Buying a hotel in blackpool...
Discussion
tooldtocruise said:
You get people who have never been abroad in there life for whatever reason
we had people who come 4 times a year.. every year
its not and never will be like the hay day of the 60s 70s when hundreds of people used to sleep on the piers because there wasn't a bed left in the town or like the bloke a few doors from me had bunk beds made in two sheds out the back to rent out
there's a lot rundown and shutting down but they are the people who have never updated anything or have hit there own bar ...this happens a lot
there are hundreds of hotels for sale but if you think about it there are thousands running and making money
Thanks very much for your replies!we had people who come 4 times a year.. every year
its not and never will be like the hay day of the 60s 70s when hundreds of people used to sleep on the piers because there wasn't a bed left in the town or like the bloke a few doors from me had bunk beds made in two sheds out the back to rent out
there's a lot rundown and shutting down but they are the people who have never updated anything or have hit there own bar ...this happens a lot
there are hundreds of hotels for sale but if you think about it there are thousands running and making money
Have I got a way of contacting you privately?
Your help would be very much appreciated!
tooldtocruise said:
I havent really I don't fancy sticking my mobile number on here
feel free to ask anything you want to know
if you are really interested in about 8 weeks time i will be going to blackpool to check up on my hotel id be happy to meet up to help you out
you could send a PH private message and exchange email addresses and phone numbers on that .. feel free to ask anything you want to know
if you are really interested in about 8 weeks time i will be going to blackpool to check up on my hotel id be happy to meet up to help you out
@tooltdtocruise
Hope you dont mind me butting in, but we are also considering buying in Blackpool and you seem to be a mine of information
Is it really necessary to run a bar in your premises? We are looking at buying a 10 bed place either in South Shore or Central and targeting families, couples etc and plan on offering fairly high spec accomodation. We have been given various advice re running a bar or not. Our preference would be not but we really are not sure if this would be a big disadvantage or not. We were originally looking at buying in the south of england where offering a bar is not really the norm (although quite a few places have an honesty bar)
Thanks
Hope you dont mind me butting in, but we are also considering buying in Blackpool and you seem to be a mine of information
Is it really necessary to run a bar in your premises? We are looking at buying a 10 bed place either in South Shore or Central and targeting families, couples etc and plan on offering fairly high spec accomodation. We have been given various advice re running a bar or not. Our preference would be not but we really are not sure if this would be a big disadvantage or not. We were originally looking at buying in the south of england where offering a bar is not really the norm (although quite a few places have an honesty bar)
Thanks
No problem
The hotel next door to me has not got a bar and still dos well he has people go there year after year because there is no bar and the plus points that brings , if you get me ?
on the other hand id say 50% of people are disappointed because there is nowhere to call back to for a sit down a chat and a pint
I myself like having mine for the socializing side of it (im not a drinker myself) but you will get to meet a lot of decent/nice people, thats one part of it i miss right now
and then there's the money it can bring in over a year
The hotel next door to me has not got a bar and still dos well he has people go there year after year because there is no bar and the plus points that brings , if you get me ?
on the other hand id say 50% of people are disappointed because there is nowhere to call back to for a sit down a chat and a pint
I myself like having mine for the socializing side of it (im not a drinker myself) but you will get to meet a lot of decent/nice people, thats one part of it i miss right now
and then there's the money it can bring in over a year
This is the way it normally works
If you have familys coming in lets say a group 2 adults and 2 kids x3 ..so twelve in the whole group
they arrive at 10.30 book in (in the bar) i make them a cuppa while they pop to the room and shot the bags in
they come into the bar drink the tea and buy the kids a can of pop
they have a five minute chat and there off out for the day.
