Devon's renowned seaside resorts on brink of exciting new era

Torbay is ushering in a new era of luxury hospitality that will help to position it as the country's "premier traditional seaside destination". Rob Cox, boss of Tudor Hotels Ltd, says there is an "incredible desire" from holidaymakers to visit and enjoy the attractions of Torquay, Paignton, Brixham and surrounding areas.

His company is investing millions in transforming the landmark Redcliffe Hotel in Preston, Paignton, into a luxury destination. He has told DevonLive that he wants to make the hotel a source of pride for people living in the Bay and something that draws on its heritage and unique seafront charms.

Tourism bosses have echoed his optimism and say the opening of several new hotels in the Bay will extend the traditional visitor season well beyond the summer months.

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It comes as the new holiday season prepares to start in earnest with more than four million people expected to descend on the English Riviera. The hospitality industry is worth £435m to the local economy, employing nearly 12,000 people.

Rob says: "I think it's probably the premier destination in the UK for a holiday from a resort point of view and I see no reason to think why investment in the Bay won't pay back over a longer period.

"You've certainly got the market. There's an incredible desire of people to go and spend their time there. Everybody I speak to loves that part of the world. It's just a little bit tiny under-invested at the moment and hopefully we can play our part in that."

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Tudor Hotels Collection plans a massive redevelopment of the Victorian-era Redcliffe building to turn it into 'the ultimate celebration of luxury'. Construction is due to get underway this summer. Once finished there will be a new restaurant, enhanced spa facilities, hotel bar and exclusive suites overlooking the sea.

Rob says: "My view of the Bay is that geographically it is incredibly unique. The geography of the place really sets out this incredible bay with three town centres essentially and we think being in the centre of that, in Paignton, is probably the premier position in some ways so we want to create a focal point."

Tudor has a track record of delivering on projects having turned Bodmin Jail in Cornwall into one of the region's best themed visitor attractions. Last week, hugely ambitious concepts for Torquay's Kents Cavern were also unveiled.

The imminent transformation of the Redcliffe comes as significant investment is made in other new hotels. Recently the large side-by-side Mercure and Ibis opened at a seafront location down the road. The under-construction Corbyn Head Hotel is already a dominant feature as it rises skyward further along the coast towards Torquay. A new Premier Inn is also poised to open in Torquay and more controversial redevelopment plans have been proposed in Brixham.

Rob says: "My view of the Bay is that geographically it is incredibly unique. The geography of the place really sets out this incredible bay with three town centres essentially and we think being in the centre of that, in Paignton, is probably the premier position in some ways so we want to create a focal point.

"The hospitality industry is tending to get stretched. There's a middle area that has grown over the past several years where the more budget hotels have got more luxurious and the more luxurious hotels have had to get more budget to make the costs work.

"And you've got this fat middle in hospitality where everything is sort of mid-market - whether you stay in a Premier Inn or whether you stay in a four-star you get a very similar experience.

"We're trying to stretch that back out again and make luxury truly luxury and provide people with opportunity to get something different. I think there's room to do that in the Bay I think people will travel at least as far as Devon.

"Devon's easy to get to, it's got great connections. It's the end of the Great Western Railway and it's just got this sense of real traditional holiday feel to it. I think it's a fantastic destination in the UK. I think it's probably the premier destination in the UK for a holiday from a resort point of view and I see no reason to think why investment in the Bay won't pay back over a longer period."

Among the people to post comments supporting the Redcliffe plans was Torbay MP Kevin Foster, who wrote: "This proposal is a welcome plan to invest a significant amount of money not only upgrading hotel facilities, but also restoring and improving the historic appearance of this building."

It is the combination of the Redcliffe's history and geography that attracted Tudor to buy it, says Rob. A blue plaque on the hotel describes how it was designed by Colonel Robert Smith, an engineer and architect who made his fortune in India and brought some of those influences to bear on his design for a home in 1852. The Redcliffe was first used as a hotel in 1902 and was, until Tudor came along, owned by the same local family for more than 40 years.

"The Redcliffe to us is just a hidden gem," says Rob. "It's hidden in plain site right in the centre of the Bay, looking out, great views in every direction. But from the road nobody really knows it's there and everybody drives past. It's become over time a little bit tired and delipidated and we want to really restore it to what it was originally. Essentially it was a palatial home for a wealthy gentleman, an engineer and a visionary and we want to bring some of that feel back to it.

"We want to be able to offer the amazing things that are to the right and to the left of the hotel as part of the package and I think the history of the Bay is the reason why people want to keep coming. That's exactly why you try to respect it and prolong it because of all of the amazing stories."

Those stories include links to Agatha Christie, the Singer family, dancer Isadora Duncan and best-selling author Dick Francis.

Rob says the new Redcliffe will "give it a sense of purpose in the Bay and give people something which feels like they can be proud of".

"It can be that place right in the centre where everybody looks at it as says 'that's great for or Bay. It looks fantastic there and we're proud to have it there'. And that is really the main objective to restore that sense of pride.

"Within the building we'll put the modern facilities and the luxuries you would expect of a four-star/five-star leisure hotel. swimming pool, spa, treatment room some great suites overlooking the water and fantastic service, fine dining restaurants - all the things that I believe are missing currently from the picture in the Bay.

"History, luxury and a sense of place are the three pillars of out brand. We first and foremost want to respect and encourage that sense of history. That's why we spent so much time and we had discussions with planning department about creating a concept at Redcliffe which was about harking back to the historic nature of that building rather than going for some modern interpretation which is the usual way of doing it.

"The bones of it are so beautiful why not respect that and try to use that as the brief for the project. Luckily the planners came on board and so did the local interest groups and everybody's behind it which is great.

"I think the history of that Bay is the reason why people want to keep coming. That's exactly why you try to respect it and prolong it because all of the amazing stories.

"Hospitality is one of those great industries - everyone gets to have a drink at the end."

Tourism boss Carolyn Custerson, chief executive of English Riviera BID Company Ltd, says new investment is helping to re-shape hospitality and boost the jobs market.

She says: "I believe the English Riviera has a great future and will remain one of the UK’s premier resorts attracting over four million visitors every year and generating £500 million into the Torbay Economy.

"The arrival of the new hotels will allow us to extend our traditional season, extend our global reach in terms of promoting the English Riviera brand worldwide and importantly offer more permanent jobs and training opportunities in our crucially important hospitality industry for local people."

Torbay's position as a holiday powerhouse comes amid concerns about crime and an exodus of shops from its town centres. Torbay Council says it has an ambitious redevelopment programme and promises updates on a number of key sites by the summer, including the old Crossways in Paignton and Union Square in Torquay.

A spokesperson said: “Our long-term strategy for Torbay is to create a Bay as the place to invest, work, live and visit.

“Public and private sector investment secured by Torbay Council over recent years is allowing us to move forward with ambitious redevelopment and regeneration plans. In 2023, we set out to secure a delivery partner for several key sites across Torbay. We achieved this by securing Willmott Dixon Milligan and are in the process of finalising scheme options for a range of sites (details available by summer 2024).

“Our plans will deliver much-needed improvements to our town centres, provide new homes, create year-round job opportunities, improve infrastructure, and attract further investment and commercial interest. Using the expertise of our regeneration partner we are working through the investment opportunities that Torbay presents and will be taking these opportunities to the UKREiiF ( Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum) event in May 2024.

“Our medium- and long-term ambitions for Torbay are supported by Torbay Economic Growth Strategy 2022-2030, the Destination Management Plan 2022-2030 and our Local Plan.”