Hotels, Hospitality & Leisure

The hotels, hospitality & leisure sectiors are key sectors for the South West, generating income for the region and contributing to the South West’s enviable reputation as the favoured holiday destination for UK and overseas visitors.

Vickery Holman has a team of commercial property specialists right across the South West from The Isles of Scilly to north and west of Bristol. Having 4 regional offices, our local knowledge of market conditions and developments puts us in a strong position to advise and help investors, purchasers, owners and tenants of leisure properties to make informed decisions. We work with hotels, guest houses, pubs, restaurants and holiday parks for all their property requirements whether they are owners, managers or tenants. We help people to buy or sell their property, we offer advice on leases and rent reviews, we help with business rates checks and challenges and we provide building surveying services.

The Leisure Sector

We are more than simply an acquisition or letting agent for the Hotels, Hospitality and Leisure industries. We build long-term relationships with our clients, helping them with complex lease agreements, valuations, disputes and business rates consultancy. Vickery Holman is the leading multi-disciplinary commercial surveying consultancy in the South West, so when you work with us, you benefit from the strength of the expertise across our business.

The market is diverse, ranging from hotels to guest houses; cafes to fine dining restaurants; pubs to nightclubs, holiday rentals to large caravan parks. Whether you’re a new entrant to the market or a long-established operator in the sector, our specialist Hotels, Hospitality & Leisure team can help you make the right investment for you. We have 4 offices in the South West and a team of qualified surveyors to advise on valuations, rents and leases, business rates as well as to handle your sale or purchase. Our dedication to excellence and customer service is at the heart of what we do so you can trust us to give you the support and advice that you need.

To see the properties we are currently marketing, please click here.

Our specialist team of Chartered Surveyors across our offices offer a range of services which include, but are not limited to:

Appeals and mitigation on business rates liability
Acquisition and disposal
Accredited ‘Red Book’ valuations
Dispute resolution/expert witness work including service charges
Rent reviews on pubs for both landlords or tenants
Building advice
Asset reviews including disposal and acquisition advice

If you would like to discuss any of these services further, please do not hesitate to get in contact using the links below.

Frequently Asked Questions

I am thinking about selling my property but am worried about it impacting on my existing trading business?

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How do I get a valuation on my property?

Vickery Holman understand that having a valuation of your property and business can seem daunting, whether it be for lending purposes, tax planning or personal requirements. We will work with you to ensure the inspection is carried out at the right time and in a discrete way that doesn’t have any disrupting impact on the day to day running of the business. Our team of Leisure specialists are based in the South West and understand the local market ensuring we can value your property/business truly reflecting where it sits in its local and regional marketplace. Please contact us for an initial conversation about your valuation.

What should I think about when buying a hotel pub?

Buying a hotel pub is both a commercial and a lifestyle choice for many people. The market for staycations in the UK is very strong so there is an argument in favour of investing in leisure sectors that are likely to benefit from the stay at home tourists. There are many factors to consider including the location, market conditions, the trading history and profitability of the business, the anticipated maintenance of the business, the prime market e.g. families or adults only and seasonal fluctuations. Vickery Holman has a growing Hotel & Hospitality team who understand the market. Please talk to Mike Easton if you are thinking of selling or buying a hotel or pub.

What is the market like for holiday rentals?

The market for holiday rentals in the South West is strong, with bookings for 2021 already showing limited availability in prime locations. The property market in the South West boomed in September 2020 with a resultant rise in property prices. While forecasts vary for 2021, the long term forecast for property prices remain positive. Holiday-makers will always value properties near a beach or with other facilities included, especially if holiday-makers are looking to spend more on a UK holiday than they might normally.

How do I check and challenge my business rates?

All business owners must pay business rates. Many are currently eligible for the business rates holiday during the COVID-19 pandemic. Business rates are calculated using a rateable value. Vickery Holman has a very experienced team of business rates consultants across the South West, with a proven track record of checking and challenging business rates calculations. If we find your rateable value is excessive and you have been charged too much, the savings can be significant. Even if you have recently modernised your business, it would be worth having your business rates checked by a professional surveyor. Talk to our business rates specialists for Leisure here.

Do I have to pay rates on a holiday rental?

If your holiday rental property is in England and available to let for short periods that total 140 days or more per year, it will be rated as a self-catering property and valued for business rates. The Valuation Office will work out the rateable value of your property based on its type, size, location, quality, number of bed spaces and how much income you’re likely to make from letting it. If you only let one property and its rateable value is less than £15,000 you may be eligible for small business rates relief. Since business rates will eat into your profits, it is worth having your rateable value checked by our professional business rates specialists.

