MAIDSTONE may soon have the UK’s first training hotel under plans to revamp the KCC-owned Oakwood House. The council and its consultants believe the imposing Victorian house, currently a conference and events centre, could become a “beacon of hope for many young people”. It would have 30 trainees in its
Town to get first ‘hotel school’ Oakwood’s
cellence, promoting opportunities for young people through voca- tional training and apprenticeships within the hospitality industry. Its guiding principes would in-
clude: providing real-life work expe-
rience within a commercial hotel; forming strong partnerships
with schools, colleges and hotels; forging international links
first year, rising to 50 over the fol- lowing three years. Under the plans, Oakwood would be a “unique hotel school”, providing a luxury 4-star hotel as the core facility with all aspects of training and development. The aim, outlined in an in-
terim business plan, is to develop Oakwood House as a centre of ex-
A PLAQUE has been unveiled to mark a floral makeover of Maidstone’s Rocky Hill war me- morial. The revamped garden com- memorates the links with Maid- stone-based Royal Engineer and Gurkha regiments and recent conflicts in which they have fought. A number of plantswith sym-
bolic importance have been used in the scheme. They in- clude laurus nobilis (bay laurel) from the Royal Engineers' cap badge; rhododendron ‘Scarlet
with other hotel schools. There are currently no dedicated training hotels in the UK, though there are colleges and universities teaching theory and practical skills in a non-commercial environment. The business plan says the hos- pitality industry constantly criti- cises education for producing unsuitable students. “The gap be-
Tribute to Maidstone soldiers
Wonder’ as red rhododendron is the national flower ofNepal; red roses, symbolic of England; and tulipa biflora that grows natu- rally in the wild in Afghanistan and Iraq. Bridge ward Cllr David Pick-
ett donated money from his de- volved budget to pay for the plaque, after a suggestion by Lib Dem colleague Fran Smith. The official ceremony was performed by retiring Maidstone mayor, Cllr Eric Hotson, and for- mer leisure and culture cabinet member, Cllr Richard Ash.
Cllr
David Pickett and Fran Smith next to the
plaque
tween the two has never been sat- isfactorily narrowed. There is a se- rious skills shortage at all levels in the hospitality sector.” It concludes: “The opportunities
for Oakwood House becoming a fully commercial hotel train- ing school cannot be over-stated.” Students would have opportuni-
ties to gain recognised qualifica- tions on a variety of courses of varying lengths. “It is hoped that the Oakwood model will be replicated across the UK and that world-class hospital- ity skills will be developed here,” say consultants Mark Fagan Associates. The concept has the full support
of seniormanagers and members of KCC, including leader Paul Carter.
rich history OVER the past five years, a new £1.8m conference suite and overflow parking have been added, plus £1.1m spent on refur- bishing the 40 bed- rooms. Extensions to kitchens will be needed to achieve its full training potential. KCC is now seeking tenders for all, or parts, of the contract for: hotel operation
and expansion includ- ing accommodation, food and beverage fit-out and man- agement of a stand- alone ‘destination’ restaurant construction and development of spa fa- cilities. KCC bought Oak-
wood House in 1948 from John Graham- Wigan’s estate. He had extended the house, built more than 140 years ago for the Wigan family, who had a banking and hop merchant background.
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