RUTLAND HALL HOTEL & SPA

Marketing itself as ‘England’s Best Kept Secret’ and set in tranquil grounds is Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa. Boasting luxury spa treatments, a leisure club and a new dining experience, we enjoyed an exclusive interview with Joanne White, Managing Director, to find out the venue’s plans for expansion and how their location enhances their popularity.

With the rise in popularity of the short-stay/ staycation market since lockdown, how does the variety of accommodation Rutland Hall offers benefit the business?

With a wide range of accommodation types, we are able to meet the needs of many guest sectors for the short-stay market. With the variety in our self-catering and hotel room categories, this means we are able to flex our focus to meet the needs of a wider range of guests. The family market for school holiday periods, couples and small-friend groups outside of the holiday period and at weekends. The selfcatering elements of our accommodation give lend to guests opting for three to four night breaks, with the beauty of being able to flex into the full-service hotel facilities when they wish to.

Tell us about the lodges, and the different audience these attract compared to the hotel rooms.

Lodges primarily attract the family and small-friend groups. Our lodges range from two to four bedrooms, whilst our selfcatering apartments range from one to three bedrooms. We have seen a real uplift in the short-stay couple market during the early part of 2023, with demand far outstripping that of 2022, with a relatively short-lead booking window. However, the family and larger group market is demonstrating a much longer-lead booking window.

Rutland is an up-and-coming area – what part does Rutland Hall have to play in this?

Rutland, known as the UK’s smallest county, is a hidden gem in the midlands. Long-known by some as a stunning area of stone-cottaged villages, thriving market towns and outstanding walks, it’s only now coming to the fore as the UK short-break traveller seeks out the path less trodden. The overcrowding of other very popular locations such as Lake District, Cotwolds etc. are now meaning these travellers are seeking new places to explore. As Rutland is less than two hours from major cities such as London, Birmingham, Cambridge and Oxford, its stunning scenery along with its accessibility means it is becoming increasingly more visible each day. We see RHH has a fundamental part to play in raising the profile of our county, but in a sustainable and manageable way. We work closely with Discover Rutland to build the profile as a tourist destination.

Rutland Hall took on new owners in July 2020, tell us about the plans to grow the resort and how far along you are currently in the journey. Significant investment has already been made. From a complete refurbishment of all bedrooms, event space and the grade II listed main hall, and also introducing a new concept restaurant, bar and terrace. Next up in our journey will be to launch our 550-seater, brand new Pavilion Suite, a dedicated event suite for large-scale events and weddings opening in June 2023. This year will also see the start of our lodge refurbishment programme, including adding muchdesired hot tubs to the water-front-facing locations. From there, our 2024 plans are big with the launch of our newbuild 5* wellness spa. This is still very much in the design and research stages, but we hope to bring this to our guests from summer 2024.

What’s next for Rutland Hall?

Along with our development as described above, we are very much working to build our brand and market position, with our aim to be widely acknowledged as a leading resort hotel in the UK. This means we also continue to develop our brand, our values, our culture and invest in our talented colleagues to help deliver our mission: ‘To provide authentically warm hospitality that creates cherished memories for our guests, with a sustainable commitment to supporting our environment, our colleagues and community.’

Note to readers – the lodges will be part of the next phase of redevelopment at the resort.