Nick Davies, co-owner of The Cottage in the Wood Malvern, has secured £2.1m from the Cumberland Building Society to enable the complete refurbishment of the entire hotel by 2020, two years ahead of schedule.
After purchasing The Cottage in the Wood in 2015, Nick and his wife Julia began Phase I of the three phase refurbishment of the hotel. A redesigned 1919 restaurant and bar and renovated public spaces in the Main House were launched in April 2017.
Phase II completed last week, with the refurbishment of all seven bedrooms in the Main House and the redesign of Beech Cottage with four bedrooms.
Brokered by Christies, the funds from the Cumberland Building Society will fulfil the owners’ ambition to forge ahead and refurbish the remaining 19 bedrooms in the Coach House, build an orangery to extend the bar capacity and convert two meeting rooms into a family suite in 2020.
“Here at The Cumberland we’ve been supporting accomplished hoteliers for over 25 years,” says Bob Bishopp, Head of Commercial Lending at The Cumberland. “Nick and Julia have an ambitious plan to transform their hotel and we are delighted to be involved in helping them to deliver that plan over the course of the next 12/15 months and beyond.”
The Cottage in the Wood has partnered with Nelson Design for each phase of the refurbishment programme. Blending contemporary Georgian style and colour, bold and bespoke wallpapers, vintage one-off pieces of furniture and artwork, The Cottage in the Wood is evolving into an exquisite haven in the hills.
Since relaunching in April 2017, 1919 Restaurant has achieved a strong reputation for its warm service and refined menus of local produce. Meanwhile the hotel bedrooms already enjoy high occupancy throughout the year. In January 2018, Nick and Julia saw an 80% increase in revenue above target.