You will see them roll in at 6 after been walking all day and having dinner and tea out they go to the room stick the telly on and the kettle and chill out for an hour and a half maybe ......... then if you don't have a bar what do they do ???
either sit in the room all night or go out...its not very nice for them and you are not really getting to see them or know them
this might seem ok at first but it will get monotonous pretty quick i think
if you have a bar they will come down watch eastenders in the bar all adults will have a few pints, all kids have a coke, a go on the fruit machines, the kids play pool all night they normally in bed by 11 because they are knackard
If you have familys coming in lets say a group 2 adults and 2 kids x3 ..so twelve in the whole group
they arrive at 10.30 book in (in the bar) i make them a cuppa while they pop to the room and shot the bags in
they come into the bar drink the tea and buy the kids a can of pop
they have a five minute chat and there off out for the day.
You will see them roll in at 6 after been walking all day and having dinner and tea out they go to the room stick the telly on and the kettle and chill out for an hour and a half maybe ......... then if you don't have a bar what do they do ???
either sit in the room all night or go out...its not very nice for them and you are not really getting to see them or know them
this might seem ok at first but it will get monotonous pretty quick i think
if you have a bar they will come down watch eastenders in the bar all adults will have a few pints, all kids have a coke, a go on the fruit machines, the kids play pool all night they normally in bed by 11 because they are knackard
Im doing this in sections as my laptops playing up
On the other hand you might have a group of couples, lets say a club trip 20 plus (all couples)
what are you going to do with them with no bar ?... do you want to turn a large group away ?
id say you need a bar really it will be hard on your rooms as well if people with kids are spending all there time in them taking drinks and crisps, sweets and currys and pizzas cans of larger ect
don't forget its your bar your rules, you can shut at 9 oclock if you want
On the other hand you might have a group of couples, lets say a club trip 20 plus (all couples)
what are you going to do with them with no bar ?... do you want to turn a large group away ?
id say you need a bar really it will be hard on your rooms as well if people with kids are spending all there time in them taking drinks and crisps, sweets and currys and pizzas cans of larger ect
don't forget its your bar your rules, you can shut at 9 oclock if you want
You'll earn a wage but you'd work for it.
I remember a year ago been offered around 10 at around 80k each, all 15-20 bedrooms.
Best bet to make money is to buy one, turn it into a care home (easy done due to layouts) and fill it with council funded residents, Blackpool is around £330pp-pw iirc which is a little on the low side, but if you see the other ones in the area it's literally a stack em high mentality! Find a decent manager and let them have a headache.
I remember a year ago been offered around 10 at around 80k each, all 15-20 bedrooms.
Best bet to make money is to buy one, turn it into a care home (easy done due to layouts) and fill it with council funded residents, Blackpool is around £330pp-pw iirc which is a little on the low side, but if you see the other ones in the area it's literally a stack em high mentality! Find a decent manager and let them have a headache.
It's cheap for a reason.
I remember every summer in the 70's and 80's spent up the coast in Cleveleys, where my nan had a nice retirement bungalow, about 1/3 mile from the sea.
Blackpool was a s
thole before Easyjet and other low cost airlines, but what it is now, is druggies, drunks, and DSS.
Mind you my daughter was conceived in an £18 a night B&B (it was overpriced back in 1995), so I have a soft spot for the place.
I remember every summer in the 70's and 80's spent up the coast in Cleveleys, where my nan had a nice retirement bungalow, about 1/3 mile from the sea.
Blackpool was a s
thole before Easyjet and other low cost airlines, but what it is now, is druggies, drunks, and DSS. Mind you my daughter was conceived in an £18 a night B&B (it was overpriced back in 1995), so I have a soft spot for the place.
