Inside Signet Collection’s strategy to rebuild Britain’s lost hotels

Ross purchased the Alfriston despite others operators overlooking the property due to a risk of flooding. While they had been put off, he followed his gut instinct, built a flood defence on the land and carried out a full renovation, opening 12 months after he received the keys.

Like the group’s other properties, the Alfriston has several F&B offers including the 70-seat 1554 brasserie, a bar seating 50 indoors (plus 60 outdoors) and an orangery serving afternoon tea.

Meanwhile the hotel’s Signet spa includes a steam room, hot zone, sauna, three treatment rooms and a heated outdoor swimming pool, while a function room can accommodate 120 guests.

Ross is clearly thrilled with the response to the property since its launch in April, which coincided with a strong Easter for the whole group. “It’s been great, the weather has been good and we’ve seen pent up demand in the staycation market. Easter was well up on 2024 and we were full in every property.”

Hector Ross on building a scalable boutique hotel model

When the Signet Collection opened the Mitre in 2020, Ross told The Caterer he wanted to open six hotels in six years. That he’s on the way to reaching this goal despite the numerous challenges the sector has faced – not least the Covid-19 pandemic – shows the appeal of the model he has developed.

With site five expected within a year and the group’s sixth venue also on the way, the hotelier believes the key to Signet’s success has been appealing to local people and ensuring the hotels remain accessible to those on a more modest budget, while also giving guests the chance to splash out if they want to.

At the Barnsdale rooms begin at £115 a night for bed and breakfast, while at the Alfriston rates begin at £150 and rooms start from £200 at the Mitre.

Ross says: “The important thing for me is that we want to be affordable. We like the majority of our room rates to start with a two. Yes, you can come and pamper yourself and stay in a suite, but you can also have a one- or two-night stay for £500 including a spa treatment and a nice supper.

“It’s really important that when you’re driving away, everyone in the car thinks that was ok and the person who paid the bill isn’t thinking they’ll be living on baked beans for the rest of the week.”

Attracting local custom is an important part of boosting F&B and transient spend, at the group’s hotels, and on the day we speak Ross explains that an empty space is being used to host a yoga event that will be attended by 50 people paying £10 a head.

Such events give locals a chance to see the amenities on offer and Ross says that as well as ordering a coffee after their class they’re likely to return for a meal or spa visit at a later date.

Signet Collection hotels also have a focus on offering experiences that set them apart from the competition and these can be dictated by the local surroundings – for example the Mitre offers a number of river activities – or through partnerships. These have included live music, themed dinners, electric car test drives, painting courses and yoga retreats.

Spreading the word about the amenities on offer sees the group work with influencers as part of its marketing strategy. “If you can get somebody with 100,000 followers and they say ‘you’ve got to go here’ you can see an immediate spike. It’s worth its weight in gold, but it’s about quality over quantity," says Ross.

How Signet Collection is tackling the hospitality industry’s challenges

As operators face mounting costs, successful marketing and a strong relationship with the local community have helped Signet’s venues remain resilient, but Ross says the group has still had to adapt.

“The changes to [employer] National Insurance contributions and minimum wage have cost the business £440,000 a year. We’re doing everything we possibly can to fight it, but it does mean for example that in a Signet hotel you press the button to make your coffee in the morning.

“It does annoy me that I can’t employ a junior barista, but at £14 an hour I can’t. At our bigger hotels we serve 110 people at breakfast every Saturday and Sunday and we now do that with two team members working front of house.”

Ross has also looked at measures including an app for check-in – originally because he thought some guests might prefer it – but, in this case, take up confirmed his instinct for traditional hospitality. 

He explains: “The uptake was less than 2% and it just reinforced the benefits of the nice things we can do at check in such as suggesting bigger rooms, spa treatments and experiences such as paddle boarding.

“We like to walk guests to their rooms and everyone gets a free glass of wine as they check-in, it costs us to do that, and some people have questioned why we do it, but it starts the visit off well.”

This means Ross places great importance on building his team and has plans to launch an academy this year to support those from across the Commonwealth to come and work in the UK. He is also supporting the development of his existing team, looking to build loyalty through by creating opportunities for staff. 

Overall Ross is feeling positive despite the challenges faced by the industry. “I’m pretty optimistic about this summer’s trade. We have seen some softening in corporate trade compared to 2022, 2023 and 2024 but that’s been topped up by leisure and we’re seeing double-digit growth in all our properties on last year.

“Families and the older generation are still booking six to 12 weeks in advance and our family rooms are booked up into August. They’re a good indicator of demand, so I feel we should trade OK through the summer.”

Despite his optimism, Ross is clear that the challenges faced by the industry are not simple and require a forensic and flexible approach. “I think the back end of this year and 2026 could be really quite tough. You’ve got to have your plan in place because if you’re still trying a standard bed and breakfast and expecting that guests will dine both nights, you’re just not going to see them.”