Watergate Bay Lodge provides 10-acre Cornwall website to portfolio

UK: Watergate Bay Lodge has acquired the the Sands Resort property in Cornwall, which it would covert into an aparthotel underneath its Seashore Retreats model.

The Sands Resort, which sits on a ten acre website only a mile from Watergate Bay Lodge, shall be developed into an aparthotel aimed predominantly on the leisure market underneath the Seashore Retreats model. The 72-key aparthotel shall be developed with the addition of 24 lodges on the prime coastal website.

The concept that aparthotels can thrive out of the city surroundings, is a imaginative and prescient Ben Harper, group managing director at Watergate Bay Lodge, Seashore Retreats and One other Place, has nurtured for a very long time.

Harper spoke to SAN in regards to the new idea: “The imaginative and prescient for this was born out of the SACO, edyn, Locke story and I’ve had this imaginative and prescient for greater than 10 years now and I instinctively knew it might translate to a leisure viewers throughout the UK.”

Harper added: “It is a massive second for Seashore Retreats. Websites with growth potential of this sort are uncommon and, three years after growing our technique to increase the Seashore Retreats enterprise into growing and managing coastal aparthotels, we’re thrilled to amass this property and ship our imaginative and prescient to mix the very best of self catering with lodge hospitality. The previous few years have taught us that the sector is ripe for a powerful model which gives the lifestyle-led, leisure-driven outside choices friends are on the lookout for. This acquisition will gas our ambition to create a number one life-style self-catering model.”

The mission shall be supported by Barclays. Jim Turner, director, hospitality and leisure, Barclays Company, mentioned: “Given our longstanding dedication to the UK Hospitality sector, it was a pure match for Barclays to help Seashore Retreats with funding for this modern idea. As the house leisure market continues to evolve to compete with the very best of worldwide hospitality and as shoppers grow to be ever extra demanding, the financing will assist Seashore Retreats ship a top quality growth to enrich the Cornish shoreline.”

The property, which has direct entry to the seaside, shall be operated by Seashore Retreats. The model works with house owners, second house house owners and small scale builders to handle and market their properties on the coast. That is the primary acquisition for Seashore Retreats.

The aparthotel will provide 72 flats together with studio, two-bed and three-bed flats. There shall be leisure services together with a tennis court docket, indoor and outside pool, household play experiences, and a gymnasium. There will even be an F&B choices and friends will be capable of make use of the Watergate Bay Lodge F&B choices, only one mile away.

The brand new aparthotel will goal {couples}, teams and households. Along with the leisure market, the group shall be concentrating on company retreats and occasions enterprise, together with the rising work-from-anywhere/relocation segments.

Ben Harper mentioned: “Throughout the context of an aparthotel – and based mostly on a spirit of neighborhood and bringing native companions into provide the areas – we are going to provide a neighborhood restaurant and cafe and have native companions providing the sports activities ingredient of what we do. There shall be areas obtainable to the neighborhood and basic public.”

Harper advised SAN that when this aparthotel is up and working, there may be room for different alternatives throughout the UK: “The temporary is strolling distance to a seaside – and we’re excited to roll it out to any acceptable market to any location – Devon, the south coast, Suffolk and Northeast and Northwest or Wales. We hope to do extra and we’re taking a versatile method to that and with a view to roll out these ideas – we are going to take a look at administration and partnership alternatives.

Already within the pipeline for the Seashore Retreats model is a growth in west Cornwall in Hayle (seven miles northeast of Penzance), which is because of open in 2024. The Seashore Retreats model has a powerful pipeline and the staff is working with buyers and builders so as to add to its portfolio.

When requested in regards to the potentialities of out of doors of the UK, Harper mentioned: “We’ll take one step at a time, and the Seashore Retreats model will concentrate on the UK.”

Seashore Retreats will function Sands Resort throughout the present lodge mannequin till the adjustments are made. The event shall be consistent with the corporate’s current ESG technique. The group is at the moment being assessed for B Corp standing, which it hopes to attain within the new 12 months, till then it would preserve working on its philosophy of individuals and sustainability.

Ben Harper talked to SAN about his leisure aparthotel concept last year.