UCL opens first boutique hotel

Urban & Country Leisure (UCL), the expanding pub restaurant management operator run by Ross Sanders, opens its first exclusive boutique style hotel today.

UCL, which currently operates fourteen high-end pub/restaurants across the UK, has invested £1.5m transforming the former Globe Hotel in Warwick into a hotel, pub/restaurant which will now be called The Lazy Cow.

The hotel, which is currently being built, is expected to open in October. The launch of The Lazy Cow is part of an aggressive £15m two year expansion plan to open a further ten small boutique hotels and a further twelve pub/restaurants in by 2012.

The Lazy Cow aims to bring "unique, quality and bespoke boutique style" hotel accommodation to the market with an attached high end pub restaurant offering.

The hotel, which is adjacent to Warwick Castle will comprise of sixteen individually designed and bespoke bedrooms set to different themes.

"The Lazy Cow is the first of what we hope to establish as a chain of small, intimate, stylish boutique hotels that have a strong accent on quality accommodation, stylish interiors with exceptional food and drink offerings," said Sanders.

"Our aim is to provide the best possible accommodation offering to the tourist, business and destination weekend break markets.

"It's a natural progression and extension of our existing UCL blueprint and plans, which we have successfully rolled out over the last two years across our estate with our quality pub restaurants.

"It is an extension of the high quality hospitality offering and experience that our customers enjoy whether that is in a UCL pub restaurant or small hotel."

UCL currently has 14 pub restaurants and a nightclub in London's media district of Soho.