Attracting big brand hotels is hurting our town, says hotelier

A leading Blackpool hotelier says problems with the over supply of holiday bed spaces in the town is being made worse by the council’s promotion of big new hotel brands in the town.

Ian White, of hotel association StayBlackpool, says the authority has ambitions of trying to bring the bigger conferences back to Blackpool and is using the big hotels to lure them in. 

But he says this approach is at the expense of the town’s smaller hotels and B&Bs, who are adversely affected by the competition from these larger, big name hotels.

Instead, he says, the council need to put greater effort into making Blackpool’s designated touring areas more welcoming, as too many struggling hotels fall into the wrong use and blight areas which are supposed to be designated for holidaymakers,

However, Blackpool Council. leader, Coun Lynn Williams insists the council does not actively promote big brand hotels and in fact has a longstanding commitment to supporting the resort’s accommodation sector.

Big brand hotels not helping

Mr White, a prominent spokesman for the resort’s hotel industry, said: “One of the real issues Blackpool is facing s the oversupply of holiday bed spaces.

“I believe the council is making this problem worse with the new hotel brands to support the ambition for the return of bigger conferences including the autumn party ones,

“There is also the time it takes to address the massive issues of new holiday lets in residential areas.

“We desperately need the council to review its holiday areas. Rather than following the previous practices of re-drawing lines to cover smaller and more fragmented areas, they need to get to grips with what is really going on. .

“They need to set up a Holiday Area Task Force that ensures these areas are a welcoming area that builds a stronger community and a more welcoming destination. That will do far more toward the desire to welcome more conferences than branded hotels alone.

“The failure to support the holiday areas is hitting so much of the town. The new hotels have so much on site that the town’s evening economy suffers as visitors stay in the hotels. Venues and attractions further reduce their opening hours.

“Away from the prom and town centre more properties are left unloved and fall into disrepair, more properties turn to inappropriate uses, from cannabis farms, drug runner bases , HMO and squats.”

What Leader says

Coun Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, said: “We do not only promote branded hotels and national chains. As a council, we have a long-standing commitment to supporting the accommodation sector in Blackpool no matter what size the business.

“Blackpool Council has for many years worked with StayBlackpool, the town’s principal holiday association to help B&Bs and other accommodation providers across the resort.

“It is a fact that trade for businesses can be impacted by a number of factors such as the cost of living crisis but this has affected all destinations across the UK, not just Blackpool.

“However, we continue to take pro-active steps to support our hospitality and tourism industry which is really important in achieving our ambition to create a year-round destination which will be of benefit to local businesses.

“There continues to be significant investment each year in destination marketing. We also invest in a world-class events programme which attracts millions of people to the resort every year. In addition, the illumination season was extended, we have staged the hugely successful Christmas By The Sea festival and invest significant amounts in free events such as the Blackpool Air Show and the World Firework Championships.

“We want people to stay longer in the resort and we are working on a resort pass to encourage longer stays.

“Visitors to Blackpool want a choice of accommodation and it is not just catering for the conference trade. However, helping fund major conferences and exhibitions also helps fill our hotels and B&Bs throughout the year.

“A great number of our smaller hotels and B&Bs invest in their properties but we have had an issue for many years of an oversupply of holiday accommodation, some being of poor quality.

“While good quality accommodation and short term holiday lets are welcomed in the holiday areas and town centre, the council has concerns around the growth of short term holiday lets particularly in residential areas which have the potential to negatively impact on communities and neighbourhoods. These are the cases which we currently prioritise with the resources we have to hand.

“The council is also reviewing how we can move forward with more effective strategies to deal with and crack down on properties that are having a negative impact on residential areas.

“We have already put a lot of work in to tackling poor quality properties such as those in disrepair and our enforcement teams work tirelessly to deal with those issues.’’