New F&B outlets drive up revenue in Kew Green hotels
Kew Green hotels, which owns and operates 56 hotels in the UK, has seen a positive spike in revenue following a series of F&B outlet openings.
Since opening Stock Burger in December 2015 as part of the £3.5m development of Holiday Inn Brighton Seafront, the hotel has seen a 140% growth in revenue as visitors to the beach are attracted to the restaurant which offers gourmet burgers and craft beers.
Alex Pritchard, chief executive officer of Kew Green hotels, said: "What hotels are starting to do is become an experience to people. As a guest, you want to leave feeling like you had a great meal and a fantastic night's sleep, not just slept in a bed.
"High street brands have upped their game. Gone are the days when you would heat a pot of coffee in a hotel, now people want to go out to get their coffees. Hotels must find a way to compete with these emerging trends."
Brasserie, the pizza and pasta concept at the Holiday Inn Slough has seen an increase of over 20% in customer satisfaction since opening after a refurbishment in 2013. "You're also competing with neighbouring hotels which all essentially offer the same thing - a bed and a shower. What can you do to offer more? Restaurants give people a reason to book," Pritchard added.
Kew Green, which is the largest franchisee of Holiday Inn hotels in Europe, was purchased by HK CTS hotels - a subsidiary of China National Travel Service Group Corporation - in 2016 for £400m. In November 2016, HK CTS Hotels Co launched the first Kew Green branded hotel in Wanchai, Hong Kong.
HK CTS' first UK restaurant, Jin, is expected to open in July at the 203-bedroom, four-starred Crowne Plaza Liverpool - John Lennon Airport Hotel.
The Far East concept will be headed by a well-known Chinese chef, recruited by the HKCTS team in China, who is yet to be announced. The speciality dish will be Peking duck, and the restaurant will also employ a dedicated Peking duck chef.
Liverpool is said to be the city with the highest Chinese population in the UK outside of London, and is twinned with Shanghai.
Pritchard said it was important to appeal to the local community. He said: "We are excited to be opening Jin, a new high end Chinese concept restaurant in partnership with Hong Kong CTS, which we believe will be welcomed in Liverpool, both for local diners and also for weddings, banquets and meetings."
Kew Green Hotels launched in September 2001. It operates over 50 hotels across London, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Birmingham and Portsmouth. Most are operated under franchise agreements with hotel brands including Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn Express, Courtyard by Marriott, ibis Styles and Hampton by Hilton.
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