News: Mercure hotel refurbishment complete

London based asset management firm Dominvs Group has completed the refurbishment project to convert its Aston Hotel Sheffield/Rotherham into the Mercure Sheffield Parkway.

With 78 bedrooms, the hotel is on the part of the Sheffield Business Park that is just inside the Rotherham border. Opened in 2008, the £5.7m hotel is the first Accor branded hotel in the Dominvs Hospitality portfolio.

The idea to convert and rebrand the hotel was initially devised by Dominvs Group three months earlier following the great success of previous rebrand projects taken place at its Darlington and Dumfries hotels.

The transformation involved redesigning the traditional hotel lobby by combining the front desk, restaurant, bar, lounge area and business centre. The professional team included RSD interiors as interior designers, Jaymar interiors as appointed build contractors with the hotel being operated by Dominvs Hospitality under a franchise agreement with Accor's Mercure brand.

Jonathan Sheard, SVP Operations Luxury, Upscale & Midscale Hotels, Accor UK & Ireland, said: "It is exciting to see this refurbishment complete and we look forward to welcoming guests at the new Mercure Sheffield Parkway hotel."

Preet Ahluwalia of Dominvs Group, added: "We see the rebrand as a great opportunity to maximise the performance of our hotel in Sheffield as a Mercure hotel, due to the strength of the Accor distribution system and strong brand identity."

Mercure Sheffield Parkway website
Dominvs Group website

Images: Dominvs Group

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News: Aston Hotel rebranded

The £5.7m Aston Hotel Sheffield/Rotherham has become the Mercure Sheffield Parkway hotel after Accor entered into a franchise agreement with Dominvs Hospitality.

With 78 bedrooms, the hotel is on the part of the Sheffield Business Park that is just inside the Rotherham border. Built by the London asset management firm and opened in 2008, the hotel will be the first Accor branded hotel in the Dominvs Hospitality portfolio, being of strategic importance for the group's expansion into the hospitality sector.

The contemporary mid-market hotel also offers an all-day dining restaurant, Starbucks, lobby lounge, conference and event facilities.

Andrea Hippsley, general manager of hotel, said: "We are extremely excited with the decision to re-brand our Aston Hotel. The Mercure brand will complement our hotel design, service offering and leading location within the Sheffield region."

Preet Ahluwalia, director of Dominvs Group, added: "The decision to re-brand our Sheffield Hotel was influenced by our experience gained from the re-branding of our Aston Darlington Hotel. We see a great opportunity to maximise the performance of our hotel in Sheffield as a Mercure hotel, due to the strength of the Accor distribution system and strong brand identity."

Sheffield Parkway hotel joins a network of 74 Mercure hotels in the UK and 758 Mercure hotels worldwide. An awarding-winning brand, it was deemed, "The Best Midscale Hotel Group" by the British Travel Awards 2013 and the Business Travel Awards 2014, proving its popularity to consumers and the business community.

Thomas Dubaere, chief operating officer Hotel Services at Accor UK & Ireland, said: "We are very pleased to welcome the Mercure Sheffield Parkway hotel into the rapidly growing Accor network. The signing of this hotel is proof of the confidence in our Hotel Services offer as brand franchisor and proves that independent hotels are attracted to the strength of our distribution services and brands."

Aston Hotels website

Images: Dominvs Hospitality

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News: Exploring Growth Accelerator with Moorhead Savage

Rotherham insolvency practice, Moorhead Savage is hosting a special master class on the Growth Accelerator project.

Growth Accelerator, part funded by the EU, is a unique service led by some of the country's most successful growth specialists, encouraging companies to discover new connections, new routes to investment and the new ideas and strategy needed for businesses to achieve their full potential.

Based in RiDO's Moorgate Crofts business centre, Moorhead Savage is headed by Paul Moorhead who leads a team offering high quality, professional, impartial and ethical help and debt advice to both companies and individuals.

The December 4 master class at the Aston Hotel in Rotherham, close to Junction 33 of the M1, runs from 8.30am to 11.30am and is being aimed specifically at accountants, solicitors and professional service businesses.

Paul Moorhead, managing director at Moorhead Savage, said: "In my experience, as a professional adviser you will be very good at delivering sound business advice to your clients on how to run a business but that doesn't mean you don't need support for yourself too.

