COMMENT | PETER HANCOCK
Room for
improvement
By PETER HANCOCK,
chief executive of Pride of Britain Hotels
I
do not claim to be an expert on gleaming with marble, glass and content with Freeview? Do they have
hotel interiors, despite spending chrome. You can probably expect a shrill bedside clock-radio? Are they
much of the last 30 years visiting a vast television with all the Sky sharing a single wash basin with
hotels all around the country in my channels and perhaps a nice little box their partners? To impress we must
roles as a former guide publisher and of chocolates next to a welcome card at least trump the facilities they use
current marketer - but one thing has from the general manager. Rooms every day.
become very obvious to me...we could will be large; suites resembling luxury be doing better. apartments, and at the other end opportunity, I believe, lies in better
of the bedside phone a calm voice addressing the needs of guests
hotel chains and the lessons we can ready to respond to just about any with some impairment. This could
learn from them. On my occasional (legal) request. be weak eyesight, poor hearing,
Let us first consider budget
stays at Premier Inn and Travelodge,
mobility issues or, in the most
usually to break a long journey for rapid change happening in the obvious cases, wheelchair use. A
business, I am always impressed vast space between these two competition was launched a couple
by the unashamed minimalism that extremes. The term ‘mid-market’ is of years ago by Bespoke Hotels
almost cries out “look – this is how misleading because it encompasses and the Royal Institute of British
we make it so cheap”. The wardrobe such a variety, from traditional small Architects with a generous prize
is simply a pole, toiletries are limited hotels to innovative new players like for designers who manage to build
to a foam soap dispenser, the kettle The Pig group. Furthermore, large accessible rooms that equally
is tiny and in many cases the view is companies such as Hilton have delight able-bodied guests. Ed
of a car park or petrol station. All fine spawned dozens of sub brands Warner from Motionspot, who won
by me because what I’m paying for which seek to emulate the character the competition last year, said:
is somewhere safe to sleep, wash, and charm of smaller, independent “We wanted to create beautiful
get dressed and move on. It may be operators. To owners of one-off accessible rooms that gave as much
somewhat depressing but it does the properties this is the ultimate form of a ‘wow factor’ as the rest of the
job perfectly. of flattery. hotel. Spacious en-suites feature
Looking at the top end of the
20
What is very interesting is the
The other area of great
So where’s the room for
heritage sanitary ware, stylish
market there are of course a myriad improvement? I see two aspects mosaic slip resistant tiles and large,
of other factors. One should be able to this. Firstly, our customers’ level access showers with clever
to take for granted a spotlessly preferences and expectations are to bi-folding glass enclosures that
clean environment with copious hot a large extent driven by what they replace the clinical shower curtains.”
water, lavish amenities and beautiful have at home. Rather than notice furnishings. These are the basics simply what other hotels offer, it about the comfort of one’s guests,
to which some hoteliers will add would be really useful to look inside these and similar considerations can
fresh flowers, enormous bathrooms the houses of our guests. Are they make all the difference.
www.hotelowner.co.uk
If good hospitality is thinking
May 2018