The Beechwood hotel
Some people change over the years - others don't. Don Birch and Lindsay Spalding, owners of the two-AA-red-starred, 11-bedroom Beechwood hotel in Norfolk's North Walsham, fall into the latter category. Today this hilarious pair are as warm and hospitable as they were when Caterer first visited in 1995.
They complement one another perfectly - Spalding appears the quieter of the two but will come out with gems, and Birch, never publicity-shy, is always ready to offer an opinion, the more outrageous the better. It is this infectious combination that has undoubtedly played a part in the awards that the hotel has notched up over the years, and in particular over the past 12 months. Just two months ago Birch and Spalding picked up the Hotel of the Year title in the under-60-bedrooms category of VisitBritain's Excellence in England awards.
Looking back, Spalding says he cannot remember coming off the stage after the award was presented. "I was shaking so much I could hardly hold it. It really was a proud day." But this was just the beginning. By the time Birch and Spalding got home that evening the hotel had been featured on local television. Local press coverage followed, and there were reviews in the Times, the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph. And then it was off to Buckingham Palace for a reception to celebrate the best in tourism with some 200 other people from the industry.
Birch, of course, managed to make the most of the royal opportunity. When the Queen stopped to ask where in Norfolk the hotel was, Birch replied: "It's just a short drive from Sandringham, an ideal spot for lunch." "I'll remember that one," replied Her Majesty.
Getting a table may prove a problem, however, even for the Windsors. The Beechwood has established an excellent reputation for food, has been awarded two AA rosettes three years running and is fully booked for Saturday evening and Sunday lunch two weeks ahead. The restaurant has been extended and can now seat 65 instead of just 32, and chef Steven Norgate, who has been at the hotel almost since the beginning, is pulling in the business with a £28 three-course table d'h"te menu using ingredients that have been sourced from a radius of no more than 10 miles.
It's not surprising to learn that Birch and Spalding are about to embark on a six-bedroom extension, giving the Beechwood a total of 17 bedrooms. Work will start in the autumn for completion in spring 2004. To fund this development the pair have had to go back to the bank and borrow £500,000, a scary move considering that the mortgage was paid off a while back and there is no overdraft on the business. But Birch and Spalding acknowledge they need the challenge that developing the business will present. "It's a lot of money to borrow again, but the way we look at it is, if we had the chance to buy a 17-bedroom hotel for £500,000 we would jump at it," says Birch.
So what's left to achieve? "For the moment we're quite comfortable with what we are," says Spalding. "The AA has told us we could probably go for three red stars, and maybe we will. But for the moment we will wait and see."
Factfile
The Beechwood Hotel
Cromer Road, North Walsham, Norfolk NR28 0HD
Tel: 01692 403231
Owners: Don Birch and Lindsay Spalding
Bedrooms: 11
Occupancy 2002: 78%
Rack rate: from £90 per double B&B; sole occupancy with breakfast £62
Overall turnover 2002: £385,000 (30-32% growth anticipated in 2003)
Operating net profit 2002: £66,000 (up £25,000 on 2001)
Average restaurant spend including wine and VAT: £40
Average weekly covers: 200
The story so far
Don Birch and Lindsay Spalding bought the Beechwood hotel for £243,000 in 1993. Since then they have undertaken a constant programme of investment and refurbishment, taking it from guesthouse-plus to country house hotel, which last season was awarded two AA red stars.
