Hotels attract cash bonanza
Scarborough’s hotel provision is undergoing a rapid change as millions of pounds is being ploughed into the town’s tourism market.
Foreign investors and UK giants are pumping money into Scarborough, which is second only to London for UK staycation visitors. BIG CHANGES INCLUDE: The £15.5m purchase of the Crown Spa hotel by a Thailand-based company A Singapore-based businessman buying the currently closed Beiderbecke’s hotel
Premier Inn extending its Falconers Road site into Huntriss Row with major investment, creating 88 extra rooms
A 79-bedroom hotel to be built next to the Alpamare Waterpark in Burniston Road – again by Premier Inn
Caddick Developments offering a site for a new hotel with restaurant at Scarborough Business Park
The Crescent Hotel in the town centre upgrading its rooms to meet a growing business market.
The Crown Spa was bought by
Compass Hospitality, and its chief executive said they had specifically been looking for an opportunity in Scarborough.
Harmil Singh, said: “We are constantly learning to adapt and ultimately shine in a market where we see real potential for growth. The Crown Spa Hotel is a welcome step in the right direction for us, and we are optimistic in going ahead.”
A concern has been the shortage of hotel rooms and also a wider range of quality and stylish hotel options, which are hindering the town’s ability to hold conferences and capitalise on large events. The reason behind Premier Inn’s expansion into Huntriss Row (see page 16) and the waterpark site is due to the high occupancy rate of its current hotel, which is averages out at 92% – one of the company’s highest.
Peter Bleach, owner of The Crescent hotel, is investing tens of thousands of pounds in his 20 rooms to ensure they meet the growing demand.
He said: “We get a large number of business people who expect certain things from a room, a good bed, USB sockets, smart TVs, steam showers and jacuzzi baths and a strong wi-fi signal.
“We are seeing the demand growing, not just from what you’d call traditional business people but also contractors, we’ve had a few from the new potash mine plan staying with us. The demand is there.”
Other hotels, such as the Red Lea, have invested heavily in new fitness equipment in four rooms.
There will be further demand for hotel places in 2018 when the Tour de Yorkshire returns to the town in May for the fourth time.
Following on from the waterpark, next year Scarborough will finally get its multi-screen cinema in the North Bay and can now boast a football stadium.
October’s Engineering Week and business dinners organised by the Scarborough Business Ambassadors with support from many key organisations and businesses, also attract key players from across the region and country.