Tag: hospitality finance

How To Deal With Complaints – Dos And Don’ts

Posted on by Carol Jones

Guest house and hotel owners will inevitably be required to respond to the occasional case when guests feel they have had a slightly less-than-perfect stay.  So, what is the best way to handle complaints?

Leading hospitality finance experts Stewart Hindley & Partners have put together a few handy list of ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts in these situations:

DO

  • Focus on providing a great customer experience with attention to detail and set realistic expectations before guests arrive. That way, you can ensure that you don’t give customers a reason to complain in the first place.
  • Be ready for those few complaints that you might get. This means being sure you know your establishment inside out. You want to be ready for almost any question, or tackle any issue, that your guests could possibly think up.  You should also decide what your stance will be when a customer confronts you, what your policy is on compensation and how you will validate a complaint.
  • Anticipate – have an outcome ready for as many complaints as you could think of, so try to bring the topic on to this, so as not to draw out the length of the discussion.
  • Stay calm, even if the guests are worked up themselves. When a guest does decide to make a complaint, it’s important to think about your tone of voice, staying polite at all times and choosing your words carefully – especially if the complaining guest is quite animated.
  • Be sure to also take the nature of the complaint on board, and look to improve whatever it is that went wrong for the guest. For example, look into upgrading a bed if guests complain it is uncomfortable.
  • Endeavour to bring about a speedy conclusion to all complaints. Delaying will only escalate the issue.

DON’T

  • Misrepresent or over-promise clients with your promotion. For example, make sure that any promotional images you use are a realistic representation of your establishment. Use a good photographer to capture all of your ‘best sides’, but don’t mislead with images of views which do not apply to your rooms.
  • Don’t feel you necessarily have to agree with everything that the complaining customer is saying – especially if you feel that some or all of what they’re saying is unfair. A better way to ‘diffuse the bomb’ is to acknowledge what the customer is complaining about, and try to shift the conversation on to the resolution.
  • Don’t dwell on the complaint because, more often than not, a negative can be turned on its head to become a positive. Look upon it as an opportunity to impress with how responsive you are to complaints and to ‘practise’ your customer service skills.
  • Don’t forget to treat the experience as a learning curve – to get even better at handling these situations in the future. Use it to hone your customer service skills, taking on board the criticism and using it to give your guests better experiences every time they come and stay with you.

Need a helping hand?

If you are looking to start or grow a  bed and breakfast or hotel business, the chances are that, at some point, you will be seeking out bed and breakfast funding or hotel mortgages.

At Stewart Hindley and Partners, we are in an ideal position to help you as we understand the hospitality business through and through. We are long-established specialists in securing hospitality finance. Our experienced team will be able to offer you friendly and informative advice to help you build and improve your business. Browse our site for case histories and more information about the process involved, or call us now to speak to our team of experts.

Source:
https://eviivo.com/trade-secrets/customer-service/customer-always-right-deal-difficult-guests/

How will the interest rate change affect hospitality lending?

Posted on by Carol Jones

The most positive aspect of the recent rate rise by the Bank of England is that it was not a surprise. It was rather the case that the November 2 bank rate rise from 0.25% to 0.5% was widely expected. Now that it has happened as anticipated it’s important to manage your financial affairs with it.

Here at Stewart Hindley we have given this interest rate rise our priority attention. In terms of our status as the leading name for hospitality lending it is vital that we understand all possible implications for the sector. In this article we are going to look at two key areas – how existing loans are affected and how new hospitality lending agreements might be impacted.

Existing Hospitality Loans

There is no getting away from it – the increased rate will mean an increase in the amount paid in service of debts. The extent of the increase is, however, not fixed. How much extra will need to be paid – and when – depends on two factors. These are the nature of your existing loan and what decision your lender has made about the increase.

In respect of the latter, the implementation of the change is not a constant. Different financial institutions will introduce the rate change in accordance with their own strategy. For guidance in this we must refer you to your lender. If they have not communicated a change with you yet then it would be a proactive move to contact them directly. It would be to your benefit to initiate discussions around any proposed changes.

