Family Owned Hotel Business Sale and Transition to New Ownership

80 Bedroom Resort Hotel
Dorset

Brief

A privately owned and traditionally run family hotel in the process of being sold to a hotel investment company required operational and management mentoring, to guide the vendors and the business through the process, and to enable a smooth transition to new ownership. To move a loss making seasonal hotel to breakeven point, and support a new development team’s planning project from an operations perspective.

Project duration: 24 months – 2 days per week (commenced 10 months prior to purchase)

Key Actions

• Mentoring role to the incumbent General Manager
• Replace 100% manual systems with Hotel Perfect property management system and management information system.
• Ensured the premises were fully compliant.
• Manage long standing guest expectations throughout the sale / purchase transition.
• Developed new food and beverage offering to include a café bar with minimal budget
• Recruitment of new management team, to include General Manager, Head Chef and Bookkeeper
• Kitchen works refurbishment
• Monthly management information board presentations

Outcome

A very sensitive consultancy, and an emotional family business sale. Taking a large seasonal hotel of 80 rooms gradually forwards, from a 100% manual reservation system and multiple traditions and systems, and integrating it into the new hotel company. A new General Manager and management support team was recruited, and every aspect of the business reviewed and rationalised, to move the loss making business to the required breakeven point. The hotel was handed over to a full time resort manager to take forwards.

Testimonial

My family had owned the hotel since just after WW2, and in recent years we had struggled with the ageing property and old fashioned manual systems. Tim brought his knowledge of hotel operations to modernise our reservations, billing and management information systems. He was an important support through a very emotional journey, as the family passed over the keys. We introduced a new food and beverage service, rationalised wage costs and began to reduce losses.

K Ferguson
Owner