UK: The family-run Esplanade Hotel in Newquay, Cornwall has been awarded four AA stars following a multimillion pound refurbishment during lockdown.
New facilities at the hotel include a boutique cinema, a flexible all-day dining offer and an adults-only cocktail bar.
All rooms, communal areas and exteriors have been fully renovated. The number of bedrooms have been reduced from 90 to 85 to create larger spaces for groups and families.
The hotel houses a leisure area fitted with heated indoor pool, a hot tub and sauna. An indoor soft play area and games room is located near the restaurant, and outside there’s a children’s play park.
Cove Restaurant will remain open for all-day dining.
The AA assessed the hotel against its Common Quality Standards across six key areas: cleanliness, service, food, bedrooms, bathrooms and hospitality. The Esplanade Hotel will join less than 30 Cornish hotels with a four-star rating.
Operations director Laura Cameron said: “It’s so incredibly rewarding to receive this achievement after such a challenging year for the hotel and our teams. The lockdown has allowed us to carry out planned improvements that would have ordinarily taken years, so it’s a poignant moment for us. We couldn’t have done it without the patience and dedication of our loyal and hardworking team. We’re delighted to be welcoming faces familiar and new guests once again to enjoy our unbeatable coastal location and the new and improved offering.”
The Esplanade Hotel is owned and operated by Philema Hospitality Management. Other hotels within the group’s portfolio include Fistral Beach Hotel and Spa, and Boringdon Hall Hotel & Gaia Spa.
Philema Hospitality has recently announced the ambition to raise over £10,000 for charitable causes such as Rental Unit at the Royal Cornwall Hospital Treliske, The Mustard Tree Fund, Disc Newquay, Newquay Lions Club and Brad Pauls.
Additionally, a £10,000 Staff Emergency Fund has been created to support employees with interest-free loans.
Cameron said: “While it’s been an incredibly nerve-wracking year for hospitality and leisure businesses, it’s been even more worrisome for the people and communities that depend directly and indirectly on tourism for their employment and income. We have been exceedingly fortunate during the past 12-18 months and have managed to retain much of our talented staff, recoup losses and invest in the future of this economy. For June alone, Philema Hospitality Group is forecast to finish 90 per cent ahead year-on-year with summer pacing ahead of previous years by 154 per cent.
“This year is going to be a staycation boom for the UK and so we absolutely should be, and will be, doing all we can to give back to those who need it most and supporting the people and communities that live and work in the locations our guests are fortunate enough to holiday in.”
