06.02.07
St Ives Hotel races ahead in the tourism race

The Porthminster in St Ives has revealed the value of its recent investment in the hotel as its bookings for 2006 broke all previous records. Over a hundred years old, The Porthminster, with its stunning position overlooking Porthminster Beach, is one of the longest established hotels in the South West.

In early 2006, the hotel unveiled the results of a £750,000 upgrade, with most of the rooms refurbished, some with spa baths, four poster or half tester beds or other luxurious features.

At the same time, the marketing was overhauled, with a new campaign targeting key customer segments, including those looking for a romantic break. A new website offering online booking was launched in May 2006.

Trevor Richards, Chief Executive of the Porthminster, says: "The results have been amazing. Our bookings since May have shown an increase that has far exceeded what we dared to expect, especially out of season, which is where we particularly wanted to build business."

The accountancy firm Winter Rule carry out a monthly measurement of occupancy in the hotel industry. This reveals that The Porthminster achieved an increase of 19% in occupancy between May and December 2006 compared with a year ago. Meanwhile, the average growth in occupancy terms seen by hotels in Cornwall was 2% in 2006 compared with 2005.

Trevor says: "To see growth levels nearly ten times higher than the industry average is fantastic!"

Malcolm Bell, Chief Executive of South West Tourism, says: "The transformation we are seeing at The Porthminster shows just how important it is for the tourism industry to take brave steps and invest in quality. Through investing in the quality of their product and their marketing, The Porthminster has shown that great results can be achieved. We are pleased that the hotel has taken part in our brand campaign targeting the romance market. Through their innovative product development - ranging from rose petal baths to 'I love you' messages in the sky – they demonstrate a real focus on delivering a quality customer experience."

Tony Hall, Head of VisitCornwall, says: "The Porthminster in St Ives is one of the grande dames of the Cornish tourism industry. It is wonderful to see that she is rejuvenated and facing such a bright future."

Nigel Ashcroft, Project Director of actnow, the Objective One project that is spearheading the development of broadband in Cornwall and which has invested £5,600 in The Porthminster as part of the establishment of its online systems, says: "We are thrilled to see that the steps that The Porthminster has taken to embrace broadband technology and the Internet are helping create such great results. They are the kind of hotel that light the way for others, proving that it pays to make the internet a crucial part of your strategy."

The Porthminster also received investment of £25,000 towards its upgrade of the bedrooms from the Objective One project, honey2Cornwall. Ruth Vincent, honey2cornwall programme director says: "It is fantastic that the honey2cornwallprogramme has been able to contribute towards the development of The Porthminster. The team at The Porthminster have certainly enhanced the quality and standard of the establishment. We look forward to providing continued business mentor support in future."

Trevor Richards is now planning the next era of The Porthminster's evolution. Trevor says: "We have plans to upgrade the remainder of the rooms and make our hotel one of the best in the West. We are now on a winning track and we are not looking back."

For further information contact Lynn File of Brand Innovation on 07968 015731 or email lynn@brandinnovation.co.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in actnow through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) and HONEY and honey2Cornwall through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Editor's notes:

The Porthminster is an established hotel in St Ives, Cornwall, with a position overlooking Porthminster Beach.

The new marketing strategy was developed by Brand Innovation, based in Bodmin.

The website and new advertising materials have been developed by Gendall Design, based in Falmouth

The actnow programme is a demand-led initiative to encourage businesses in Cornwall to gain the support they need to move into the broadband economy .It is one of the largest private and public sector partnerships in Cornwall since the county was granted Objective One status by the European Union in 2000.

The £20 million pound project is part financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF). Other project partners include Cornwall Enterprise, the Objective One Partnership Office, BT, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the South West of England Regional Development Agency, Cornwall County Council, Business Link Devon and Cornwall, Cornwall College and Rural Cornwall Partnership.

honey2cornwall has a total project investment in excess of £6 million. Including more than £2.3 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Objective One programme. Honey2cornwall is based around quality and the National assured Quality Standards (NQAS) with five core disciplines: Guest service; Marketing approach, Pricing strategy, Support systems (including IT, HR and legislative matters) and Physical environment (including grant aided enhancements and equipment purchase.)

Honey2cornwall has been designed to operate as an exclusive club where establishments benefit from business support through which they can then access gateway funding. On joining the club and paying a membership fee (£750) the business is allocated their own business mentor, who will undertake an initial business analysis. Every member also has access to a range of specialists who are all practitioners within their respective industries and include structural engineers, architects, computer experts, marketers and interior designers. Every honey2cornwall member is eligible to apply for up to £30,000 which can be used towards enhancing their business to help them meet their quality goals.

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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