With a collection of luxury hotels in prime locations in the heart of London, Heathrow, Guildford and Manchester, Radisson Edwardian has set its sights on becoming the most admired UK hotelier. RLI talks to Chief Operating Officer Paul Mansi to find out more.
Offering some of the best locations in the cities in which it operates, and with a design ethos based on comfort and luxury, Radisson Edwardian aims to provide genuine hospitality that is sincere and natural; its individual hotels each with an independent spirit. The group currently operates 14 hotels in the UK: 11 in central London and one each in Manchester, Guildford and at Heathrow Airport.
The Radisson Edwardian Guildford is the latest addition to the group’s portfolio of hotels, which opened in September 2011 and has been extremely well received. It also closed its Mountbatten Hotel for five months to undertake a £15M total renovation, re-launching the property as the Mercer Street Hotel, also in September.
Despite challenging trading conditions, we achieved record annual profits in 2010 and are forecasting to surpass this in 2011,” explains COO, Paul Mansi. “Out of our 14 hotels, up until recently three were management contracts. However, over recent weeks we have completed the purchase of the freeholds of both our Manchester and Canary Wharf hotels (The New Providence Wharf Hotel).
“We invested £15M into the total renovation of the Mercer Street Hotel and we also opened in central Guildford, now our only current management hotel, whilst constantly maintaining and updating the look and feel of our existing hotels so that they always feel fresh,” he said. “All in all, we are very happy with the way the year has gone.”
Unlike many of the big brands, Radisson Edwardian is not driven to grow the number of its hotels simply for growth sake. It owns the majority of its hotels and will only invest if it believes that the property will truly enhance its portfolio.
It is critical, says Mansi, to keep hotels fresh and up-to-date in terms of technology and design, and it is clear that Radisson Edwardian has achieved an informal yet practical boutique chic feel to all of its properties.
As far as a strategy for 2012 is concerned, the group is currently working on a number of projects and assessing their progress, though it is committed to expanding the group further in the coming 12 months.
“We are very excited by our planned growth,” says Mansi enthusiastically. “The important factor is that the project has to be absolutely right for us in terms of the criteria that we look for. Namely, great location, good conference potential and great restaurant possibilities.”
For the full article, please see the March 2012 issue.
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