What does the press say about us
New hotel throws open its doors
Published: 02 December 2008
The local economy received a timely boost as the Mayor of Peterborough, keypersonnel and dignitaries attended the opening of the new 115-room Park Inn Peterborough hotel. Cllr Pat Nash said: "This is an asset for Peterborough, a very impressive building in the centre of the city." Also present were the hotel's general manager James Berry, regional director Park Inn UK Phillip Dark and Bill Agnew, business liaison executive at Opportunity Peterborough. Mr Agnew echoed the mayor's sentiments when he referred to it as a "great day for Peterborough because of the significant investment in the city centre." he said: "It is a vote of confidence by the (operator) Rezidor Hotel group for the future of Peterborough. Investment like this will only help to support city centre economy."
The park Inn Peterborough, in Wentworth Street, and overlooking Bourges Boulevard, brings with it the creation of about 50 full-time jobs. The hotel also brings its "young, dynamic and innovative mid-market brand to the city" and will target the corporate, meetings and leisure sectors. It is also a hotel which is very much geared to serving the local community, according to Mr Berry. "I am very pleased to be opening on time and very pleased with the people I have taken on board," he said. "Working with the local community is fundamental to our business and to our success."
This was borne out right away when the hotel provided the catering for the Kidney Research UK event at the cathedral last night opened by the mayor. In addition to the bright and comfortable guest rooms, the hotel also has three flexible meeting rooms, a lounge, on-site car parking and the Park Inn's recently launched signature restaurant - the RBG Bar & Grill. A stylish venue, it offers dishes from the charcoal grill, including the best gourmet burgers. The Park Inn is only about five minutes' walk from the main railway and bus stations, and has secure on-site parking for guests. Its week night rates are from £109, while weekend leisure rates are from £69 room only/£79 B&B. Peterborough will be 20th Park Inn hotel in the UK, and the second new-build one after Park Inn Leigh opened in October. "Park Inn is Rezidor's fastest growing brand and the UK is one of its most important markets. Across the country we currently have 35 hotels with over 5,700 rooms in operation and under development and we have plans to further grow our portfolio, "said Kurt Ritter, president and CEO of The Rezidor Hotel Group. "Opening Park Inn Peterborough as our 20th Park Inn in the region is a significant landmark to reach in less than five years since the first Park Inn opened in the UK."
New Park Inn hotel opens its doors in Peterborough
Published: 01 December 2008
Park Inn, the fresh and innovative hotel brand operated by the fast-growing Rezidor Hotel Group, opens its 20th hotel in the UK today – Park Inn Peterborough. The new-build hotel is located in Telephone House on Wentworth Street in the city centre, within easy walking distance of the Cathedral, Queensgate Shopping Centre and many restaurants and bars, along with the station which connects directly to London Kings Cross in 45 minutes. Ideal for both corporate and leisure guests, the hotel offers 115 guest rooms, three meeting rooms, a lounge, on-site car parking and an RBG Bar & Grill, Park Inn’s recently launched signature restaurant. James Berry, General Manager, comments, “We are very excited to open the doors to this fantastic new hotel today. The facilities are second-to-none in the city and we look forward to welcoming guests from both the local area and further afield and giving them the Park Inn experience. I am looking forward to working with the team to make the new Park Inn a big success in Peterborough.”
The hotel’s guest rooms are designed to be functional, easy to use and are fresh and contemporary in their styling, each boasting Italian designer bedside and desk lamps, air conditioning, double glazed windows, a comfortable desk / working area, an in-room laptop-size safe and a flat-screen TV showing multiple channels and a choice of movies. The stylish bathrooms offer walk-in shower rooms. All bedrooms complement The Rezidor Hotel Group Responsible Business ethos and have guest comfort and security top of the agenda.
The large open plan lobby and reception area opens into the lounge and bar and offers comfortable sofas and chairs, all with natural daylight. The area is perfect for relaxing with a coffee or drink and serves a selection of light snacks throughout the day. With wireless internet access, it is perfect for informal meetings or for catching up with emails. The hotel offers three modern and flexible meeting rooms, each with natural daylight and individual climate control, plus an additional breakout area. The meeting rooms are ideal for a selection of events, be it a meeting, a small conference or special events including private dinners and small weddings. The largest room is able to accommodate up to 48 delegates theatre style or 30 guests for a private dinner. Park Inn Hotel Peterborough is also home to one of the first RBG Bar & Grill’s to open in the UK.
Launched in October at Park Inn Cardiff City Centre and soon to be opened in Park Inn hotels across the UK, the upbeat RBG Bar & Grill with its bright bold logo, stylish menus and signage all designed with splashes of scarlet, builds on Park Inn’s colourful approach to hospitality and the RBG menu and service is designed to be fast, fun and easy, aligned with the Park Inn ethos. The brand’s philosophy of “adding colour to life” is one which truly makes a difference – not only through its vibrant branding but also through it’s “Yes I Can!” customer service philosophy which ensures the very best in customer satisfaction.
