Those looking to take a romantic break in Hertfordshire this Valentine’s Day may need to shop around for the right hotel. It is not that suitable sites do not exist, just that many are more concerned with attracting the business traveller.
The smaller, independently run hotels that people most associate with cosy fires and romantic getaways are being pushed aside by the growth of the big corporate chains.
Which is not to say that the county’s hotel market is suffering it is not. But it is now aiming at a specific clientele, and any gap in the business traveller market is being seized by the big names.
“There is still buoyancy in the Hertfordshire hotel market, although business is where the money is,” says Julian Troup of FPDSavills. The agent is representing a corporate client selling Briggens House, a 54-bedroom hotel in Stanstead Abbots.
Troup says most of the interest in the hotel has been from corporations that would market the property primarily at the business traveller. “Most demand in the Hertfordshire area is likely to come from the business traveller because of its location close to the M25, Stansted airport and ease of access to London,” he adds.
Despite the prevailing focus on commercial travellers, most operators recognise the need to balance this with facilities designed to appeal to leisure travellers. Those operators seeking to cash in on weekend breakers will meet stiff competition from major brands such as Marriott. “Most of the large hotel brands like the Hilton and Marriott will try and attract the weekend traveller,” says Troup.
“Hotels wanting to attract this kind of business need to have leisure on site and maybe a golf course as well, otherwise people will not come and stay there for pleasure.”
Jeremy Jones of Christie & Co agrees. He has represented a number of properties offering a mix of corporate and leisure facilities and believes that, more frequently, hotels have to offer sophisticated health and leisure amenities, not only to capitalise on the lucrative weekend leisure and wedding market, but also to attract the midweek corporate and conference trade.
“Health and leisure facilities strongly influence guests when booking a leisure break. But the four-star facilities offered at hotels such as Sopwell House, St Albans and Hanbury Manor, where the golf course is particularly popular, account for a large proportion of their corporate business,” says Jones.
Romantic weekend breakers
Those looking specifically to attract romantic weekend breakers to the county will face a particularly tough challenge from the major brands. Over this weekend, for example, Cheshunt Marriott in Broxbourne, is offering guests the choice of three Valentine packages: a deluxe room with king-size bed, breakfast, dinner, champagne and chocolates at £165 for two per night; a superior room at £180 or a suite at £199.
Such big brand chains also cater effectively for the corporate traveller. Cheshunt Marriott can host conferences of up to 180 delegates, for example. It also offers guests a leisure club, gym and spa.
With such weighty competition, it is not surprising that the small hotels in certain towns have suffered.
According to John Gearing of agent Gearings: “Bishop’s Stortford’s town centre has just one hotel, the George. It’s a very traditional business that has been around since the days of the horse and cart. There used to be four hotels 20 years ago, but these have been converted into flats. The hotels couldn’t keep up with demand or get planning permission to expand.”
Residential development
Even traditional hotels are having to rely heavily on commercial travellers, statesGearing. “The George hotel is full every night. I would imagine guests are mainly workers passing through and visitors from the airport, although the airport is well catered for with two major hotels and, I believe, a third on the way.”
The recent recognition by developers that Bishop’s Stortford was ripe for residential development has resulted in a “relatively untidy town” that will not necessarily appeal to a couple looking for a romantic break, says Gearing. However, as the café-society feel of the town centre develops, such visitors will be catered for in terms of restaurants, with Ask and PizzaExpress providing possible venues for the less traditional romancers.
There are also some positive signs that the town is starting to attract a tourist trade. Visitor numbers to the town are up, claims Gearing, who says they are mainly people from London who see Bishop’s Stortford as one of the nearest traditional market towns.
But if the town is going to exploit this trend it needs to keep up with the times, says Gearing: “There are still brownfield sites ripe for hotel development. A planning brief has been drawn up for a site on the railway sidings, owned by Railtrack, with possible inclusion of a new hotel.”
Gearing concludes: “Bishop’s Stortford is a strategically placed town, in the shadow of Stansted airport. We are in a very difficult and muddled situation as a result of politicians who don’t want the town to lose its historic charm. We need to accept the expansion and take account of it.”
