Hotel forced to shut down as rivals take away trade (From Southend Standard)
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Hotel forced to shut down as rivals take away trade
10:30am Friday 9th July 2010 in News
The Balmoral Hotel, in Valkyrie Road, Westcliff
A HOTEL which has welcomed tourists for more than 30 years has closed down.
Bosses at the Balmoral Hotel in Valkyrie Road, Westcliff, have been hit by the opening of the refurbished Palace Hotel and with more modern hotels in the pipeline for Southend. The owners say they could no longer compete. The hotel closed its doors on Sunday, leaving 14 people without work.
Sinclair Brown, 56, from Thorpe Bay, has been connected with the 27-bedroom hotel for as long as it has operated and bought it from its former owners along with co-owner, David Mead, five years ago.
He said: “We have been forced to close. The Park Inn Palace Hotel killed our trade. Our occupancy rates dropped by two thirds since it opened.
“We had 14 staff, but we were not making enough to support them. Some nights we were offering single £90 a night rooms for £29, cheaper than a B&B.
“We had a receptionist and a night porter. The big hotels have the same, but with a far higher income. We just couldn't go on.”
Mr Sinclair raised concerns that other smaller hotels could be at risk in the town, because of the demand for the bigger chains.
He said: “Small hotels are dead in this town. The banks don’t want to know us any more. They are only interested in the big hotels.
“The Balmoral is a beautiful hotel. I knew the owners who opened it in 1978 and have been associated with the hotel ever since. We spent £400,000 refurbishing it, but now we don’t know what will happen to the building.
“Southend Council has done all it can. We spoke to it about redeveloping it into a nursing home and it seemed supportive with that.”
Comments(37)
anon anon
says...
11:05am Fri 9 Jul 10
Peter Pantsless
says...
11:12am Fri 9 Jul 10
anon anon wrote:Quite agree.
its a dump in a rubbish area....
.
Did you also know this neighbourhood has the highest ratio of chip-pan to Bedsit fires anywhere in the western hemisphere.
DannyK86
says...
11:12am Fri 9 Jul 10
Peter Pantsless wrote:What do you expect the council to have done? It can't go around subsidising unprofitable businesses - I think you're just taking a pop at the council for the sake of it!
This is a shame. Have some found memories of receptions and partys, etc. . Regarding the comment that Southend council has done all it can, well unfortunatley we all know how this council operates and rest assured this will be approved for development as a luxury apartment complex (without adequate parking)within no time. All SBC is interested in is the revenue generated from council tax.
Peter Pantsless
says...
11:20am Fri 9 Jul 10
DannyK86 wrote:Not having a 'pop', just stating fact.
Peter Pantsless wrote: This is a shame. Have some found memories of receptions and partys, etc. . Regarding the comment that Southend council has done all it can, well unfortunatley we all know how this council operates and rest assured this will be approved for development as a luxury apartment complex (without adequate parking)within no time. All SBC is interested in is the revenue generated from council tax.What do you expect the council to have done? It can't go around subsidising unprofitable businesses - I think you're just taking a pop at the council for the sake of it!
DannyK86
says...
11:28am Fri 9 Jul 10
Peter Pantsless wrote:Well I'll reiterate - what should the council do? Bail out the hotel? Because then every business will want money, and as the Tory government is slashing public funds everywhere, there simply isn;t the money to give out.
DannyK86 wrote:Not having a 'pop', just stating fact.Peter Pantsless wrote: This is a shame. Have some found memories of receptions and partys, etc. . Regarding the comment that Southend council has done all it can, well unfortunatley we all know how this council operates and rest assured this will be approved for development as a luxury apartment complex (without adequate parking)within no time. All SBC is interested in is the revenue generated from council tax.What do you expect the council to have done? It can't go around subsidising unprofitable businesses - I think you're just taking a pop at the council for the sake of it!
The article has already mentioned the possibility of redevelopment as a care home, but other than that turning it into proper flats would be better than it being turned into scummy bedsits or another homeless/drug addicts den like other places in this area! Even worse would be leaving it derelict.
emcee
says...
11:36am Fri 9 Jul 10
Mark D
says...
11:57am Fri 9 Jul 10
Peter Pantsless
says...
12:00pm Fri 9 Jul 10
DannyK86 wrote:Lets be honest, the council arent interested one bit in helping this hotel, this is due to its location and more importantly they are too busy claiming all the credit they can for the Palace Hotel redevelopment.
