Hotel occupancy soars in defiance of foot-and-mouth

One of the West Country's leading hotels has enjoyed one of its best summers despite the tourism industry's foot-and-mouth crisis.

Occupancy figures at Kit Chapman's 44-bedroom Castle hotel in Taunton, Somerset, reached 74% last month, up 12% on June 2000. Bookings for the rest of the year are up by 42%. The hotel predicts its income for 2001 will be 30% ahead of last year.

General manager Kevin McCarthy said the Castle had found alternative ways to attract guests. He said: "We could have sat here and complained about how terrible everything was, but instead we tried to find imaginative ways around the problem."

It focused more heavily on attracting conference guests. It also slashed its full-board rate by 50%, from £150 to £75.

McCarthy added: "You make your own luck. I am reluctant to preach to others, but we have proved that it can be done."

The complex nature of the impact of foot-and-mouth on the tourism industry has meant, however, that other hotels in the West Country are still struggling.

At the 15-bedroom Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Devon, overseas business was down by 60% between March and June. Owner Paul Henderson said: "It will continue to be a difficult year."

To distort the picture further, hotels are experiencing mixed fortunes in Cumbria.

The 100-bedroom Castle Green hotel in Kendal achieved an average occupancy rate of 85% in June and expects to better that this month.

Owner James Alexander said: "We have not been affected by foot-and-mouth, because we are a conference and business hotel. The same cannot be said for many other hotels in Cumbria."

The British Hospitality Association claims that most British hotels continue to be affected by the foot-and-mouth crisis.

by Louise Bozec louise.bozec@rbi.co.uk

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 19-25 July 2001