Tour operator caters for holidays at home

Jul 7 2008 by Graeme King, The Journal

TWO major hotels in the North East have been bought by coach tour operator Shearings as part of a £25m plan to expand its business.

Shearings Holidays, now the UK’s ninth-largest hotel chain, has acquired the George Hotel in Chollerford near Hexham, Northumberland, and the Eden Arms Hotel in Rushyford, near Durham, as well as the St George Hotel in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

The Lancashire firm said the move followed extensive market research.

Though Shearings, of Wigan, is more traditionally known for its position in the coach holiday sector, the firm is now expanding its hotel estate. It is restructuring the business into three tiers: Coast & Country, Classic Collection and Value Collection.

The George Hotel has been categorised as part of the premium Coast & Country range while The Eden Arms hotel has been added to the Classic Collection.

Shearings chief executive Denis Wormwell said: “Increasingly our hotels are attracting more independent travellers who are looking for quality and value for money.

“In an economic climate where the strength of the euro puts people off travelling abroad, it makes sound commercial sense to commit our resources to expand our hotel portfolio.”