This contact also relates to the first factor. Several of Stewart Hindley clients are on fixed term, fixed rate lending agreements. These will have been negotiated with possible interest rate changes in mind, but due to the fixed nature will not be directly affected. Should your fixed term loan be close to a termination and renewal point then now would be an ideal time to start initial negotiations in regards of the new terms.

New Hospitality Loans

A widely held view is that increased interest rates are met with a decrease in capital available for business loans. We do not believe this to be the case in the current situation – certainly not in respect of hospitality lending.

There are a number of reasons for the Bank of England rate increase decision. Many of them relate directly to ensuring that the business environment remains buoyant and stimulated. At this time the UK leisure and accommodation sector is viewed as being particularly healthy. With this being the case we believe there will be no adverse effect on hospitality lending due to the bank rate change.

If you are seeking assistance and advice in respect of a new hospitality loan please do not let the rate change put you off. Now is the time to contact us here at Stewart Hindley about your plans. Our Brokers  can help you secure the best terms possible for your financing requirements.

As you can see the decision by the Bank of England was widely anticipated and absorbed into the hospitality lending market. We understand that the natural reaction to such an increase is caution and concern. At this stage, however, we do not view this change as negative. With the intention of the increase being to give a boost to the British economy the impact on the accommodation and leisure section is in all likelihood going to be positive.

The team at Stewart Hindley are committed to giving you the very best service available for all hospitality lending requirements. We have a proven track record of success, enabling many businesses to flourish in the UK leisure and accommodation sector. It would be our pleasure to provide this service for you.

For more information, or to set up an appointment, please call us on 01488 393042.

Are you all set to cash in on the UK tourism boom?

Posted on by Carol Jones

BBC News today (10 October) reported that tourism to the UK has reached record levels and Britons are also holidaying at home in record numbers with Britain’s beaches and attractions attracting more domestic visitors and “staycations” on the rise.

Record figures

  • Nearly 40 million overseas people are expected to have visited the country during 2017 – a record figure.
  • The tourist promotion agency, VisitBritain, forecasts overseas trips to the UK will increase 6% to 39.7 million with spending up 14% to £25.7bn this year.
  • During the first six months of the year there were a record 23.1 million overseas visits to the UK – up 8% on the same period in 2016 – and the figures for July topped four million for the first time, with only a slightly smaller number of visits made during August
  • From January to June this year, domestic overnight holidays in England rose 7% to a record 20.4 million with visitors spending £4.6bn – a rise of 17% and another record.

Tourism is economic powerhouse

And, The British Tourist Authority (BTA) estimates that tourism is worth £127bn annually to the economy.

BTA Chairman, Steve Ridgway, called the sector an “economic powerhouse” and a “job creator right across Britain”.

“Two-and-a-half times bigger than the automotive industry, employing three million, tourism is one of our most successful exports and needs no trade deals to compete globally.”

Tourism Minister John Glen said: “Tourism contributes billions to the UK economy and supports millions of jobs.”  He added that the record figures for overseas and domestic holidaymakers were “testament to our world-class attractions and the innovation of our tourism industry”.

Call for continued investment

Authorities suggest that one of the driving forces has been that the UK has become a cheaper place to visit for tourists from overseas following the fall in the value of the pound since the Brexit vote last year.

But Mr Ridgeway said: “Tourism is a fiercely competitive global industry and you cannot just build a strong, resilient industry on a weaker currency.

“We must continue to invest in developing world-class tourism products, getting Britain on the wish-list of international and domestic travellers and we must make it easy for visitors to make that trip.”

A good time to look at hospitality finance

In this positive business environment for UK tourism, there is no better time to invest in a new hospitality business or look to expand an existing one. There are some great hospitality finance deals available now and Stewart Hindley and Partners are ideally positioned to advise you on the best rates and hospitality mortgages to suit you.

We are long-established specialists in securing hospitality finance. Our experienced team will be able to offer you friendly and informative advice to help you get the best rates and business support.