Park Inn is a symbol for young, fresh and innovative mid market properties. Having opened the first Park Inn in the UK at London Heathrow in May 2004, there are now 20 Park Inn hotels operating in the UK, with a further 15 properties under development, including Park Inn Belfast due to open later this month. Other new Park Inn locations include Rotherham, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and two properties in Manchester.
Park Inn Peterborough is a common project between The Rezidor Hotel Group and HLH Property Holdings Limited – both companies have announced a strategic development alliance for further cooperation. The HLH stakeholders have collectively over 50 years of real estate experience and have specialized in development across numerous sectors, including hotels. With a disciplined, creative and technical expertise HLH has positioned itself well to expand the hotel sector.
Company car driver: James Berry
Published: 15 October 2008
Company car driver is a light-hearted business feature where we ask a company car driver in the Peterborough area to answer a number of questions on topics of the moment. This week we feature James Berry, of Park Inn, Peterborough.
Q: Do you think the Government should guarantee all savings other than the first £50,000?
A: Absolutely - unless they are happy for me to not guarantee my mortgage or loan repayments to them.
Q: Sales of new cars have fallen greatly - are you putting off buying your new car?
A: Yes - I think you are always wary of getting value for money.
Q: Do you think people are being talked into a recession?
A: I think we were talked out of it during the last Labour government under Blair's reign, although the signs were already there. Now we are talked into "credit crunch", when, in reality, we have been in recession for months.
Q: What, if any, cost cutting measures have you introduced at home?
A: I hid Mrs Berry's purse
Park Inn team geared up for hotel launch
Published: 13 October 2008
IT'S all systems go at the new Park Inn Peterborough, as the new management team gears up towards a December opening of the hotel. The building project is due to be completed at the end of this month, and in the four weeks of November, the team will carry out their recruitment and operational procedures and processes.
"I am very excited to be successful with the choice of the management team, and really look forward to working with them," said general manager James Berry. Hotel sales manager Jan Gelbert has joined Park Inn from an event management company, where he organised events all over the UK. Prior to that, he held senior sales roles in various hotels, including the Hilton Birmingham Metropole for seven years †“ an 800-bedroomed property. Jenna Blood is the human resources manager, and comes with a wealth of knowledge in the HR field. She has had HR roles around the city, including more recently at Carter Jonas property consultants. The financial controller at Park Inn will be Ajay Cheriyan.
Ajay transferred from Park Inn, Thurrock, in Essex, where he was James's controller. Previous to that, he was finance manager in Radisson SAS Muscat, in Oman. Ray Keogh will be front office manager. Ray joins from another Park Inn in the UK, the Park Inn Northampton, where has been front office manager for two years. He also worked for James, and in F&B management positions for a number of years prior to that. Russell Moseley is executive head chef. A former colleague with Moat House Hotels, Russell joins most recently from the Holiday Inn Peterborough West (a Moat House property still), where he was head chef for more than seven years. Russell has a wealth of experience. He has opened the Hinckley Island Hotel and has worked in numerous high-profile hotels around the country and is yet another valuable asset to James's hotel management team.
Young hospital patients enjoy cheering on Posh
Published: 22 September 2008
POORLY children who have to spend the majority of their lives in hospital were left beaming after a treasured day out. The eight to 14-year-olds from across Peterborough †“ who suffer from a range of long-term illnesses †“ were able to forget about medicines and leave the Amazon Ward at Peterborough District Hospital to enjoy a day of fun and football. The youngsters arrived at Peterborough United's London Road ground on Saturday afternoon, where they were greeted by staff from the new Park Inn hotel, in Wentworth Street, who organised the event. They then got to watch all the action from one of the exclusive hospitality boxes as Posh played Tranmere Rovers. Peterborough teenager Gareth Morson, who suffers with cystic fibrosis and is currently staying in the Amazon Ward, was one of them. His mum Dawn, of Council Street, Walton, Peterborough, said: "The Amazon Ward is a bit like a second home to Gareth, so the opportunity to go and see Posh play was a welcome treat.
"Gareth loves football, in particular watching Posh. He developed a chest infection a few days before the game, so he is expected to be back in hospital for the next couple of weeks. "However, fortunately he was allowed out for the day, as it was only for a few hours. "Events like this are great for the children who spend the majority of time in hospital. It is so nice for them to be able to get out and about and enjoying the things they like most."
Play specialist at the hospital Zoë Wilkinson said: "We are very grateful to the Park Inn hotel for thinking of the Amazon Ward and offering to take some of the children to a Peterborough United home game. The children were very excited about watching the football match from an executive box and had a brilliant time. Every donation or special gift, such as this, which the Amazon Ward receives makes a tremendous difference to the children and their families."
Sales manager at the Park Inn hotel Jan Gelbert said: "As a responsible business in the community, it is something that we decided we wanted to do. "We went down to the Amazon Ward and asked the staff to point out some of the most deserving candidates and then organised the day out.
"It was a great day for everyone. We have a hospitality box that they were able to use, but some stood outside for a bit, too. We also put on food and drinks for them. "This is the first time we have done anything like this in Peterborough, but felt it was important to do something for the deserving people in the city. "We hope it will be a regular event."