What do I need to consider before buying a hotel or pub business?

Buying a pub or a hotel is both a commercial and a lifestyle choice for many people. The South West market is very popular for hotel and letting room accommodation but the smaller population means that food and beverage led sites have to factor in the local customer base and those who visit the region on holiday or business. There are many factors to consider including the location of the site, market conditions, the trading history and profitability of the business, the anticipated maintenance of the business and seasonal fluctuations. Vickery Holman has a growing Hotels, Hospitality and Leisure team who understand this market. Please talk to Michael Easton if you are thinking of selling or buying a hotel or public house as a trading concern.

Tom Corser – www.tomcorser.com

Case Study

Tresco

Acting on behalf of the Tresco Estate, Vickery Holman successfully negotiated business rates reductions across a range of their Tresco Island properties, due to the impact of the loss of the helicopter service direct to the island back in 2012. Appeals were originally submitted back in 2015 for the public house, self-catering holiday units, leisure attraction and timeshare complexes. As this was a highly complex situation, negotiated settlements were reached with the Valuation Office Agency in June 2019. As a result of the successful appeals, Vickery Holman secured a rebate to our clients of over £130,000!

Nicola Murrish, Associate & rating surveyor in the Truro office, commented “We knew the helicopter service was important to the island and we knew it had a significant impact on the island and the way they operated. The impact on the different property types varied and we had to put a robust case to the Valuation Office Agency under the grounds of ‘a material change in circumstances’ demonstrating the impact and how and why it affected the Rateable Value of premises question.”

Gill Reading, Finance Manager for the estate commented on settlement of the appeals that “we are really pleased with the outcome and appreciate all the work you have put into this.”

Case Study

Porthpean Outdoor Education Centre

Acting on behalf of Cornwall Council we ran a process to find a new operator for Porthpean Outdoor Education Centre near St Austell. Situated at Castle Gotha the main site comprised a camping field with 24x 6 person pitches and 12x camping pods, with reception, canteen, classroom and break out areas, high ropes and activity barn with climbing walls and caving system, all overlooking the coastline within 3.6 acres. The process involved a timed marketing campaign to seek all interest and lease bids in order to secure the long-term core business, that of providing affordable outdoor activities for children. The business included the commercial rights to the Porthpean beach and there was significant interest from existing operators and this culminated in a considerable number of proposals being put forward for review. From these the front runner was First Wave Adventures who already run an outdoor centre from Great Western Beach at Newquay.

Mark Turner, General Manager at First Wave Adventures said: “We are very proud to take on the operation of Porthpean Outdoor Education Centre and to finally have the keys in hand! We are excited about evolving and expanding the current offering to ensure schools and the wider community can access the very best outdoor education experience, here in this wonderful part of the county. As a Cornish company, we are passionate about supporting local schools and offering the teachers and children an incredible experience they will never forget. Plans are in place to get the venue up and operational as soon as possible in 2023 and bookings for school groups will be available as before, along with the other facilities run from the site and the beach below.”

This collaborative approach has provided a great result for all concerned.

Case Study

Sale of Langdon Court Hotel

Vickery Holman were instructed to sell the 16 Century, Grade ll* listed 4 star Jacobean house, Langdon Court Hotel, which has a great deal of history as well as being one of the best known venues in the Plymouth area. Langdon Court stands in 10 acres of ground including beautiful gardens, a vineyard, lakes and two former outbuildings in addition to the 19 en-suite bedrooms in the main property, but was in need of considerable investment to restore it to its former glory. The level of interest shows there is still a very high demand for beautiful properties in the South West and the new owners have started the process of renovating the manor house and gardens.

Case Study

Pubs in the South West

We act for a range of owners in the pub sector, from individual free house operators to National pub groups. The pub market in the Southwest has been very active during the COVID with demand outstripping supply, particularly in the village free house market under £500,000.

As we come out of the pandemic we expect stock to grow and currently have a wide range of sites available for sale and for lease across the region. These range from village sites to town venues and some with potential to change the operating style as this sector continues its evolution. Much is written about the pub trade and the challenges it has faced, but suffice to say that basics still maintain where the venues that listen to customer feedback, provide a clean and warm environment with service at the forefront continue to succeed where other do not. Where we are seeing some venues drop trading sessions we are seeing others benefit from remaining open and gaining new customers.

It is an exciting sector to be involved in and we maintain contact with operators across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset and due to the nature of selling going concerns we often have a number of sites available in an off market capacity to protect bookings and staff retention. In addition to the agency services our general practice team work to provide professional advice to support bank funding, inheritance and tax purposes.