Browse our site for case histories and more information about the process involved in securing hospitality mortgages or call us now to speak to our team of experts.

Source:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41564655

Overseas visitor numbers and spends reach record highs

Posted on by Carol Jones

The good news for the UK hospitality industry is that visitors from abroad have reached a record high.  Office of National Statistics (ONS) Figures released earlier this month show that inbound tourism in July was the highest ever for inbound to the UK since official records began in 1961.

A Record July

The latest figures show:

  • A record four million overseas visits to the UK during the period, the first month to ever break through the four million mark, and up 6% on the same period last year.
  • A new record for the highest tourist spending in the UK – with overseas visitors spending £2.8bn here
  • Strong growth in visits from North America continuing in July – with a record 650,000 visits, up 9% on last year.

John Glen, UK Tourism Minister, said: “Tourism is a major economic force that creates jobs and drives growth for the whole of the country. These record figures show the continued strength of this important sector and the UK’s global position as a must-visit destination.”

Patricia Yates, VisitBritain director, added that the best-ever monthly figures underpinned a strong first half of the year for inbound tourism.

She said: “This sustained growth demonstrates Britain’s continued ability to compete internationally for visitors and shows that tourism, one of our most valuable export industries, is an increasingly important driver of economic growth across our nations and regions.”

Not just a one-off

A look back at ONS figures for the last six months shows consistent growth, with:

  • The total number of overseas visits to the UK from January to July this year totalling 23.1 million – up 8% on the same period last year and a record year–to-date.
  • Spending by visitors during this period hitting a record £13.3bn, up 9% on the same period last year.
  • 9 million overseas visits from North America from January to July – up 21% on the same period last year
  • 1 million overseas visits from EU countries, the UK’s largest visitor-generating region – 4% up on last year.
  • Visits from the rest of the world (which includes Australia, China, the Gulf markets and India) rising to a record 3.6 million from January to July this year – up 18% on the same period last year.

Last year set a record for inbound tourism to Britain on visits and spend with 37.6 million visits, up 4% on 2015 with visitors spending £22.5 billion, up 2%.

Don’t miss out on these opportunities

Do you need hospitality finance to take advantage of these trends?  Maybe you are considering a start up and require a mortgage to purchase hotel, b&b or self catering accommodation.  Or, perhaps you are looking to expand your existing hospitality business or convert your residential accommodation to commercial.

Whether you are looking for a hotel mortgage, b&b mortgage or other finance across the hospitality sector, Stewart Hindley and Partners are here to help. We understand the hospitality business through and through, which means we can offer you friendly and informative advice to suit your particular needs and circumstances

Browse our site for case histories and learn all about the process involved in securing hospitality finance or call us now to speak to our team of experts.

Source:  https://www.hotelowner.co.uk/11456-highest-ever-visitor-spending-july/

Could you take advantage of the rise of glamping?

Posted on by Carol Jones

If you have ever searched for self-catering holiday accommodation, or are already ‘in the business’, you won’t have helped but notice that more and more proprietors are offering unusual ‘glamping’ holiday lets aimed at those looking to be more in touch with the outdoors on their holiday breaks.

The most popular structures to have emerged on the scene in the past few years include: lodges, yurts, pods, gypsy caravans, shepherds huts and tree houses.

As long ago as 2010, Sawdays, one of the first and leading directories offering handpicked and inspected Special Places to Stay, for example, saw the potential in this month.  They created their own spin-off website canopyandstars.co.uk, a collection of inspected and selected, quirky places for glamping.  They offer hundreds of different options for rustic-style holiday lets aimed at anything from honeymooners to families.

Here are just a few examples to give you a flavour of what can be done and how their owners ‘sell’ the proposition:

The Coombe at Penhein – Nomadic Tents in Monmouthshire

One of six Persian-inspired tents on a family farm, with woodlands for den-building and a stream to splash.  These are dome-shaped alachighs (pronounced al-la cheeg) of Persian design traditionally used by nomadic tribes in northern Iran. Nestled in a 3 acre ancient woodland in the Monmouthshire countryside, each has an individual colour scheme, a private flushing loo in a separate adjoining pod, its own fire pit and outdoor sitting area.

