Great Northern hotel considers brand arrangement

Owner of the newly opened Great Northern hotel, close to King's Cross and St Pancras international stations, is considering aligning the property to a major hotel brand.

Jeremy Robson, of asset management company the Ram Group, told the Boutique Hotel Summit in London yesterday that it is difficult for an independent hotel like the 91-bedroom Great Northern - which reopened earlier this month following a £40m renovation - to compete with the major hotel groups on distribution.

"While we are located in a very strong strategic position with a footfall of 135 million passengers passing through nearby, the offer of a brand is very compelling," he explained. "I need the cash to help refinance the business and a major brand will help to deliver the cash."

However, he said that he finds himself in a dilemma as he does not want the Great Northern brand to be damaged by a larger one.

Robson later told Caterer and Hotelkeeper: "It is important that we retain the unique elements and special service levels that we have created at the hotel.

"If we do go with a brand it would be an independent one which would enable us to retain the Great Northern name."

Robson added that the recent arrival of Mark Sargeant to oversee the hotel's restaurant Plum + Spilt Milk had brought "flair and innovation" to the property.

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