The Nicolas James Group has acquired The Savoy Hotel on Bournemouth’s Westcliff and owner, Nicolas Roach, the renowned UK hotelier, is on the move again with ambitions to deliver a five-star development in Bournemouth, as the first site for his latest brand.
Having built the UK’s leading luxury and lifestyle hotel group, Harbour Hotels, with its 15 hotels all in premium locations across the south of England, Roach now plans to deliver an entirely new five-star resort brand to spectacular stretches of coastline across the UK: taking luxury, modern resort lifestyle to the next level.
Starting in Bournemouth, with more sites to follow, the exciting new mixed-use concept will offer a standout hotel resort, alongside proposed apartments, and will open next summer under a new brand, yet to be announced.
With a planned phased development, the hotel will undergo a soft refurbishment under its current name, The Savoy Hotel, opening for the 2021 summer season, helping to boost the re-opening of the local hospitality economy. It will then close its doors for an extended period from September 2021, as it undergoes a full and extensive redevelopment and re-brand – with the new name to be unveiled in due course.
Nicolas Roach, Chairman of the Nicolas James Group, says: “We are delighted to have acquired The Savoy Hotel site and are committed to significant investment – with plans now formally submitted for a £20m redevelopment.”
“For previous generations, Bournemouth was the prime coastal location. With phenomenal untapped potential, on one of Europe’s top beaches, it is time to bring back the golden era of Bournemouth’s hospitality and raise the game, starting on the Westcliff. As in other locations, our Group will invest heavily, much like we did in Southampton, transforming Ocean Village into a five-star destination.”
“As a local resident, I am looking forward to a luxury lifestyle resort on my doorstep, alongside other quality venues. I expect others will follow.”
An iconic building, in a spectacular Westcliff setting overlooking the beach, the proposed £20 million development will see the hotel and its gardens restored to their former glory, alongside new additions to include: a 100 bedroom, five-star standard hotel, featuring a state-of-the-art spa and wellness club, multiple food and beverage offerings, including new rooftop and garden restaurants, with outdoor terraces and beautifully landscaped gardens, as well as contemporary meetings and events facilities.
In addition, the planned development will provide a number of residential apartments, aimed at the active urbanites.
Councillor Drew Mellor, Leader of BCP Council, says of the investment: “We are delighted to welcome operators of this quality to BCP. Our big plan Is an ambitious vision to create a world class city region and this investment, from the Nicolas James Group, in Bournemouth Is a great part of that journey.”
Councillor Phillip Broadhead, Deputy Leader of BCP Council and Cabinet Member of Regeneration comments: “This proposed £20m investment is great news for Bournemouth and indeed the whole BCP area. As a council, we are midway through a major piece of work, which is focused on using all levers available to massively lift the hotel quality across the resort. We have one of the best beaches in Europe and indeed the world and we need more world class hotels to match our world class destination. This is a stunning location, right on the cliff top overlooking our fantastic environment. To have a five-star iconic hotel here is precisely what we need – we look forward to working with the Nicolas James Group, who clearly have an impressive track record, as their plans develop.”
Well-versed in delivering market-leading mixed-use schemes, over the last few decades Nicolas James Roach and his expert team have built up a significant and successful portfolio of properties; most notably within the hospitality sector, with the creation of the award-winning Harbour Hotels Group, building out a group of exceptional hotels, alongside Europe’s first carbon positive restaurants and the UK ‘s ‘seafood restaurant of the year’, The Jetty.
A proven record of enhancing and elevating desirable locations with leading hotels and residential developments, the Group recently delivered Southampton’s only five-star hotel and apartments, re-generating Ocean Village Marina. This year, the Group are set to deliver their second premium development in Salcombe, Devon – with a relaxed beachside resort, alongside ten luxury residential apartments, holding the highest value outside of the M25.
This development will now introduce an entirely new brand and concept to the Nicolas James Group portfolio, meeting the demands of destination seekers with a next level luxury lifestyle brand.
Looking to create over 200 local jobs, the Bournemouth acquisition and re-development aims to further position Bournemouth as a distinctive destination with a modern appeal, delivering a fresh approach in food and drink, well-being, entertainment, workspaces and more – appealing to visitors both regionally and beyond.
Driving new demographics to the area, increasing visitor numbers to the town centre and supporting local businesses, the hotel will encourage a sustainable community chain – working with local suppliers to deliver the best local experiences.