Hotel Owner October 2018 | Page 12

MONTH IN REVIEW MONTH IN REVIEW www.hotelowner.co.uk 1 2 3 4 5 6 TRAGEDY HOTEL BRANDS HOTELS Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have discovered two bodies at the Britannia Hotel on Portland Street in Manchester. Police responded to the incident shortly after 5.30am today (26 September), after receiving reports that a man had fallen from the hotel building who “sadly died at the scene”. Officers investigating the incident then gained entry to a room in the hotel and found another man who was also pronounced dead. Detective chief inspector Amber Waywell, of GMP’s major incident team, said: “We are currently working to establish exactly what has happened to lead to the death of both these men. “We have a team of officers at the scene, and Silver Street in the city centre will remain closed as we carry out our investigations. If you have any information related to this incident, no matter how small or insignificant it might seem, I would urge you to get in touch with police.” Best Western Hotels & Resorts has announced two new boutique brands, Sadie HotelSM and Aiden HotelSM. Sadie Hotel will compete in the upscale segments, and Aiden Hotel will compete in the upper midscale segment. It said the conversion brands offer developers an opportunity to reposition existing properties to “improve their performance and enhance their asset value” and will offer hoteliers a design program with “unprecedented flexibility”. Sadie Hotel and Aiden Hotel’s will both feature imaginative lobbies, and both will feature the same design interwoven throughout other common areas and in unique guestrooms, services and amenities. At the center of each Sadie Hotel and Aiden Hotel will be a multi-functional public area with either a café or bar; modern signature seating; and mobile check-in. Properties will also have branded Sadie Hotel and Aiden Hotel items on display and available for purchase so that guests can take a piece of Sadie Hotel or Aiden Hotel home with them. Hotels under the brands will also have access to a revenue manager to maximize revenue and reduce operating costs. David Kong, president and CEO at Best Western Hotels & Resorts, said: “Sadie Hotel and Aiden Hotel are chic, sophisticated and unique hotel brands that will reflect the style and pulse of the community they are in – bringing a sense of adventure and fun to guests at each hotel.” Deer Park Country House in Devon will no longer operate as a hotel and will instead focus on weddings and events. The Georgian manor house set in 80 acres was previously a 33-room, four-star AA hotel but at the end of the month will turn its focus solely to weddings and events. The two- AA rosette restaurant featuring head chef Richard Still will also no longer be open for lunch and dinner service. Mark Godfrey, MD of Deer Park Country House, said: ‘The demand for Deer Park as a wedding and event venue just keeps growing. One of the secrets of a successful business is to respond to what’s happening in the real world, so we feel it’s the right time to focus on that side of our business, and specialise in creating one-off celebrations for customers who are looking for something truly out of the ordinary.” “The great thing about this new chapter is that it’s a logical progression of all the massive effort and investment we’ve been putting in over the past few years. The house and estate have never looked better, and the brilliant team behind the scenes are excited by this change of direction. He added: “We have always regarded ourselves as part of the local community, and hope that we will in future be drawing customers to Devon not just from all round the UK, but from all over the world.” The Deer Park Country House general manager John Spiller-Jones will remain in his role as will the current wedding and events team. Two bodies discovered at Britannia Hotel in Manchester QUOTE OF THE MONTH “This is a positive outcome at court which enables the ongoing prevention and disruption of anti-social and criminal behaviour in and around The Stage Hotel.” This is what Toby Neal, portfolio holder for community protection in Nottingham, said following Nottingham City Council securing a further three-month closure order at The Stage Hotel, following significant concerns over criminality, nuisance and anti-social behaviour. Best Western announces two new boutique brands Deer Park Country House to no longer operate as a hotel END: THAT’S ALL. YOU ARE NOW UP TO DATE 12 www.hotelowner.co.uk October 2018 Maximise the earning potential of your car park Parking revenue systems from Bft Automation If your hotel has a small to medium sized car park, you could be missing out on additional income. Installing a parking revenue system from Bft Automation could help you to generate extra revenue from guests and visitors, as well as control who uses your parking spaces. With financing options available, installing a parking system could be cheaper than you think and could even pay for itself. To find out more, please contact our Parking specialists: T. 01488 674 750 E. [email protected] W. www.bftautomationuk.com