Bognor’s Beachcroft ready for staycation revival | Vicky Meets

• Are we set for a staycation revival?

We’re going to see a rise in staycations this year. Our numbers are incredible, especially for our new beach hut suites. A large part of that is because people weren’t able to book foreign travel. The hotel is taking slightly longer to fill up, but we’re seeing some very good occupancy rates, with longer than usual stays being booked. People are coming from further afield, too. We’ll have to wait and see if it revives staycations going forward, but it’s heading in the right direction. And, like every business in this industry, we need it.

• How has the pandemic affected your industry?

Having the furlough scheme has been tremendous in supporting employees, but it’s still been disastrous. Even with Government support we have lost a substantial amount of income. Everyone has been struggling, and if they weren’t in such a good financial position as The Beachcroft was then I suspect that it must have been really hard.

• Why should people come to The Beachcroft?

It’s always sunny in Bognor The Beachcroft is great for multi-generational stays and so is good for families, including the dog! We have also moved the hotel from being a three-star Best Weston to a four-star hotel. But for me, the overriding reason for visiting us is the friendliness of the team and the quality of service. During this third period we have refurbished and really spruced the place up. Every single bedroom has had some form of refurbishment and we’ve invested in creating Blake’s Bar. Our restaurant and Blake’s Bar & Terrace is open to residents and non-residents. Blake’s offers 80 covers on the promenade, right by the sea, which will be lovely for a meal or a drink. We also host birthday parties, wedding receptions, celebrations and private events.

• As well as welcoming locals to the hotel, do you also get involved with community events?

We recently linked up with V2 Radio to do a beach clean, which was great. It was before we reopened so we were able to get involved in a way that we often can’t when we’re open. We also try to help out where we can with things like raffles, but it’s more important to me to support things that are close to the hearts of the team we work with. Hopefully goes a long way to showing a commitment to them, as well as supporting a good cause at the same time. I have been here for 14 years. I grew up in Bognor and went on to do a degree in at university in business management. I came here initially to complete a marketing project. I was then offered career progression opportunities because the owner didn’t want to lose me. One of the things I am most proud of is that I implemented the online booking system. Bookings used to be done in a huge reservations book the size of a dining table!

For more information visit www.beachcroft-hotel.co.uk

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