Peter Pantsless wrote:Well I'll reiterate - what should the council do? Bail out the hotel? Because then every business will want money, and as the Tory government is slashing public funds everywhere, there simply isn;t the money to give out. The article has already mentioned the possibility of redevelopment as a care home, but other than that turning it into proper flats would be better than it being turned into scummy bedsits or another homeless/drug addicts den like other places in this area! Even worse would be leaving it derelict.DannyK86 wrote:Not having a 'pop', just stating fact.Peter Pantsless wrote: This is a shame. Have some found memories of receptions and partys, etc. . Regarding the comment that Southend council has done all it can, well unfortunatley we all know how this council operates and rest assured this will be approved for development as a luxury apartment complex (without adequate parking)within no time. All SBC is interested in is the revenue generated from council tax.What do you expect the council to have done? It can't go around subsidising unprofitable businesses - I think you're just taking a pop at the council for the sake of it!
.
Danny if your such a fan of this council then why dont you see if you can persuade Chainsaw to plant a few palm trees along Valkyrie Rd to spruce up the area as she seams to think palms trees solve everything!
Baker_Boy
says...
1:16pm Fri 9 Jul 10
anon anon
says...
2:25pm Fri 9 Jul 10
Peter Pantsless wrote:why should a private hotel get help from the council ?
This is a shame. Have some found memories of receptions and partys, etc. . Regarding the comment that Southend council has done all it can, well unfortunatley we all know how this council operates and rest assured this will be approved for development as a luxury apartment complex (without adequate parking)within no time. All SBC is interested in is the revenue generated from council tax.
Robb
says...
3:57pm Fri 9 Jul 10
Mary Lou
says...
4:58pm Fri 9 Jul 10
.
This is capitalism at its finest, Market Forces and all that. I wasn't aware that state run hotels were on this years manifesto.
torridpiper
says...
5:18pm Fri 9 Jul 10
The Hotel is dated, dirty and it is situated in an area of the same description with the added bonus of having half of Londons homeless people congregating 2 mins walk up the road.
Convert it to a home for 'Foxes'
jolllyboy
says...
5:43pm Fri 9 Jul 10
Assuming they do of course.
nails
says...
6:15pm Fri 9 Jul 10
torridpiper
says...
6:19pm Fri 9 Jul 10
jolllyboy wrote:I can imagine the people staying in Southend for the Olympics, a 40 odd mile journey on a railway creaking at the seams full up with commuters Or perhaps they could use the A13 thro Hadleigh Or the A127 and its conveyor belt motoring.
Pity it could not hang on till the supposed influx of holidaymakers and those coming to the olympics.
Assuming they do of course.
Or perhaps you means all the mountain bike supporters for the 2 day event!!
We can always wish!
This hotel if left open would be the last place suitable for visitors from abroad they might decide to stay with the homeless.
stropmag
says...
6:54pm Fri 9 Jul 10
Miss D Meaner
says...
7:52pm Fri 9 Jul 10
stropmag wrote:Quite. Ninety pounds for a night in that place?! No wonder the place closed.
90 quid a night for a single room!! The management must have been taking lessons from dear old Doddy or some of his Diddy Men.
Isaac Hunt
says...
9:54pm Fri 9 Jul 10
gitreal
says...
4:59am Sat 10 Jul 10
essexlad70
says...
12:05pm Sat 10 Jul 10
Southendman
says...
12:14pm Sat 10 Jul 10
essex beaufighter
says...
12:19pm Sat 10 Jul 10
stropmag wrote:Too right. 90 Queen sheets for one night! I'ld expect all in for that and I mean,all in. Can one still go to that charming York Road district to meet a classy lady? Unfortunately I have just booked my hols for this year and yes I deliberated for quite some time whether to stay at the Balmoral in sunny Southend or fly off to the Canaries. Tough call though. Seriously though, what does Southend offer to any potential holiday maker? Ok for a day out maybe but a week? What is there to do for goodness sake. Cannot go to the Cliffs Pavillion as the seats are dangerous we are told, the beaches are dirty and are in the process of having wild flowers cleared as the stupid council believes them to be weeds. If I have missed some chance of riveting entertainment that is worthy of a week spent there then I would of course be pleased to know what it is!