@tooldtocruise
Thanks for taking the time to answer, very useful info too. I guess you are right about being able to run the bar the hours that suit us. We also have a 10 year old son so would not want to be up all night but I guess me and hubby can juggle it between us. Neither of us are drinkers but hubby could prop up a bar for hours just chatting with everyone :-D
Thanks for taking the time to answer, very useful info too. I guess you are right about being able to run the bar the hours that suit us. We also have a 10 year old son so would not want to be up all night but I guess me and hubby can juggle it between us. Neither of us are drinkers but hubby could prop up a bar for hours just chatting with everyone :-D
@ pit pony
Lets not kid our selves it no lake district or las vagas but it is popular still its not just stags and hens neither, i have pidgin lads weekends , Golf weekends, darts weekends, kids dancing comp weeks, people who come for Blackpool theater, School holidays are always full
its only summer months you get stags on Friday and Sat
you wont see a stag party for 5 nights aweek
Blackpool has had and continues to have millions spent on it every year
they run it down themselves hoping to win the las vegas style casinos that were meant to come and never did
any town has its bad spots and Blackpool has its fair share and more but you name a town or city in the UK without its problems
If the OPs had half a million pound to spend id say look somewhere else
if you have 250k to spend its well worth considering
obviously if you hate the place you wouldn't be looking there
Lets not kid our selves it no lake district or las vagas but it is popular still its not just stags and hens neither, i have pidgin lads weekends , Golf weekends, darts weekends, kids dancing comp weeks, people who come for Blackpool theater, School holidays are always full
its only summer months you get stags on Friday and Sat
you wont see a stag party for 5 nights aweek
Blackpool has had and continues to have millions spent on it every year
they run it down themselves hoping to win the las vegas style casinos that were meant to come and never did
any town has its bad spots and Blackpool has its fair share and more but you name a town or city in the UK without its problems
If the OPs had half a million pound to spend id say look somewhere else
if you have 250k to spend its well worth considering
obviously if you hate the place you wouldn't be looking there
Edited by tooldtocruise on Wednesday 31st December 17:12
@adverbaan
If we were busy id stay up and do the bar and the late ones, my wife likes to be in bed by ten and id get up to do the breakfasts with her and just grab a couple of hours sometime later if i need it
my two sons at the time were 14/15 And i used to say to them come and sit in the bar for ten minutes and introduce your selves (not when people were p1ssed) and it was the best thing we ever did they can now hold a decent conversation with anyone of any age and a lot of people comment on this and both do well at work now
There's also a lot on down there for kids as well not just the pleasure beach, water park, sea side and peirs
If we were busy id stay up and do the bar and the late ones, my wife likes to be in bed by ten and id get up to do the breakfasts with her and just grab a couple of hours sometime later if i need it
my two sons at the time were 14/15 And i used to say to them come and sit in the bar for ten minutes and introduce your selves (not when people were p1ssed) and it was the best thing we ever did they can now hold a decent conversation with anyone of any age and a lot of people comment on this and both do well at work now
There's also a lot on down there for kids as well not just the pleasure beach, water park, sea side and peirs
To give you an idea of what is possible this place is just across the road from the hotel in the OP-seems to get get good reviews on the whole-
http://www.numberonesouthbeach.com
http://www.numberonesouthbeach.com
now that is nice, makes a change from the usual rundown crap you see
i myself have probably been to see 50 hotels before i bought mine baring in mind both my brothers bought hotels before i bought mine and 1 of my mates bought a hotel as well and i went with all of them to view
ive seen some horror story's and have learnt a lot i think
one i seen had about 600 teddy bears in the bar what guests had bought them over the years...any time someone buys us a momento i think of that bar and bin it when they are gone ..harsh i know
another had the bar totally drank dry think 20 bottles of spirits all empty both fridges empty not a can nothing both people showing us round were p1ssed he wisperd to me i want to go home just make me an offer.. i was tempted but the wife said no.. pretty wise looking back
first one i went to see that grabbed my interest was for sale for 110k 10 bed all on suite total bargain i thought il be in that in a few weeks making money
when i pulled up i could see it leaning ove,r it had cracks in it you could literally put your hand inside the room from the back yard
200k will get you a nice standard hotel ready to run in a decent area with decent business i recon if you can pay less you are doing well
i myself have probably been to see 50 hotels before i bought mine baring in mind both my brothers bought hotels before i bought mine and 1 of my mates bought a hotel as well and i went with all of them to view
ive seen some horror story's and have learnt a lot i think
one i seen had about 600 teddy bears in the bar what guests had bought them over the years...any time someone buys us a momento i think of that bar and bin it when they are gone ..harsh i know
another had the bar totally drank dry think 20 bottles of spirits all empty both fridges empty not a can nothing both people showing us round were p1ssed he wisperd to me i want to go home just make me an offer.. i was tempted but the wife said no.. pretty wise looking back
first one i went to see that grabbed my interest was for sale for 110k 10 bed all on suite total bargain i thought il be in that in a few weeks making money
when i pulled up i could see it leaning ove,r it had cracks in it you could literally put your hand inside the room from the back yard
200k will get you a nice standard hotel ready to run in a decent area with decent business i recon if you can pay less you are doing well
@tooldtocruise
What do you think of these two? and of the locations?
