HOTELS


Should ex-offenders be our industry’s most-wanted?


PETER DUCKER is chief executive of the Institute of Hospitality


Southampton Harbour Hotel breaks ground


Work on the super-yacht- inspired Southampton Harbour Hotel develop- ment is now underway at Ocean Village – the marina project being developed and operated by MDL Marinas. Te Southampton Harbour


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ecruiting qualified, experienced personnel is an ongoing challenge for many leisure businesses and competition can be fierce.


However, there is a potentially untapped


resource: ex-offenders. I know of one hotel kitchen that successfully employed an ex- prisoner who had served a 12-year sentence for murder. A commercial kitchen might not seem like the most appropriate environ- ment for a murderer, but thanks to close collaboration with prison staff and honest communication from all involved, the hotel staff, management and the ex-prisoner were made to feel comfortable about it. Changing employer perceptions and


showing that ex-offenders can benefit the business is a challenge. Someone who has recently been released from prison and wants to change their life for the better needs employers to look past their mistakes and take them for what they are now. For businesses, hiring an ex-offender can


satisfy a number of different needs includ- ing financial, moral and societal. It can even assist a company in meeting its corporate social responsibility initiatives. Te benefits for the individual can be even greater. Te Chartered Institute of Personnel and


Development (CIPD) conducted a survey of employers that showed: “the employers’ experiences in employing ex-offenders were far more positive” than expected. Employers reported that “re-offending when in employ- ment was very rare indeed, underlining the contribution getting a job can make to reducing reoffending.” In addition, the majority of the employers found ex-offend- ers integrated well with other staff, were reliable, honest and had good attitudes. Ex-offenders are often looking for


someone to give them a chance, but are anxious about disclosing a criminal record. Given the opportunity, ex-offend- ers are keen to prove that they are loyal and hard working. Stable employment for an ex-offender can reduce or remove the risk of re-offending and give the new employee independence and confidence. It is a win-win situation for the employer, the employee and society as a whole.


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Hotel – owned by hotel devel- oper Nicolas James Group and set to be operated by Harbour Hotels – will have 86 bedrooms, 12 apart- ments, a swimming pool, rooſtop restaurant, gym and health spa. A representative of the Nicolas James Group told Leisure Opportunities that the spa’s details are unavailable at this point in time. In addition to the hotel, three new residen-


Te hotel is due to be completed and ready to open in June 2017 Planning approval was granted in April


tial towers will constructed, comprising 82 high-end residential apartments and four retail units. Te hotel and apartments are due to be completed and ready to open in June 2017, conceived by design firm Scott Brownrigg. Expected to be the first five-star hotel


offering in the city for five years, the £50m development will directly employ 300 people.


2012 and the initial site investigations were conducted during November 2013. There are five existing Harbour Hotels,


owned by property investors Nicolas James Group, including Christchurch Harbour Hotel and the Kings Hotel, both in Christchurch, Dorset; St Ives Harbour Hotel in Cornwall; Salcombe Harbour Hotel and the Sidmouth Harbour Hotel, both in Devon. Details: http://lei.sr?a=R2k8F


£35m boutique hotel for Edinburgh


Work is set to start in October on designs from New York-based Grzywinski + Pons in conjunction with Michael Laird Architects for a £35m boutique hotel in Edinburgh. Hotel developer Union Hanover


Securities has secured provisional planning permission from City of Edinburgh Council and will now push ahead with bringing the 180-room hotel on Freer Street to fruition. Te developer sees Edinburgh as a key


strategic location for hospitality – second only to London, where it is currently working with Grzywinski + Pons on another boutique hotel in Stratford City, the site of the 2012 Olympic Games. Designs for the hotel see champagne cladding and grey brick build defined by faceted balcony spaces along its southern side to maximise light. An added flourish comes in the form of a fine stainless steel mesh which is virtually invisible to guests but which creates a distinctive landmark in the form of a glistening façade for onlookers. In addition to its selection of suites – some of


which boast views over Edinburgh Castle – the hotel will feature 24 hour reception/concierge, lounge and restaurant facilities, gym and other guest amenities. With considerable frontage on the canal, it will also offer al fresco dining.


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


A fine stainless steel mesh creates a glistening façade “We are very excited that we now have


permission to begin work on delivering this project that we were so pleased to have the opportunity to design in a setting with as rich of an architectural history as Edinburgh,” said architect Matthew Grzywinski. “We are confident that our vision will both respect and enhance the built fabric of this wonderful city.” Details: http://lei.sr?a=M9A2W


Twitter: @leisureopps © CYBERTREK 2015


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