EDITOR’S LETTER
Not just London
CONTRIBUTORS
At Hotel Owner we have always tried to been careful
STEPHEN W. AYERS
not to fall into the London media trap of writing
Stephen is a British and
Canadian author and former
hotel manager. He is the CEO
of Stay Ahead Hospitality,
a company that helps
independent hoteliers in
Europe and North America
to attain high standards and
increase profit
only about the capital city, where we are based. It’s
true, there is a huge amount of hotel activity here,
but hopefully our readers will agree, our coverage is
usually well distributed across the UK’s regions, and
that’s exactly as it should be.
To draw particular attention to stories this month,
SIMON BOTTO
Simon Botto is the CEO
of day use hotel platform
DayBreakHotels and has
many years of experience
in the industry Working
with hundreds of hotels
across Europe
it is worth noting that the north and Scotland were among our bulletins
this month specifically as pertains to hotel investment levels from
which they have benefitted in recent times. Hotels in the north of the
UK attracted over £1bn of investment in 2018, while the Scottish hotel
market saw investment volumes reach £902m in 2018, driven mainly by
international capital inflow.
The north accounted for 17% of total UK hotel transactions last year.
Despite current underlying uncertainty, portfolio investments proved to
PETER HANCOCK
Peter has been the
chief executive of Pride
of Britain Hotels - a
collection of never more
than 50 luxury and
independent properties -
since 2000. He previously
managed hotels and
restaurants in Sussex and
Hampshire, having started
out as a waiter
ANGIE PETKOVIC
Angie started as our
resident marketing advice
columnist and has now
built a substantial following
for her straight-talking
answers to the common
questions about executing
a professional marketing
strategy
Israeli investors leading the market share, followed by French, Canadian
and Danish. In Scotland the average transaction size was £11m, with
the largest transaction in the region during the year the £85m sale of
Edinburgh’s Caledonian Waldorf Astoria to Twenty14Holdings.
Given the multitude of economic sectors in which the north and
Scotland are known to have struggled or lost ground in recent decades,
these figures are significant and speak of something that perhaps has
more longevity in society than a Nissan plant in Sunderland: cultural
cachet. Wherever there are big ticket hotel transactions going through,
you can bet there is an audience both business and leisure that is
making those investments pay.
I hope you enjoy the issue.
Michael Northcott
|
FEBRUARY 2019 £9.99
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for the independent hotelier who means business
ISSN 2049-7709
THE
ULTIMATE
HOTEL
EXPERIENCE
A look at the kind of
experiences hoteliers can
introduce in order to entice
customers beyond the usual
spas and afternoon tea
THE PROJECT
THE WOOM ROOM
The new £1.2m refurbishment of Ibis Styles
Coventry Centre has aimed to transform the
property for both guests and staff
STEPHEN AYERS
be attractive to both domestic and international investors with UK and
p29
Stephen explores the importance
of good kitchen design
London’s first womb-inspired hotel room,
which has been scientifically designed to
give guests the best night’s sleep possible
HOTEL DEVELOPMENT
p22 QUALITY IN TOURISM
Roomzzz looks at the challenges
of hotel development
February 2019
p32
Will 2019 herald the ‘death’ of the
corporate hotel?
ON THE COVER
The ultimate
hotel experience,
Page 20
HOTELS IN THE NORTH OF THE UK
ATTRACTED OVER £1BN OF INVESTMENT IN
2018, WHILE THE SCOTTISH HOTEL MARKET
SAW INVESTMENT VOLUMES REACH £902M
IN 2018, DRIVEN MAINLY BY INTERNATIONAL
CAPITAL INFLOW
‘‘
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