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Thistle Hotels to undergo £100m rebrand
More than £100 million is to be spent by Thistle Hotels in rebranding more than 30 properties nationwide.
A new corporate identity and enhanced service and quality standards have been promised by the company.
The undisclosed new look will give the brand a more “informal contemporary” feel and will be introduced to the first 25 hotels by June 2008.
Thistle has 32 hotels across the UK, including nine in central London. There are more than 5,100 bedrooms and 275 meeting rooms.
As well as investing in the current portfolio, there are plans to expand the brand with new properties.
The rolling programme of refurbishment will see investment in every property in the portfolio.
Some will be completely upgraded with many receiving investment in the public areas or bedrooms. There will also be “significant investment” in the meeting and events product, the company said.
New service standards will also be introduced with an extensive staff training programme underway to ensure the quality and delivery of service is first class.
High speed wireless connectivity throughout each hotel, flat screen televisions with satellite TV and investment quality dining are all part of the plan.
Chief operating officer Chris Gillett said: “Thistle has strong brand recognition and research has shown it is synonymous with quality and service.
“Our portfolio has an excellent presence throughout the UK with properties in the best locations in the UK’s leading cities. However, in a few areas our product was a little dated and required investment.
“The total investment is the largest in the brand’s history and follows extensive customer research to ensure our positioning and identity reflects what our customers want.”
He added: “Research has shown that guests don’t appreciate ‘cookie cutter’ style service that is rigid and without personality. Our friendly hotel teams will deliver warm and efficient service. We have invested in our people and are delivering training for all employees over the coming months.”
by Phil Davies
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