Christie & Co are offering for sale the Best Western Wessex Royale Hotel, located in Dorchester, UK.
The Best Western Wessex Royale – Hotel for sale
At a glance:
- 29 en suite bedrooms
- Trades on a Bed & Breakfast only basis
- Town centre location. Off street parking
- Dining room, bar & function room
- Space to create additional bedrooms
- Excellent condition throughout. EPC exempt
Location
The Wessex Royale is centrally located within Dorchester, the county town of Dorset. The town, which is known for being the birthplace of author and poet Thomas Hardy, enjoys a rich history dating back to the iron age and has a significant number of historic buildings. Dorchester has a huge amount to offer visitors including the newly regenerated Brewery Square leisure & shopping centre, a number of highly rated museums, a plethora of quality restaurants and a weekly market which attracts over 200 traders and a significant visitor footfall. The town’s location within Dorset also makes it a fantastic base for exploring all that the region has to offer; Dorchester is positioned within Dorset’s ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ which offers some of the most beautiful coast and countryside in England. The famous Jurassic Coast and 18 mile long Chesil Beach are located a short drive South of Dorchester and are a particular draw for visitors to the area.
Dorchester is easily accessible with mainline rail links to London.
Description
The Best Western Wessex Royale Hotel is a stunning example of a Georgian era Grade II Listed property, with its symmetrically proportioned frontage and stucco façade. The property has been extensively renovated in recent years with works including external redecoration, replacement of windows, refurbishment of the public areas, refurbishment of 20 bathrooms and upgrades to the heating, hot water and fire alarms systems. The hotel is now presented in excellent order throughout. The property benefits from a generous plot which extends all the way back to Prince’s Street at the rear where the entrance to the car park is located.
The hotel is independently owned but currently trades under the Best Western franchise brand and enjoys a spread of bookings from both tourists and commercial travellers alike. Our clients choose to trade the business under a bed and breakfast only model to benefit from lower running costs and do not currently trade with a restaurant. The hotel does have a residents bar which serves a selection of snacks such as sandwiches, soup and salads. A new owner may choose to change this model and open a restaurant to generate additional revenues.
The hotel enjoys a strong function trade thanks to the dedicated 70 person capacity function room; catering for a range of events such as business meetings, conferences, celebrations, funerals and weddings.
The business has been owned by our client since 2002, who have now taken the decision to sell the hotel in order to focus on and reinvest in their separate core business of food wholesaling.
Internal Details
• Breakfast / dining room seating 40
• Lounge Bar seating 24
• Function Room seating up to 70
• Vacant former gym – Spacious ground floor room with kitchen and WC facilities. Long basement with vaulted ceilings, previously used as the gym training space.
• Managers office
• Commercial Kitchen
Fixtures & Fittings
Trade fixtures and fittings are included in the sale.
Letting Accommodation
The hotel features 29 well appointed en-suite bedrooms, comprising:
17 standard double/twins
2 singles
2 family rooms
8 deluxe rooms
External Details
To the rear of the property is a private car park with space for nine vehicles and a terrace seating area for use by guests.
The Opportunity
The property itself present’s significant opportunity for a new owner to further develop the trading space of the business thanks to the recently vacant former Gym & fitness centre at the rear of the property. This space was let out to a third party and includes a street frontage, ground level space plus a large basement which extends under the hotel. It is thought this space could suit conversion into additional letting bedrooms or possibly even a separate bar and restaurant.
Although the business has seen continued growth in terms of revenue, there is still significant opportunity for a new operator to continue to grow the business.
Staff
The hotel is run with a full compliment of staff including a general manager. The owners are not based on site and do not take an active role in the day to day operations of the business.
Trading Information
Accounts for the year ending March 2022 show a net turnover of £854,819 and an EBITDA of over £250,000.
Business Rates
Rateable value with effect from April 2023 £93,900. Please note this is the rateable value for the property. It is not what you pay in business rates or. The local council uses the rateable value to calculate the business rates bill.
Regulatory
Premises Licence.
