Hospitality newbies, Nick and Charlotte Dent are leaning on their backgrounds in business development and PR to blaze a trail in the hotel sector. Over the past four years they have been quietly building up their new boutique hotel collection, refining their property acquisitions, ready for the group to really motor.
In 2014, the Dents were residing in the Middle East and on the hunt for a new family home to put down roots and begin their return to the UK. They stumbled across a farmhouse in Bradford-upon-Avon, which was currently trading as an old-fashioned b&b – think plastic ivy and plates on the wall – which spiked their interest and they decided to embrace a new challenge.
Quickly came along The Boathouse, a restaurant a stone’s throw from the farmhouse, which went on the market soon after, and then a 26,000 acre estate in Scotland, which was ‘too good an opportunity to turn down’.
Now with a couple more properties on board – each one carefully acquired through a very ‘organic’ evolution process – the new Original Collection is primed for action and geared up for growth.
Without hospitality backgrounds – Nick trained as an economist and helped to build up a telecoms business in the UAE, while Charlotte is a PR guru – it’s a love of eating, drinking, hosting and travel that has driven them to step into the hotel ring. Nick also runs a children’s television company, responsible for the BAFTA award-winning Sarah and Duck.
The focus is now firming on launching the new collection to market properly and while the businesses have slowly been gaining momentum under the radar, now the Dents are braced for a boom.
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Profile
Original Collection
Properties: Three
Locations: Bradford-on-Avon, Pangbourne, Scotland
Twitter: @widbrookgrange
