Regional Spotlight: Nottingham
University town Nottingham, home of two league football teams, a fine castle, and all things Robin Hood-related, has long had a reputation for its night-life.
The local hospitality trade is aided by a strong list of companies and organisations with headquarters in the centre such as pharmaceutical firm Boots, financial services firm Capital One and the Inland Revenue.
Sam Spencer, director of Christie & Co's Nottingham office, says there are plenty of opportunities for hospitality businesses in the city and a lot of space is becoming available as a result of the various regeneration projects under way.
In the city centre, Trinity Square car park and British Land House are being given an overhaul. The regeneration of the old retail units and offices on the city's east side is under way, and there will be further redevelopment down by the waterside and along Castle Boulevard.
In recent years the old Lace Market has seen a lot of activity, with a mass of new bars and restaurants and the opening of the boutique-style Lace Market hotel. "The Lace Market area has become the niche place to be," Spencer says. "A lot of the eclectic businesses seem to congregate there."
The hotels front is becoming increasingly competitive, Spencer says, with the addition of the Lace Market hotel, the minimalist Hart's, and the budget Citilodge, with its excellent conference facilities. Future openings include the first of Ken McCulloch's Dakota chain, which will open on Sherwood Park, 10 miles north-west of Nottingham, and a Jury's Inn.