"As a company we have seen for ourselves at Moorhead Savage how signing up to the Growth Accelerator programme can deliver results and this master class by the Growth Accelerator team will demonstrate how to properly prepare for growth and develop the skills and resources needed to achieve your full potential."

To find out more about the Growth Accelerator master class visit www.moorheadsavage.co.uk/growthaccelerator, email: nicola@moorheadsavage.co.uk or call 01709 331300.

Paul Moorhead, Britain's only insolvency practitioner with a PhD in Insolvency Law was recently named the Corporate Insolvency Practitioner of the Year in the Small Firms category of the prestigious 2013 Insolvency and Rescue Awards.

Moorhead Savage website
Growth Accelerator website

Images: Growth Accelerator

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News: Taxi for Aston Hotel

The Aston Hotel Sheffield/Rotherham has signed a contract with Sheffield-based taxi advertising specialists Cabvertise to have two XTI metallic grey taxis branded with the Aston Hotel Group livery. The taxis, one based in Sheffield and one in Rotherham, regularly pick up guests heading to the hotel, located off the Sheffield Parkway at Catcliffe. Lesley Twigg, Aston Hotel’s general manager said: "The taxis look fantastic and we are confident that they will not be ignored as they run through Sheffield and in the Rotherham area." Aston Hotel Sheffield/Rotherham opened in April and has been met with an enthusiastic response. Business people from Sheffield Business Park make it their ‘after-work’ venue for drinks and an evening meal. It has also attracted a loyal local clientelle for Sunday lunches in the Brasserie and Bar 59.

Aston Hotels website
Rotherham

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News: Hotel seen as vital to economic regeneration

Officially opening the new £5.7million Aston Hotel Sheffield/Rotherham last month, the outgoing Mayor of Rotherham, Councillor Allan Jackson spoke of the powerful northern economic cross-Pennine triangle and in particular, the hundreds of millions of pounds currently being invested in Sheffield and Rotherham, bringing tangible benefits to the local communities. He said:” Aston Hotel will be an asset on the Parkway as development continues. I have been very impressed with the level of design, comfort and service I have seen here today and was delighted to learn that almost all the staff have been recruited locally, with some walking or cycling to work daily." Aston Hotel Sheffield/Rotherham is situated on the Rotherham side of the Sheffield Business Park at Catcliffe and operates Aston’s ‘Think Leisure, Think Business’ ethos, attracting business and leisure travellers.
Aston Hotels website
Hotel Designs article

Sheffield Telegraph article

Rotherham

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News: Rotherham employers leading the way

Employers in Rotherham are leading the way in a new initiative to help people get into work. A launch event was held recently for the DWP's Local Employer Partnership scheme were the Rotherham Primary Care Trust and Aston Hotel at Catcliffe were officially signed up. The PCT are offereing work trials and flexible working patterns and the hotel are working with JobCentre Plus on their recruitment as part of the agreement. Lesley Twigg, manager of Aston Hotel told The Advertiser: "As the business grows we continually have vacancies for staff. To respond to this we are keen to draw on the hidden talent in our local communities." The Star reports that the number of people in Rotherham completing apprenticeships has gone up by almost 90 per cent in the past three years. According to figures released today around one in 15 young people in the town are now taking up an apprenticeship when they leave school. Wentworth MP John Healey told the paper: "Upskilling our population is good for the economy - we live in an increasingly competitive world and we must unlock the talents of all our people to remain strong and prosperous."
DWP LEP website

Aston Hotels website

Rotherham PCT website
The Star article

Rotherham

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News: Aston Hotels appoint new general manager

The UK's youngest hotel group, Aston Hotels, has appointed Lesley Twigg as general manager of its new 78 bedroom hotel on the Rotherham side of the Sheffield Business Park. Middlesbrough-born Lesley will run the £5.7m Aston Sheffield/Rotherham Hotel when it opens on April 22. The hotel will also operate seven bespoke, flexible conference rooms that can cater for between 2 and 100 delegates.
Aston Hotels website
NE Business article
Rotherham

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News: Aston Hotels topping out ceremony in Rotherham

Aston Hotels has placed a time capsule at a topping out ceremony at it's newest hotel on the Rotherham side of the Sheffield Business Park. The Aston Hotel Sheffield Rotherham is the third location for the chain and is set to open in April 2008.

Aston Hotels website
The Business Desk article

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