Apex Hotels rolls out £12m overhaul plans for portfolio

● Refurbishment programme follows news last month of rise in sales and profit

Hotels, the Edinburghheadquartered group with four-star establishments on both sides of the Border, is pushing ahead with a multimillion-pound refurbishment programme that includes additional capacity at some sites.

News of the £12 million overhaul follows the opening of the chain’s tenth property in the UK – the £48.5m Apex City of Bath Hotel – and the completion of a £1.5m refurbishment at Apex City of London Hotel, including a new restaurant, spa and upgraded public areas.

The planned programme of refurbishment will mean improvements to three of its Edinburgh Hotels – Grassmarket, Haymarket and Waterloo Place – as well as Apex City Quay Hotel & Spa in Dundee.

Meanwhile, the Apex City of London Hotel will benefit from further investment, this time aimed at transformment ing existing bedrooms, while Apex Temple Court Hotel – also in London – will continue its £6m refurbishment which includes a 20-bedroom extension.

Work is already under way at the Apex Grassmarket Hotel in the Scottish capital, with conference and events facilities being upgraded, while Apex City Quay Hotel & Spa in Dundee is undergoing a full bedroom refurbishment.

The public areas, along with gym and spa, at the Tayside hotel will also be transformed as a result of the latest investment.

Angela Vickers, chief executive, said: “Our strong track record in the four-star market can only be achieved through investment in our existing portfolio, as well as providing excellent customer service and brand standards.

“We demonstrated our commitment to providing the best possible facilities for our guests by investing £48.5m in the brand new Apex City of Bath Hotel, which opened just months ago. Carrying out an additional £12m of refurbishapex work on our existing properties over the next year goes even further in terms of improving facilities for our guests.

“As well as bedroom refurbishments for Apex City of London Hotel, Apex Temple Court Hotel, Apex City Quay Hotel & Spa in Dundee and Apex Haymarket, we’re also focusing on improvements to conference and events facilities at Grassmarket and Waterloo Place in Edinburgh as well as Dundee.”

In November, Apex Hotels posted rising profits and turnover for the last financial year. Its latest accounts revealed a 6 per cent rise in turnover – from £61.3m to £65m – alongside a 2.1 per cent increase in underlying profits before tax, which were up from £10.3m to £10.5m during the year.

The group said it had displayed its confidence in the market during the financial year with capital investment of £20.7m used to further develop its new hotel in Bath.

According to the results, revenue per available room – or REVPAR, a key industry measure – came in at £113.10, up from £108.69 the year before.