Bulldog Hotel Group re-opens ‘new generation' coaching inn after £1.3m refurb
Lincolnshire-based Bulldog Hotel Group has re-opened one of its six sites, the Talbot in Oundle, Northamptonshire, after a £1.3m investment.
The revamped site, which Bulldog acquired from Greene King in 2009, is being dubbed as a "new generation" coaching inn.
It took the company two years to get the necessary planning consents to remodel the Grade-I-listed venue, which opened at the weekend after an eight-month refurbishment.
In addition to accommodation, the site has a pub, restaurant and coffee shop, plus a serving counter that offers made-on-the-premises cakes, muffins and pastries.
Kevin Charity, who runs Bulldog, said: "The Talbot is now a coaching inn, eating house and coffee shop all in one. This particular venue has been in gentle decline for 20 years. But we think our investment puts it at the leading edge with a much wider, more flexible offer. The Talbot investment reflects our belief that coaching inns and pubs need to evolve to offer more. The business now has all sorts of facets to appeal to all sorts of people."
The Talbot has re-opened with 35 bedrooms, down from its previous figure of 40 after the creation of a number of larger suites. Bulldog Hotel Group changed its name from Bulldog Pub Company in February this year to reflect its current emphasis - it sold its wet-led pubs four years ago. It now plans to buy a seventh freehold coaching inn later this year.
The company's Greensleep booking portal, which pledges to plant a tree for every room booked, has now planted 50,000 trees.
By Neil Gerrard
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