90 quid a night for a single room!! The management must have been taking lessons from dear old Doddy or some of his Diddy Men.
emcee
says...
12:24pm Sat 10 Jul 10
essex beaufighter wrote:Better take your holidays in Southend while you can because the council are gradually taking int all away. Soon it will be a suburb of Basildon...aaaarrrgh
stropmag wrote:Too right. 90 Queen sheets for one night! I'ld expect all in for that and I mean,all in. Can one still go to that charming York Road district to meet a classy lady? Unfortunately I have just booked my hols for this year and yes I deliberated for quite some time whether to stay at the Balmoral in sunny Southend or fly off to the Canaries. Tough call though. Seriously though, what does Southend offer to any potential holiday maker? Ok for a day out maybe but a week? What is there to do for goodness sake. Cannot go to the Cliffs Pavillion as the seats are dangerous we are told, the beaches are dirty and are in the process of having wild flowers cleared as the stupid council believes them to be weeds. If I have missed some chance of riveting entertainment that is worthy of a week spent there then I would of course be pleased to know what it is!
90 quid a night for a single room!! The management must have been taking lessons from dear old Doddy or some of his Diddy Men.
.
Horace Wimpole
says...
6:20pm Sat 10 Jul 10
Peter Pantsless wrote:Luxury apartments in Valkyrie Road? I think not, that's not the area's style. More like multiple occupancy buildings for chavs and druggies.
This is a shame.
Have some found memories of receptions and partys, etc.
.
Regarding the comment that Southend council has done all it can, well unfortunatley we all know how this council operates and rest assured this will be approved for development as a luxury apartment complex (without adequate parking)within no time.
All SBC is interested in is the revenue generated from council tax.
essex beaufighter
says...
8:43pm Sat 10 Jul 10
Horace Wimpole wrote:So true, I remember working near Hamlet Court Road in the '80,s and it was pretty rancid then. It could only get worse with age. I cannot see luxury apartments being built. More likely it will be places of multiple occupancy that Southend seems to favour so much. I understand that the Queens Hotel is being refurbished so they will need somewhere to house all the asylum seekers and others eligable for council funded accomodation. Southend used to house many of these from other areas and then costs would be recovered from whatever local authority they were the responsibility of. A nice little earner but does not do much for the prestige (sorry, you will have to work hard imagining that) of the town.
Peter Pantsless wrote: This is a shame. Have some found memories of receptions and partys, etc. . Regarding the comment that Southend council has done all it can, well unfortunatley we all know how this council operates and rest assured this will be approved for development as a luxury apartment complex (without adequate parking)within no time. All SBC is interested in is the revenue generated from council tax.Luxury apartments in Valkyrie Road? I think not, that's not the area's style. More like multiple occupancy buildings for chavs and druggies.
essex beaufighter
says...
10:03am Sun 11 Jul 10
emcee wrote:Suburb of Basildon eh, well if that makes it anything like Billericay that has got to be an improvement!
essex beaufighter wrote:Better take your holidays in Southend while you can because the council are gradually taking int all away. Soon it will be a suburb of Basildon...aaaarrrgh .stropmag wrote: 90 quid a night for a single room!! The management must have been taking lessons from dear old Doddy or some of his Diddy Men.Too right. 90 Queen sheets for one night! I'ld expect all in for that and I mean,all in. Can one still go to that charming York Road district to meet a classy lady? Unfortunately I have just booked my hols for this year and yes I deliberated for quite some time whether to stay at the Balmoral in sunny Southend or fly off to the Canaries. Tough call though. Seriously though, what does Southend offer to any potential holiday maker? Ok for a day out maybe but a week? What is there to do for goodness sake. Cannot go to the Cliffs Pavillion as the seats are dangerous we are told, the beaches are dirty and are in the process of having wild flowers cleared as the stupid council believes them to be weeds. If I have missed some chance of riveting entertainment that is worthy of a week spent there then I would of course be pleased to know what it is!
S6girly
says...
3:10pm Mon 12 Jul 10
The closure of this hotel, whether you like the place or not, means the loss of fourteen jobs and that's a sad fact.
Snobbery isn't the answer ... Surely.
BlueBoySS1
says...
5:01pm Mon 12 Jul 10
essex beaufighter
says...
5:27pm Mon 12 Jul 10
S6girly wrote:Very true, today it could be around the corner for anyone.
