SPA £90m Torbay plans gain approval


Torbay Council and Torbay Development Agency granted planning permission for a £90m luxury resort and flats development on the site of the existing Torquay Palace Hotel in Torbay in March. Mapstone Developments


are consulting GJR Architects to create the 137 apartments – a mix of flats and duplex units – with 270 parking spaces, private spa and lei- sure facilities. Divided into four blocks


Buxton Crescent spa scheme gets council loan extension


Derbyshire County Council announced that it is extending a multi-million pound loan to developers for the completion of Te Buxton Crescent and Termal Spa in February. The Council stepped in to save the


delayed redevelopment of Buxton Crescent into a £35m (US$57.9m, €42m) luxury 79-room hotel and spa. Te exact sum of money being lent to


Te Palace Hotel’s expansion plans include parts of Ansteys Cove


of flats in a gated, concierge-serviced com- munity linked to the hotel, these apartments will finance a £20m staged redevelopment of the entire hotel complex. Accommodation within the hotel will be


increased to 160-bedrooms with an extra pent- house storey. New luxury spas, restaurants and swimming pools are included in the Palace Hotel’s expansion plans, as well as an extension


of their 28-acre site to include Ansteys Cove and a stretch of Redgate Beach. “Tis is a new phase for the Palace Hotel to


respond to the changing needs of the tourism market,” said Paul Uphill, MD of the Palace Hotel. Work on the project may start as early as sum-


mer, enabling the reopening of Redgate Beach aſter it was closed off for 15 years following sub- sidence. Details: http://lei.sr?a=e3k5y


Champneys closes underperforming day spas


Spa operator Champneys closed its day spa in Bath, UK, on 31 March after six years of trading. Its day spa in Brighton will also shut its doors on 22 April due to underperformance. Owner, Stephen Purdew,


explained the company will be focusing on develop- ing its four destination spas and its six remaining day spas in Chichester, Enfield, Guildford, Milton Keynes, St Albans and Tunbridge Wells. He added that the develop-


Sheila McCann is the GM of Chiva-Som spa


Hoteliers misunderstand the spa industry: McCann


Champneys is moving from the high street to online retailing


ment of the company’s online retailing is important for the brand’s growth, but the decision to reduce its portfolio of day spas – as part of a strategic business portfolio review – highlights the wider challenges facing day spa operators: “Like any other retail outlet on the high


street, we’re subject to the vagaries of the econ- omy, changing customer demographics and local parking restrictions,” he said. “As a result, unfortu- nately, these locations have not been as successful as we’d hoped.” Details: http://lei.sr?a=E2A8q


Historic Lido in Reading to undergo structural repairs


Renovations to the roof and structure of a his- toric Grade II-listed lido in Reading may take place while delays in the planning process of a £3m (US$4.9m, €3.6m) spa complex continue. Redevelopment of the King’s Meadow Baths into a spa has attracted significant interest since


© CYBERTREK 2014


the council selected the complex as its preferred choice for the renovation in October, putting a 250-year lease out to tender. A separate application has been submitted to the


ouncil, which would allow minimal work to be car- ried out. Details: http://lei.sr?a=J7T9J


Twitter: @leisureopps


Sheila McCann, general manager of the Chiva-Som destination spa in Tailand, has said that most hoteliers don’t fully understand the spa industry because of their backgrounds. “Most come up through food & beverage or


the rooms division,” said McCann, speaking to the Spa Handbook. “Tey don’t take spas seriously enough as an operation to ever really enable the full business potential, although, thankfully this pattern is starting to change.” McCann also said that having a spa


person on board at a hotel brings a new dimension of understanding about the emotional needs of hotel guests. For more from Sheila McCann, the


Spa Handbook is available online here: http://lei.sr?a=A9O7e and a full interview with Sheila McCann can be viewed online here (p53-55): http://lei.sr?a=P3l4j


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital 7


developers – Te Trevor Osborne Property Group, CP Holdings plus Danubius Hotels – has not been disclosed and the comple- tion date for the development has been pushed back to 2016. “Te county council, High Peak Borough


Council, English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund all share our determination that, aſter 10 years of working together, we must get contractors on site to restore the heart of Buxton in a way that the whole community deeply desires,” said developer chair, Trevor Osborne. Details: http://lei.sr?a=2A4g9


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