The Bristol Hoteliers Association has appointed Imran Ali, general manager of the city’s Radisson Blu Hotel, as its new chairman.
Imran, pictured, has taken over from Mark Payne, general manager of The Bristol Hotel, who held the position for the past year. Mark helped reform the association, which previously existed in the early 2000s, giving it a strong voice and a lobbying role in the city.
Also taking up new positions at the association will be Mercure Holland House general manager Graeme Barclay, who becomes vice chairman, and Greg Csikos, general manager of Hampton by Hilton, Bristol, who is the new treasurer.
The Bristol Hoteliers Association is a non-profit organisation with more than 30 members – including the largest hotels in the city.
It provides a forum where hotel managers highlight and discuss issues affecting their business and also acts as a lobbying body, representing the city’s hotel sector to both the city council and national government.
Imran, along with his executive committee, will look at ways in which Bristol can attract more tourism and business visitors – with one of the more pressing issues being the ongoing debate over where the city’s long-awaited and much-delayed arena will be built.
Imran said: “With greater Bristol possessing more than 40 hotels and 4,000 rooms, maintaining high level occupancy is key to each venue’s ongoing success but also that of the city’s overall economy and prosperity.
“Whether it’s the high-end or budget venue, collectively all the hotels located in greater Bristol play a major role in the prosperity of the city and surrounding area.
“They employ thousands of people, use many local suppliers and act as a shop window when people and businesses are looking for somewhere to stay or host an event.”
Bristol, in common with many UK cities, has experienced a mini hotel boom in recent years, with new openings, particularly at the low-cost end of the market.
More new hotels are also on the cards – last week Bristol Business News revealed plans for a 250-room, four-star hotel in historic Broad Street – close to the former Guildhall and Assizes Courts, which are being converted into a 91-bedroom spa hotel, and the 42-room Harbour Hotel and Spa, which opened last year.
A number of other new hotels are also planned, including a 214-bedroom Moxy Hotel at Newfoundland Circus, close to Cabot Circus. At the same time, Airbnb is also hacving an impact on some parts of the market.
While the association welcomes the new hotels, it is concerned about the impact at a time when Bristol room rates are lagging behind other UK cities such as Manchester and Birmingham. This, in turn, puts pressure on their operators’ margins, potentially deterring them from investing in their hotels.
The association says this is partly due to the lack of a big entertainment venues in the city of the kind that attract global acts.
Imran added: “For all members, the most pressing decision is if and where the arena will be located. With Cardiff announcing it will be building a new arena and now Swansea doing the same, Bristol’s city leaders have to get on with it.
“It’s not just the hotels that will benefit. There will be significant overspill into restaurants, bars and all the great attractions of Bristol. The city’s retailers should also see a benefit with people from outside the city staying over and spending in the great variety of shops.
“Otherwise we’ll be left behind for the foreseeable future and the supplementary spend it is likely to bring in will be lost.”
