During my time as a General Manager, Board Director and shareholder of Paten Hotels, an independent hotel group of four 3 and 4 star hotels in England, from 1992 to 2008 I learnt a lot about the challenges and issues which independent hoteliers face on a day by day basis to keep their businesses growing, improving sales, quality and the customer experience whilst having to deal with increasing competition, legislation and increasing costs.
Having successfully been part of the team that sold Paten Hotels in April 2008, great timing given the economic situation since then, I moved on to trying to acquire my first hotel as well as setting up Complete Hotels Services to provide consultancy services to independent hoteliers.
The consultancy side has progressed well and I have a number of clients who seem pleased with the results and the added value which I have managed to bring to their business however, the search for a hotel to acquire goes on and has been one of constant ups and downs, getting excited about possible opportunities one day only to be disappointed the next day as businesses prove to be over valued, (how can something making a loss have any value as a business!) and in exceedingly poor condition (chain hotels especially).
The aim of my blog is twofold. Firstly, to provide me with a platform to publish my rants, raves, dislikes and opinions about what is great and not so great about hotels, restaurants, pubs and the hospitality industry in general and secondly (more positively) to share some simple ideas and thoughts about how, in my opinion, hoteliers can improve their sales, marketing and operations without having to spend a fortune.
I hope that you will enjoy reading the blog and return on a regular basis, and if you feel compelled to post a comment then feel free to do so.
Robert Smith
Director
Complete Hotels Services
http://www.completehotelsservices.co.uk/
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About Me
- Robert Smith
- Robert Smith born 1966 in Basingtoke emigrated to South Africa, grew up in Cape Town. Developed a love of sports including rugby and cricket. Left SA in 1986 to return to the UK to go into the hotel business. Started as a general assistant at the Royal Exeter Hotel operated by Grand Metropolitan Retailing as a Berni Inn then as an assistant manager until early 1989 when I joined Tower Heritage Hotels as a deputy GM at the Royal Hotel, Winchester. In Nov 1989 they gave me my first GM position at the 50 bedroom Devils Punchbowl Hotel, Hindhead in Surrey. In August 1990 I accepted the GM position at the 67 bedroom Barn Hotel, Ruislip. Stayed until March 1992 when I joined Paten Hotels as GM of the Marks Tey Hotel, Colchester. Over the next 16 years with Paten Hotels I progressed to become a board Director and shareholder with direct responsibility for sales, marketing, IT and purchasing. In April 2008 Paten Hotels was sold to BDL Hotels in a £45m deal. I decided to leave and set up a hotel consultancy and management services company aimed at small to medium sized independent hotel operators as well as to buy a hotel of my own to operate. Became a member of the CIM in 2009.
