meanwhile, the lower ground levels will feature a gallery space that will play host to a rotating calendar of exhibitions, as well as cultural and artistic events.

The ground floor will be used for hotel and separate office entry, with escalators leading to a mezzanine for the reception and a second restaurant.

PPHE Hotel Group is also set to open Art’otel properties in the former Battersea Power Station in 2022 and New York City’s West Chelsea district in 2023. The brand already has a presence in Amsterdam, Berlin, Cologne and Budapest.

Commenting on the Hoxton development, Boris Ivesha, president and CEO of PPHE Hotel Group, said: “We are delighted to be expanding our pre-opening works for this flagship project and bring our wholly owned Art’otel brand to an area of London which is known to be a leading cultivator of arts and cultural programmes at a global level.

“Working with the local and art community will be one of our main priorities and we are already committed to the gallery being open to the public for free use throughout the year. We are looking forward to creating long-term value for the brand and to see Art’otel London Hoxton join Art’otel London Battersea Power Station and the recently announced New York City project, which will be [our] first Art’otel outside of Europe.”

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£8m refurbishment starts at Crowne Plaza Marlow

The four-AA-star Crowne Plaza Marlow has begun an £8m refurbishment under its new owners to transform it into “one of the finest resorts under the Crowne Plaza brand”.

The refurbishment of the 168-bedroom hotel in Buckinghamshire, recently acquired by Meridian Leisure Hotels, will include all bedrooms and public areas including the Glaze restaurant, which holds an AA rosette, the Aqua bar and conservatory. Its Winterlake Conference Centre and 10 meeting rooms will also undergo a complete redesign.

The project will be phased and the hotel remain operational; work is expected to be completed by Christmas. The work is being overseen by design studio Twenty2Degrees.

Meridian Leisure Hotels group managing director, Moez Janmohamed, said: “We are delighted with this investment and are excited to restore Crowne Plaza Marlow to its former glory. We are very proud of the hotel’s heritage and the new design concept complements this, transforming the hotel into a venue of which Marlow can really be proud.”

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Local councils spend record number on hotels

Local councils in Britain have spent record amounts on buying hotels, spending £93m in 2018, an increase of 182% on 2017’s £33m.

This demonstrates the increasing appetite for local authorities to capitalise on low-interest central government loans to purchase commercial property to fund major projects or stimulate regeneration, according to the latest research by global property adviser Knight Frank.

Examples include the acquisition of the 212-bedroom Croydon Park hotel (pictured) in London by the London Borough of Croydon for £29.8m last year; and Scarborough Borough Council snapped up the 140-bedroom Travelodge St Nicholas in Scarborough in October 2018 for £14m.

Shaun Roy, head of hotels at Knight Frank, said: “With the growing acceptance that councils need to seek new means of funding to cover budget shortfalls, we have seen many local authorities make the intelligent move of investing in hotels.

“Significant opportunity exists for councils to invest in hotels and we expect this trend to continue until 2021 when this method of borrowing will end due to new government legislation.”

Knight Frank’s research reveals over £600m of investment is already planned up until 2023 through private-public partnership schemes, where hotels form the primary focus in a development project and which have either outline or detailed planning permission granted.

Where hotels form part of a larger mixed-use scheme and are secondary to other larger publicly residential or commercial elements, the value of projects with detailed plans either granted or submitted rises to £1.8b.

Examples include the City of Liverpool, which has brought to market a number of mixed-use development schemes including the development of the Titanic hotel in 2014, the opening of a new exhibition centre and four-star Pullman hotel in 2016 and the 2018 opening of the 101-bedroom, Premier Inn in central Liverpool as part of a £39m mixed-use regeneration project.

Similarly, Dundee City Council recently opened the 120-bedroom Sleeperz hotel under a lease agreement, which forms part of a £28.5m redevelopment of Dundee Railway Station. A second development in the city, subject to planning, is expected to deliver a proposed 150-bedroom AC Hotel by Marriott, where Dundee City Council is understood to retain full ownership upon the hotel’s completion.

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Hampton by Hilton pipeline ‘largest in brands history’

Hilton has revealed its Hampton by Hilton brand, the largest in the Hilton portfolio, “continues to lead the way in the upper-midscale segment” and has “the largest pipeline in brand history”.

Hampton was also recently recognized at the top of the ‘Hotels and Motels’ category on the Entrepreneur magazine Franchise 500 list for the 10th year in a row.

Shruti Gandhi Buckley, global head, Hampton by Hilton, said: “Building on our record of innovation and performance success, Hampton maintains strong momentum worldwide.

“Our decade-long No. 1 ranking on Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500 Hotels and Motels list underscores the brand’s ability to empower our owners and franchise partners to continue to build and operate successful hotels that meet the evolving needs of travelers.”

Hampton currently has more than 2,430 properties in 25 countries and territories. In the fourth quarter of 2018 alone, the brand opened the doors to 24 new hotels, including 10 in China, and surpassed the milestone of more than 250,000 rooms open worldwide.

With more than 640 hotels in development, Hampton’s pipeline is currently the largest in brand history and the largest within the Hilton enterprise. The brand will continue to expand in key global regions including South America, with four first-in-country locations slated to open in 2019: Chile, Peru, Argentina and Brazil. Hampton will also expand its footprint in China, where it is the fastest-growing international hospitality brand, with 59 open and nearly 200 signed hotels in the country.