The Nancy Blackett – Shepherd’s hut in Somerset

A Shepherd’s hut for 2, the Nancy Blackett is perched on its own tiny island, completely surrounded by nature with a little wooden bridge to the mainland.  Guests can wake up on their own island, cook breakfast on the camp fire before rowing across for a swing in the hammock or to take a soak in the hot tub.

The hut’s footprint is small but cosy with its own wood burner; and guests also have the option to cook dinners and take hot showers in a separate wooden cabin on the mainland where there is even a wood fired pizza oven available for guests.

In Herefordshire, the New Inn Brilley offers a converted gypsy caravan – a completely original gypsy wagon full of unique touches located at the top of a wild hilly meadow with breathtaking mountain views.

The Roundhouse at Bodrifty Farm, Cornwall offers the romance of sleeping in an Iron Age Roundhouse.  Guests also have exclusive use of the Treehouse during your stay at the Roundhouse, built around a living tree, which has a kitchen, sitting room and bathroom.

Have you spotted a glamping business opportunity?

If you have land available in a beautiful location or setting, it could well be worth considering investing in providing suitable accommodation to offer glamping, as a useful way to earn additional income.  Purchasing tents, yurts, pods or huts  will involve some up-front investment so if you are looking for hospitality finance to fund your project our team at Stewart Hindley and Partners are here to help.

We understand the hospitality business through and through and are long-established specialists in securing hospitality finance and can offer you friendly and informative advice to help you build your glamping business.

Browse our site for case histories and more information about the process involved in securing hospitality finance or call us now to speak to our team of experts.

Devon Spotlight: What makes these the best family-friendly hotels in Devon

Posted on by Carol Jones

Devon is one of the UK’s most popular tourist destinations and many hotels there have worked hard to promote themselves as family-friendly hotels. Could you learn from them?

The Telegraph’s expert panel listed the following as their Top 8 Picks for families in Devon, each scoring 7/10 or above.

  1. A beach paradise – Watersmeet Hotel – Woolacombe Bay: 8/10

  • Sublime beachfront location, with mesmerising views looking out onto the North Devon coastline and Lundy Island
  • Private access onto Combesgate Beach, a small, sandy cove that’s fantastic for body-boarding and rock-pooling, but rarely gets busy, even in the height of summer
  • Fresh and airy décor
  • Rare combination of friendly and romantic at the same time

  1. Gardeners Heaven – Hotel Endsleigh, Tavistock: 9/10

  • Grade I-listed Eden between Dartmoor and Exmoor
  • Set in verdant gardens and grounds – perfect for family games and picnics
  • Summer gardening activities run by Chelsea Flower Show gold medal florist, Amanda Randel
  • Has its own potting shed where the green-fingered can start growing their own plants to take home at the end of their stay
  • Baby monitors, meals, bottle warmers and babysitting are available

  1. Rugged Isolation – Soar Mill Cove Hotel, Salcombe: 9/10

  • With a rugged Devon cove and beach all to itself
  • All rooms either face the sparkling triangle of sea or look up the valley.
  • Host of activities including: snooker, board games and a rocking horse, golf clubs, boogie boards, crab lines, buckets and spades for outings to nearby Soar Mill Cove
  • Magicians, lawn games, cupcake decorating and cinema nights are laid on in the summer
  • Indoor saltwater pool, tennis court and games room with table tennis and pool
  • Resident golden labs Farley and Daisy are popular with young guests.

  1. Reminiscent of The Famous Five – The Cary Arms, Babbacombe: 8/10

  • Spectacular location beneath the cliffs on the beach at Babbacombe
  • On arrival, children are given a bucket, spade and fishing net with which to go rock pooling on Babbacombe Bay, a quiet beach by the hotel that has calm water and a friendly local seal.
  • The hotel also had four self-catering cottages which are well set up for families, with board games and children’s books, as is the Captain’s Suite one of the main hotel’s 10 bedrooms.
  • Local family attractions include Paignton Zoo and Splashdown Waterpark.

