Meet the finalists: Best Accommodation Operator sponsored by HGEM

The House of Daniel Thwaites​

Daniel Thwaites has 11 inns with rooms across its estate with a total of 220 lettings rooms, which range from rural locations to town and city sites.

The rural seasonal sites are designed to reflect the nature of their surroundings while the town and city sites reflect more opulence and classic designs.

The company focuses on acquiring buildings such as those in conservation areas or listed buildings and is keen to add and acquire to the portfolio. It recently purchased the Red Lion in Burnsall, Yorkshire, which had been owned privately for the last 30 years.

The company also focuses on adding rooms to existing successful inns by purchasing nearby buildings. For example, at The Judges Lodgings in York it has purchased a listed cottage alongside the existing hotel which it will transform to accommodation.

The company has successfully focused on the staycation market as the pandemic has seen more people holidaying at home and also works closely with local tourism boards such as Welcome to Yorkshire. There is focus on quality of product, properties and service levels across the inns estate and the inns are well-known for their quality food offer and a number already have rosettes.

Liberation Group

Liberation Group operates in the UK and Channel Islands with a managed division of 57 sites. In the UK it has 23 sites ranging from Bridgwater to the west, Hadley Heath in Worcestershire to the north to Haslemere, Surrey to the east.

Its rooms are designed to offer the wow factor but with a relaxed ‘home from home’ feeling. The business is constantly looking at new ways to innovzte from adding fridges in some of the rooms to offering beer and prosecco and sweet treats as complimentary extras.

During the pandemic the company used the time to invest in its hotel sites, upgrading and improving 60 rooms. It also used the time to conduct a  property strategy review which also identified sites and property on sites that could be transferred into accommodation.

The company employed a new rooms and events revenue manager who is responsible for driving direct bookings and revenues. This has been a success and has already seen a reduction in reliance on OTAs.

Pets is an important focus for the business with pet-friendly rooms with treats, towels and bowls proving successful.  It has also partnered with more specialist booking engines such as Pets in Pajamas and Epicurean to appeal to residents with dogs.

PubLove

PubLove is a business model which brings an affordable hostel into a pub operation under the strapline of “Beer, Burgers and Beds.” The company currently has six sites in London including the Rose & Crown in London Bridge; the Green Man, Paddington; the Steam Engine, Waterloo; the Exmouth Arms, Euston; the Crown, Battersea and the White Ferry in Victoria. The PubLove dorms offer affordable comfort, contemporary design and practical facilities for the modern traveller. Each room has free-to-use lockers, electronic door lock, signature yellow shutters and USB points.

In response to the impact on foreign travel with Covid-19 it transformed its marketing strategy to attract a new customer base. It introduced a range of bundles including the Lock-In Bundle, aimed at friends getting together looking for a good time in London, sleepover bundle, which as for a more chilled get together and The Hustler Bundle aimed at digital nomads.

There are plans to roll out this concept to other major cities and destinations across the UK and for PubLove to become a national hostel pub brand.  

PubLove entered a partnership with EI Group under its Ei Managed Investments initiative. When Stonegate purchased EI group it also purchased the partnership deal with PubLove.

• Check out the full list of finalists at the 2022 Publican Awards here​.​