I have in the past lived in Valkyrie Road and various other streets in the surrounding area ...... I survived ! The closure of this hotel, whether you like the place or not, means the loss of fourteen jobs and that's a sad fact. Snobbery isn't the answer ... Surely.
Still a fact though that Southend has had this problem for decades and will always retain its seedy image as far as hotels are concerned.
BlueBoySS1
says...
8:52pm Mon 12 Jul 10
essex beaufighter
says...
9:09pm Mon 12 Jul 10
BlueBoySS1 wrote:Ooh er! My mistake I meant the Royal at the bottom of the High Street. Still plenty of old queens in Southend though.
btw before I forget to rememeber... if I remember right the Queen's was at the bottom of HCR near the entrance to the Southend bound platform of Westcliff train station? If am right then might be almost impossible to house asylum seekers in a hotel that's long since been knocked down and us now "granny" flats! Any other stories or issues anyone wants to have a dig at the homeless while you're at it? Maybe some of the armed robberies perhaps the trouble outside nightclubs at weekends. Don't forget to blame them for the credit crunch, the global banking crisis and for good measure how about England's poor display at the World Cup!
I remember the Queens Hotel being knocked down whilst I was working in Westcliff. Mid '80's I think.
Ivanna Goodhump
says...
5:26pm Tue 13 Jul 10
Horace Wimpole wrote:More likely it will become "flats" to house a few hundred more Somali/Zimbabwe Asylum seekers to complement the existing population in Westcliff.
Peter Pantsless wrote: This is a shame. Have some found memories of receptions and partys, etc. . Regarding the comment that Southend council has done all it can, well unfortunatley we all know how this council operates and rest assured this will be approved for development as a luxury apartment complex (without adequate parking)within no time. All SBC is interested in is the revenue generated from council tax.Luxury apartments in Valkyrie Road? I think not, that's not the area's style. More like multiple occupancy buildings for chavs and druggies.
At least they will have somewhere dry to deal dugs from.
Perhaps they could then sublet a few rooms to a few Chinese illegals to use as a cannabis farm or DVD factory.
Mark D
says...
9:48pm Tue 13 Jul 10
Mark D wrote:I neglected to mention that I was referring to the Ilfracombe Hotel (www.ilfracombe-hote
I have a friend who owns and manages a small hotel in Southend. When I last discussed with him how business was doing (a few months ago), he told me it was doing very well. So I guess a lot of it comes down to management
l.co.uk). So, if you need somewhere to stay in Southend, it's worth checking out!
S6girly
says...
12:48am Wed 14 Jul 10
essex beaufighter wrote:The Queens Hotel was still there in the mid 80's ..... We had a good crowd of mates there then ..... I think it may have been a little later when they pulled it down.....
BlueBoySS1 wrote: btw before I forget to rememeber... if I remember right the Queen's was at the bottom of HCR near the entrance to the Southend bound platform of Westcliff train station? If am right then might be almost impossible to house asylum seekers in a hotel that's long since been knocked down and us now "granny" flats! Any other stories or issues anyone wants to have a dig at the homeless while you're at it? Maybe some of the armed robberies perhaps the trouble outside nightclubs at weekends. Don't forget to blame them for the credit crunch, the global banking crisis and for good measure how about England's poor display at the World Cup!Ooh er! My mistake I meant the Royal at the bottom of the High Street. Still plenty of old queens in Southend though. I remember the Queens Hotel being knocked down whilst I was working in Westcliff. Mid '80's I think.
BASILBRUSH
says...
1:09am Wed 14 Jul 10
I don't think The Palace would be too much competition though, there are too few decent hotels in the area.
The ever expanding Roslin seems to be doing well, and plans for the Airport hotel are moving forward.
British hotels need to up there game though. Too many times I have paid £90 for a room in an independent hotel expecting a decent standard (at least clean and reasonably modern), only to be very dissapointed.
At least with the major chains you generally know what you are getting, and often at half the price.
Sorry to hear of the job losses, but as others have suggested, what has SBC go to do with it?
Peter Pantsless says...
10:46am Fri 9 Jul 10
Have some found memories of receptions and partys, etc.
.
Regarding the comment that Southend council has done all it can, well unfortunatley we all know how this council operates and rest assured this will be approved for development as a luxury apartment complex (without adequate parking)within no time.
All SBC is interested in is the revenue generated from council tax.