GLOBAL UPDATE : Q & A
Robert Cook , the new CEO of De Vere Village Hotels
VILLAGE
VOICE
After eight years leading Malmaison and Hotel du Vin , Robert Cook is ready to make his mark on another U . K . midmarket brand .
By Ann Bagel Storck , managing editor
Robert Cook was born and raised in a hotel in Aberdeen , Scotland , and from there took leadership roles at a list of hotels — primarily in the United Kingdom — most recently as chief executive of Malmaison and Hotel du Vin . In mid-January Cook became CEO of Warrington , U . K . - based De Vere Village Hotels , which boasts 26 U . K . hotels owned and operated by De Vere Group .
Cook , 46 , has big plans for the 3-star Village : In addition to opening 15 to 20 new-build properties over the next five years , Cook wants to boost the hotels ’ rate , which he says currently averages £ 60 ( US $ 96 ), 25 % thanks to guestroom enhancements including bigger flatscreen televisions and better beds .
HOTELS recently spoke with Cook about his Village vision . HOTELS : Why join De Vere Village ? Robert Cook : I believe that it was a very well-kept secret . The board and bank also are very keen to expand this business , so it ’ s a growth story .
I have a definite style about how I run hotels . I ’ ll almost create Village by Robert Cook . I think we can grow its demographic and its aspirations as a brand and put the name up in lights . H : What characterizes the brand ? RC : It ’ s a very interesting business and a very misunderstood business .
Under one roof , I have 20,000 sq ft ( 1,858 sq m ) of leisure in terms of health and fitness and spa . We have between 3,500 and 4,000 members of the health and fitness center in most Village hotels . Food and beverage is also massive . We have a traditional British pub called the Victory Pub in each Village hotel . We have a grill room in each Village hotel , and we have very big meetings and events space in each Village hotel . It ’ s not just a rooms business . Village is almost an urban resort .
H : What else you can share regarding your development plans ?
RC : We ’ re not going to change the model , but we will be opportunistically led . Because we have 3,500 to 4,000 leisure club members I need 3.2 acres ( 1.3 hectares ) of land because I need so much car parking . We are sort of limited to where we can go , but that ’ s the success of the model .
H : Where would you like to see De Vere Village over the next few years ?
RC : In a year ’ s time , I would like to be saying we ’ re in construction on the first five sites . I now have the name in lights — a lot more people know about it . And we ’ ve moved our food and beverage on a bit in terms of a new grill room we ’ re creating and our pub has become a lot more British .
In three years , I ’ d like to think we ’ ve opened seven or eight , and there are another seven or eight in construction or agreed .
In five years , I ’ d like to be retired playing golf . No — in five years , we may have gotten up to 15 hotels and reached a saturation point in the U . K ., but who knows ? H : Could the brand move beyond the U . K .? RC : I don ’ t think it ’ s on the agenda today because there ’ s so much to do here , but it ’ s like any good brand . If you have a great brand proposition that ’ s well known but has the ability to change its spots depending on the location , absolutely it could go overseas . If we make enough noise and we get the U . K . right , the sky ’ s the limit .
10 HOTELS April 2012 www . hotelsmag . com