A hotel boss who started out washing pots in the kitchen is spearheading a major expansion plan and a \u00a32 million plan to cut carbon.<\/p>\n
Group Operations Manager Nic Rowland, 38, revealed the award-winning hotel group, Everbright Hotel Group, is aiming to increase the number of properties in their portfolio from seven to 10 in North Wales and the North of England.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Everbright Hotel Group was recently hailed as a trailblazer by the Net Zero North Wales Network for investing in green technology at the Llandudno Bay Hotel, where the carbon footprint was cut by 84 per cent and energy bills were slashed from a quoted \u00a3300,000 to \u00a3100,000.<\/p>\n
Over the next few years the eco-friendly approach is going to be replicated across the group\u2019s other hotels, the Belmont and the Queens in Llandudno, Rossett Hall near Wrexham, the Wild Pheasant Hotel and Spa in Llangollen, the George Hotel in Penrith and Stonecross Manor in Kendal.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all a far cry from when Nic started as a wet-behind-the-ears, 15-year-old schoolboy washing pots at the Grade II listed Rossett Hall Hotel.<\/p>\n
Things could have turned out very differently because he originally embarked on a university degree course in IT \u2013 but gave that up after three months because he realised he liked the hotel business more.<\/p>\n
At the heart of his remarkable rise up the ranks is a formidable work ethic that saw him at one point holding down three jobs while still in school \u2013 as well doing shifts at\u00a0 the hotel, he had two papers rounds and worked in a local shop.<\/p>\n
Rocket boosters were put under his career when Rossett Hall was bought in 2015 by the Everbright Group which grew rapidly over subsequent years with the purchase of all the other hotels.<\/p>\n
Nic said: \u201cWhat I liked about working in a hotel was the buzz and the camaraderie with colleagues and you thrive off the positive feedback from customers. I just love it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve gone from one site in Rossett to seven individual properties in the space of eight years with more to come. It\u2019s been an amazing journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll but one of the hotels are four star rated which they weren\u2019t originally \u2013 the exception being the George Hotel in Penrith where we have aspirations to upgrade to four stars by 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Nic, he\u2019s proud the pioneering green initiatives at the Llandudno Bay Hotel were recognised earlier this year at the international Lux Life Travel and Tourism Awards when the Everbright Group was crowned Sustainable Luxury Hotel Group of the Year.<\/p>\n
The award was the latest in a series of accolades for the group which included being\u00a0 named as the Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Hotel of the Year\u00a02023 at the Go North Wales Tourism Awards and at the same ceremony, Rossett Hall was named as the Best Large Hotel in North Wales.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cWe invested around \u00a3150,000 in the heating system in Llandudno Bay\u00a0 which significantly reduced our ongoing costs at just the right time because that\u2019s when the energy crisis happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were looking at energy bills quoted at \u00a3300,000 a year and that wasn\u2019t sustainable for the business. It\u2019s brought the energy bills down to around \u00a3100,000 a year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a game changer and we are now going to roll-out the green energy initiative across all our properties, replicating what we did in Llandudno Bay right across the group.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re looking at similar energy efficient heating systems, solar power, thermodynamic panels and EV charging points.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a huge investment of around \u00a32 million but it makes total business sense and it\u2019s also great for the planet.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re on an amazing journey because Everbright is an aspirational company and still quite young.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am excited about the future and thoroughly driven as there is a good direction of travel with the business and we know where we want to get to.\u201d<\/p>\n