  1. Outdoors – Bovey Castle. Moretonhampstead: 9/10

  • Extensive castle grounds with tennis, croquet and a playground
  • Good choice of outdoor children’s activities organised as part of Bovey Rangers club, including survival skills, archery, reptile and owl encounters, rock climbing, raft building, canoeing and golf lessons.
  • Their indoor playroom, costing £20 per session, has painting, pottery, biscuit decorating, mask, puppet and badge making
  • Babysitting services can be arranged in advance, as well as hire of baby equipment.

  1. Walking and Watersports heaven – South Sands Boutique Hotel, Salcombe: 7/10

  • The hotel is right on the beach, with wonderful views across the estuary
  • White sands and calm seas are a beach ball’s throw from the hotel
  • Complimentary buckets, spades and beach bags are given to families on arrival
  • Family events organised in school holidays, including a summer solstice beach party
  • Five beach suites designed for families of up to six.

  1. Classic Devon – Thurlestone Hotel, Salcombe:  8/10

  • Rugged coastline in front and backing on to sheep-filled pastures
  • Black and white yachting photos on the walls and displays of vintage sailing memorabilia give this seaside hotel a nostalgically nautical feel
  • Indoor playroom and outdoor playground which includes mini golf, family badminton courts, a nature trail
  • A ‘Close Encounters’ shed where young visitors can learn how to handle stick insects, praying mantis, scorpions, tarantula and snakes
  • Children’s school holidays arts and crafts club, teddy bears’ picnics in the grounds, and entertainers.

  1. Gothic /Luxury – Highbullen Hotel Golf & Country Club, Umberleigh Bridge

  • A luxury, gothic-fronted country house hotel spread over a 125-acre Devon estate
  • Prides itself on being a ‘multi-generational’ hotel, catering for extended families with children aged eight and over
  • Dedicated rooms for families of four have sofa beds and pull out beds, while large families can hire out lodges exclusively
  • Children will particularly enjoy the giant outdoor chessboard and games simulator
  • Spread over the estate are two swimming pools – one indoor and one outdoor – seven tennis courts, an 18-hole golf course, a private fishing river, croquet lawns, snooker rooms and a fully-equipped gym with regular exercise classes.

Need to look at your hospitality finance options?

If you are looking to purchase or start a family friendly hotel or guesthouse, or are considering upgrading your existing facilities to increase your family appeal you may well be needing finance.

At Stewart Hindley & Partners, we specialise in the hospitality finance sector.  So, whether it’s hotel finance or B&B finance you need, we can advise you on the best deals to suit your individual business circumstances.

To find out how much hospitality finance you might be able to raise call our friendly expert team now to explore the possibilities further.

Source:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/devon/articles/best-family-friendly-devon-hotels/

Is your guest WiFi offering good enough?

Posted on by Carol Jones

Recent research across the UK and USA consistently highlights how vital it is for hotels and other tourism businesses to offer free, good WiFi.

A few research findings

  • The poll of 2,000 people for online retailer Pixmania revealed that 31 per cent of Britons regard access to WiFi as the second most desired ‘comfort’ while on holiday, ahead of having a clean room!

In fact, the top Top Five most desired holiday ‘Comforts’ were found to be:

  1. A nice view
  2. WiFi access
  3. Clean hotel
  4. Good mattress
  5. A Great hotel restaurant
  • HotelChatter found that 94% of people cite WiFi as the most important amenity with 38% of hotel customers say they would book elsewhere if there was no WiFi available.
  • A similar survey amongst Americans found that WiFi was more important to hotel guests than breakfast and parking; and here WiFi came in second only to cost when choosing which hotel to book.

Business travellers want WiFi in order to stay connected on the road; whilst millennials like to stream music or play video games – so whichever way you look at it, high speed WiFi is an important attraction for guests, whether you are offering hotel, B&B or self-catering accommodation.

Are you WiFi savvy?

