Rick Stein buys first hotel in Newquay

Rick Stein, chef-proprietor of Padstow's renowned Seafood restaurant, has bought a hotel in nearby Newquay. The 44-bedroom Rocklands hotel, revealed Stein, had got "a fantastic location on the cliff's edge overlooking the sea and Tolcarne Beach."

Stein, who paid about £600,000 for the Cornish property, plans to spend £1m refurbishing it as a boutique hotel with a bar and small, informal restaurant. "The rooms are a bit on the small side, so we'll definitely reduce the number and free up some space to make the ones we keep larger," he told Caterer.

He plans to promote staff from within his business empire to oversee the Newquay hotel, which will open next year. In addition to the Seafood restaurant, Stein owns a cookery school, a café, delis, the 10-bedroom St Petroc Hotel and Bistro and the six-bedroom St Edmunds House - all in Padstow.

"The design ideas in Rocklands will be similar to St Edmunds, but not as de luxe in the rooms. We want to keep it more modestly priced," he said.

In addition to Rocklands, Stein has put in a bid for a café on Tolcarne Beach. "We originally saw the beach café but then were aware that the hotel was coming up on the market, so we thought that combining the two would be a great idea, because we've got a lot of faith in the future of Newquay," he commented.

"Newquay needs a smart hotel, and because it's a great surfing area we'd aim for a younger clientele. It's very exciting and a bit risky, but I like taking a risk."

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 15 - 21 May 2003