Rescued hotel set to reopen its doors

A GLOUCESTERSHIRE hotel that was under threat of permanent closure has been rescued from administration and is set to reopen under new ownership.

The Prince of Wales hotel, near Berkeley, will reopen on June 1 as part of the Coast & Country Hotel Collection – a newly formed group of former Shearings Hotels.

The 39-bedroom venue fell into administration in May 2020 as part of the Shearings Hotels group, and it was feared it would remain closed indefinitely.

It is now under new ownership following a hotel management agreement with Bespoke Hotels, which is in the process of hiring 30 staff to run the site.

Paul FitzGerald, portfolio managing director of Bespoke Hotels, said he hoped the Prince of Wales would attract people looking for leisure breaks and also local residents to its restaurants, bars, weddings and events spaces.

“Given the enormous challenges of the last few months, we’re delighted to bring the Prince of Wales back to market,” he said.

“We know the initial closure was felt keenly amongst those

We’re delighted to bring the Prince of Wales back to market PAUL FITZGERALD

associated with the hotel, but now, with reopening plans in place, we’re able to offer not just jobs and wider tourism opportunities, but a hospitality service that people can engage with as restrictions lift.”

A number of other former Shearings Hotels are also reopening in the South West, including The Ship and Castle in St Mawes, Cornwall, and six Devon hotels, including the Esplanade in Paignton and the Imperial Hotel in Exmouth.

Coast & Country said it had sought to re-employ previous staff, while also looking to offer new roles to those keen to join the hospitality industry.

Thomas Greenall, managing director of Bespoke Hotels, said he hoped the move would deliver jobs, support for communities and trade to other businesses.

“Coast & Country Hotel Collection is made up of some prominent local hotels in some wonderful and well-established leisure locations and we’re thrilled to be able to facilitate their reopening,” he said.

“We know the initial closures of many of these properties caused a real stir in their local communities last year, so we hope they’ll be keen to embrace their reopening and support the individual hotels in their endeavours.”