If you are engaged in a hotel property search, researching the quality of the local broadband available is a must these days and should be researched thoroughly.

And once, your hotel is up and running then good connectivity will allow you to be pro-active about communicating with (and promoting your services to) your guests, including:

  • Using social media channels to promote your business, research your customers to make your marketing more targeted and effective, identify your repeat customers etc.
  • Using your WiFi to see where your customers spend most of their time e.g. café, reception, gym, garden, restaurant etc.
  • Encouraging social media referrals – create a simple way for customers to provide referrals through Facebook or Trip advisor with the aim of increasing word of mouth.
  • Make sharing easy – encourage customers to share pictures and experiences with friends via social media promoting your company and raising brand awareness.
  • Keeping your customers up to date through your WiFi landing page. Use this to publicise upcoming events and offers e.g. timetable of kids activities, evening entertainment, restaurant offers

Need to look at your hospitality finance options?

Whether you run a hotel, a B&B or self-catering accommodation, if you are looking to purchase a upgrade your WiFi offering to guests (and/or invest in digital marketing) you may well be needing to source finance and we, at Stewart Hindley & Partners, specialise in the hospitality finance sector.

So, whether you are needing hotel finance or B&B finance, we can advise you on the best deals to suit your individual business circumstances.  Take a look at our online Business Mortgage calculator for an initial guide to how much hospitality finance you might be able to raise or call our friendly expert team now to explore the possibilities further.

Sources: 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2654182/WiFi-access-important-holiday-requirements-British-tourists.html

https://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article90435.html

 

Taking advantage of the Equestrian B&B boom

Posted on by Carol Jones

With many of today’s horse owners looking for different and interesting places to take their horse to ride, there are good opportunities for Bed and Breakfast owners with access to the right facilities to expand their businesses.

If you run a rural bed and breakfast with good riding country nearby and have your own stables and paddocks on-site (or a livery yard or riding centre very close by) then offering this additional service could generate valuable group B&B business for you.

Guests are typically looking to stay close to their horses and in small groups so they can ride with their friends.

Key equestrian B&B features

Key features these customers would be looking for are:

  • Good off-road riding in beautiful countryside and/or good equestrian training facilities. The availability of beach riding is also a big plus because it’s an experience that not all horse owners can normally enjoy.
  • Well fenced, clean grazing
  • Clean and safe stabling and/or shelters in good working condition with water available. You don’t necessarily need that many, but it is useful if the capacity matches your own B&B accommodation for your two legged guests!
  • Somewhere secure to park their horseboxes or trailer and store their equipment.
  • The facility for guests to purchase straw or shavings for horse bedding for stabled horse
  • Local advice/guidance on the best riding routes and access

If you don’t have your own facilities on-site, it would be worth talking to your local riding centre or livery yard to see if they would have spare capacity.  It is important to remember though, that for it to be an attractive proposition to this market, the horse accommodation should ideally be within walking distance, or a short car journey away.

If you think you could meet the above criteria, it could be worth exploring your hospitality finance options to help you invest in equestrian facilities.

How to market your equestrian B&B

The British Horse Society, which is dedicated to improving the lives of horses and helping horse riders to get the most from their relationship run a ‘Horses Welcome scheme’ which is the UK’s first quality-assured scheme for equine bed and breakfast accommodation. Started in the south of Scotland in 2006, it has since grown to include members all over the UK and Ireland. Becoming a member of the scheme demonstrates a commitment to providing a genuine ‘home away from home’ for horses.

Various other B&B listings will also offer stabling as a filter for online searches, enabling horse owners to identify their options quickly and easily

Would your equestrian B&B offering require hospitality finance?

Whether you are looking to expand your existing bed and breakfast operation into areas like this, or are looking at starting a B&B business, the chances are you will need B&B finance and it is worth seeking advice from us here at Stewart Hindley & Partners we specialise in this sector and can provide you with a solution that suits your requirements.

If you want to see how much the loan will cost each month take a look at our online Business Mortgage calculator or call us to find out how we can help.

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