http://www.lyndawnhotel.co.uk/
http://www.wiltonhotel.co.uk/
What do you think of these two? and of the locations?
http://www.lyndawnhotel.co.uk/
http://www.wiltonhotel.co.uk/
one is in the north shore in the middle of the gay area Dickson road, Queen st
so on and doesn't look like its had a lot spent on it over the years
The other is 2 roads down from me .. that road is one of the nicest you will find i think, like the area because in the summer you walk down everyone has flowers planted theres some massive hanging baskets, they have tyled fronts and the whole road is well maintained.. i stayed there (that road) last time i was in blackpool and have veiwed a couple on there
The only thing we found was the living accommodation was very little ..for us anyway
its had money spent in there for sure
so on and doesn't look like its had a lot spent on it over the years
The other is 2 roads down from me .. that road is one of the nicest you will find i think, like the area because in the summer you walk down everyone has flowers planted theres some massive hanging baskets, they have tyled fronts and the whole road is well maintained.. i stayed there (that road) last time i was in blackpool and have veiwed a couple on there
The only thing we found was the living accommodation was very little ..for us anyway
its had money spent in there for sure
Yes, the smallness of the living space is a downside. The Beverly is also for sale on St Chads and is bigger then this one (more expensive too of course and needs some work doing to it) We will be viewing places in a few weeks so we will have a better idea then I guess. Such massively different takings are shown for sometimes the same size hotels on the same street, it is making me a bit nervous that we can actually make a decent living doing this, but for so many reasons it really suits our family to give this a go.
Things id look for
separate bar and dining room ( who wants to eat breakfast in a bar ? or drink in a dining room ?) and the day to day work involved in changing them around from one to the other is massive
best living accommodation you can find ..this will be hard you will know what i mean when you start looking
as many beds as possible, i don't mean as many bed crammed in a room as you can get
but if one sleeps 30 people the other sleeps 24 , every week end your losing £300 just on a Friday Sat at £25 pppn
decent kitchen and always ask what is being left (Every where) and have this in writing, we had people saying they were taking everything
boilers how old ?
fire system ? fire standards doors ect ?
business is important but work that one out for your self.. if you say your turn over is 100k and you have no booking for next year ?
or your turn over is 30k but they have 4 holidays a year and a rangerover on the drive ?
separate bar and dining room ( who wants to eat breakfast in a bar ? or drink in a dining room ?) and the day to day work involved in changing them around from one to the other is massive
best living accommodation you can find ..this will be hard you will know what i mean when you start looking
as many beds as possible, i don't mean as many bed crammed in a room as you can get
but if one sleeps 30 people the other sleeps 24 , every week end your losing £300 just on a Friday Sat at £25 pppn
decent kitchen and always ask what is being left (Every where) and have this in writing, we had people saying they were taking everything
boilers how old ?
fire system ? fire standards doors ect ?
business is important but work that one out for your self.. if you say your turn over is 100k and you have no booking for next year ?
or your turn over is 30k but they have 4 holidays a year and a rangerover on the drive ?
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