Premier Hospitality

Arden House

Arden House
Written by Roma Publications

Arden House

Arden House

The Eden Hotel Collection has newly opened Arden House in Stratford-upon-Avon as a sister 10-bedroom boutique property to the well-established Arden Hotel.

The Eden Hotel Collection has a portfolio of hotels chosen for their unique qualities such as the beautiful architecture, outstanding food and peaceful surroundings. Each property has its own individual characteristics whilst upholding the impeccable standards of service, quality and attention to detail Eden is known for.

Arden House, a quirky luxury B&B within a traditional Georgian house, came about when Mark Chambers, Managing Director of the Eden Hotel Collection decided to expand on the Arden Hotel. “We have a property in Stratford-Upon-Avon called the Arden Hotel and it’s traded really strongly in the six years we’ve had it, so we wanted to get more bedrooms on site but that wasn’t possible. We then looked into other ways to get extra bedrooms in the location,” commented Mark. “We found a ten room B&B located two streets away from our existing business and we thought we could use it as an extension of the hotel.”

Leading the interior design of the refurbishment project was Eden’s Design Director, Marion Cartter, along with the in-house design team who worked with the main contractor, W.K. Cox Ltd, to create a luxury B&B that is in line with its sister property Arden Hotel. “The model we launched is a bit different from what you would call a traditional hotel stay. For the 10 bedroom hotel we’ve tried to create a less formal hotel stay experience. We’ve dispensed with managers and receptionists, and what we’ve got is three house hosts that manage the guest experience from start to finish. From the point of arrival to the point of departure these three hosts are on hand to look after guests as they stay with us,” added Mark.

The design team aimed to retain as many of the original features of the house as possible which includes a beautiful black Georgian front door with brass knocker that opens into a tiled hallway. The ground floor features a lounge and Garden Room which are created with comfort in mind with their soft furnishes and real fires in order to give guests a home away from home atmosphere.

Located around the corner from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the B&B hosts will offer 24-hour service with a chef preparing breakfast and afternoon tea. “We have a morning room, a place where we serve breakfast but there’s also a little guest pantry where guests can go and help themselves all day to goodies ranging from sweet treats to savoury snacks. We launched what we call ‘Gin O’clock’ where we encourage guests to come and have drinks with these snacks in the early evening around our family home style dining table,” added Mark. The breakfast and sumptuous afternoon tea, which along with snacks and experiences, are all wrapped up in the rate of the hotel. “So you stay at the hotel and guests pay one rate with no hidden extras,” Mark commented, “certainly in the context of Stratford-upon-Avon it is a rather unique proposition.”

Each room has been individually designed with high quality finishes and beautifully crafted furniture, some of which sourced from Oka, in order to enhance the luxury home feel created by the design team. The B&B houses three types of rooms ‘Cosy’ ‘Delightful’ and ‘Splendid’ which both feature a smart TV, Bathrobe and Slippers, ESPA toiletries, Wi-Fi, double beds as well as complimentary fruit and mineral water.

The project took 12 months to complete from acquisition to launch. “As with all these things, the state of the building was the biggest challenge. We faced a number of rather unexpected structural issues that needed to be put right but we’re a great believer in ensuring that we look after these beautiful old buildings. The structural issues set the timescale and the budget back on the project quite significantly,” added Mark. Even with these challenges, the team working on the B&B managed to refurbish the building to the high Eden Hotel Collection standard.

The cosy town house is an important step for the Eden Hotel Collection as it gives the reputable hoteliers a further strong foothold within the town. “We’ve got a proven track record and being able to do a second site in the town is a great thing. To finally see it come to fruition is amazing because we can start realising the vision and the dream that we had when we took this project on. We’ve managed to nail conceptually what people want to see and it’s delivering from a customer service perspective as well as the feedback has been excellent.”

Licensed for civil ceremonies Arden House is available to hire and the whole hotel can be used exclusively for weddings to ensure complete privacy. The B&B is also available for birthdays and celebrations, allowing for a weekend of laughter, drinks and indulgence.

Arden House

W.K. Cox Limited

W.K. Cox Limited is a well-established, Midlands based, building contractor specialising in refurbishment and restoration works, predominately within the commercial retail, leisure and heritage sectors.

The company has been in operation since 1902 and within this time has worked with an extensive and diverse array of clients and is proud of the long standing relations it enjoys with many leading names in the commercial property sector.

W.K. Cox Limited has enjoyed a consistent record of success, capitalising on their vast experience to undertake some of the most challenging projects. Most recently, W.K. Cox Limited has worked with Eden Hotel Collection, as principal contractor on the Arden House project.

Simon Kingston-Cox, Managing Director of W.K. Cox Limited, said:

“We were pleased to undertake another scheme for the Eden Hotel Collection. We initiated a proactive approach and delivered a successful project.”

Simon added:

“We recognise that constructive communication between the client and contractor is key to the success of any project and we are committed to maintaining and endorsing such a collaborative approach. We wish the Eden Hotel Collection every success with Arden House.”

About the author

Roma Publications