Campbell Gray plans hotel in Caribbean

Leading London hotelier Gordon Campbell Gray is to open his first hotel overseas on the Caribbean island of Antigua.

The hotel, called Carlisle Bay, will be operated by Campbell Gray Hotels, a new company set up to act as a vehicle for expansion outside the UK.

The 88-suite hotel will open in mid-October with about 200 staff. It will have two restaurants, treatment rooms and a small cinema and will be aimed at the five-star market. Rates have yet to be confirmed.

Campbell Gray, managing director of One Aldwych in London, said Campbell Gray Hotels had been set up as a new brand as the name Aldwych would not travel well. The new brand would also reflect the strong values for which Campbell Gray had become well known.

"I decided to put my name to it as I want all future hotels to run along the lines of One Aldwych. Design, financial success and respect for all employees will be among its key values," he said.

Campbell Gray, who has been looking for opportunities to expand for some time, also confirmed that he was in talks with environmentalists on the Caribbean island of Tobago to build an eco-friendly hotel on the edge of the rainforest.

He is also searching for suitable sites in Europe, particularly in Spain and Italy. But there is no set target for expansion. "I only want to work with like-minded people who understand what I am about and this might mean four hotels or it might mean 14," he said.

\* Campbell Gray was named Caterer's 20th Hotelier of the Year in December.

Source: Caterer and Hotelkeeper magazine, 6-12th February 2003